PNDSA POLICY

The following represent the official PNDSA policy positions on issues pertinent to our mission.  We welcome any input or questions you may have.
pndsa@directseed.org

CRP Takeout
March 2008

Over the next three years, thousands of acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land in the PNW will reach the end of current contracts. Given current commodity prices and the drive to develop a viable biofuel industry in the PNW it is likely much of this land will be brought into annual crop production. Over the life of a CRP contract many environmental benefits are delivered, including protection of highly erodable land and carbon sequestration. It is the opinion of the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association that the return of this land to annual crop production does not have to have severe and negative environmental consequences.

To help reduce the potential negative environmental impact of this impending action, CRP contract administrators can allow and encourage landowners to adopt and utilize direct seed cropping systems. To help facilitate this action, PNDSA members unanimously passed the following resolution at the January 22, 2008 PNDSA 8th Annual Meeting.

 

PNDSA Member Resolution - CRP Takeout
Passed Unanimously January 23, 2008 at 8th PNDSA Annual Meeting

Whereas:	The current CRP contract release date is September 30th which does not fit with a direct seed system and encourages contract holders to use intensive tillage operations in order to bring acres into production.
Whereas:	Intensive tillage upon termination of CRP contracts encourages the loss of many of the soil quality benefits that accrue during the CRP contract terms.
Whereas:	Intensive tillage also exposes already susceptible land to further potential erosion.
Therefore be it resolved:
	That PNDSA work with state and federal agencies responsible for CRP contract release, to allow contracted acres to be released to the owner six months prior to contract termination to facilitate chemical fallowing and direct seeding and further that CRP contract holders only gain early release status upon signed agreement to practice continuous direct seeding for a term of three years.

Farm Program Policy Provisions
Adopted October 13, 2005

1. Maintaining planting flexibility - Direct seed systems enhance the sustainability of agriculture through improved economic and environmental benefits. Diversified rotations are a critical element to maintaining both the economic and environmental integrity of direct seed systems. The PNDSA endorses farm policies that continue to encourage, not penalize farmers for making planting decisions that include rotational diversity and respond to market signals.
   
   
2. Conservation Incentive Payments - Growers should be rewarded by the public for adopting practices such as direct seeding that reduce negative environmental impacts on our streams and rivers. Incentive based programs that recognize the environmental benefits conservation farming practices promote can help encourage farmers to transition into direct seeding. Increased adoption of better conservation practices will enhance air and water quality as well as wildlife habitat. The public's desire for environmental stewardship in production agriculture should be balanced with the responsibility to mitigate increased costs and risk to implement these practices. The PNDSA facilitates the process of accessing public and private funding sources to address these transition costs.
   
   
3. Conservation payment eligibility should be accessible on a non-discriminatory basis to producers regardless of past efforts to incorporate conservation practices in their operation.
   
   
4. Conservation Security Program (CSP) - The PNDSA strongly endorses the CSP as a tool to reward producers for continuing to implement sound conservation practices and to motivate others to improve practices.  We offer the following recommendations for assuring this program is fairly administered and continues to be a longtime viable conservation incentive system:
   • Fully fund the program per the original Congressional legislation.
   • Consider providing an escape clause for producers to withdraw from the program if funding is withheld
   • Commit sufficient administrative resources (both NRCS staff plus Technical Resource Providers); NRCS should commit its most skilled resources to support this program and expand training services.
   • Strive for consistency in the administrative process from one watershed area to another;
   • Make sure requirements for soil testing are not overly micro-managed as far as procedures required; the emphasis on soil test requirements should be to determine how growers are using this information to drive nutrient management decisions.
   • Consider more testing and validation of the models for determining SCI and STIR to assure these predictive models fairly simulate conservation practice impacts on erosion and soil quality.  Particular efforts are needed to insure the SCI and STIR calculations fit lower rainfall areas with limited rotation options.  NRCS should work closely with Local Working Groups and Conservation Districts to insure local needs are met and all viable options for achieving sound conservation are given fair consideration.
   • Consider implementing both a fall and spring sign-up period to spread workload and expand producer’s access to sign-up resources.
   • Monitor NRCS staff tendency to second guess recommendations and plans made by Technical Service Providers (TSPs) who have already gone through proper certification processes to work with growers; this “second guessing” procedure can compromise grower’s chain of accountability for designing and executing CSP plans.
     
     
5. Family Farm Business Viability/Safety Net Programs - PNDSA believes some minimal safety net programs are necessary to insure economic integrity of family farm businesses. PNDSA believe farmers have an obligation to institute all possible measures at their disposal to operate competitively. In addition to demonstrating production skills, farmers should be encouraged and rewarded for efforts to enhance their marketing, financial and business management proficiencies. Future farm policies should consider incentive systems that fund expanded educational opportunities for farmers to build better proficiencies in these areas.

Agricultural Burning
Adopted July 8, 2003; Amended October 13, 2005

The PNDSA encourages farmers to maintain crop residue in their cropping systems. Residue reduces soil erosion, retains valuable nutrient, increases organic matter, and results in healthier soils. Burning is a management tool that should be available for specific situations, such as helping to control disease and pest problems and facilitating transition into direct seed systems where heavy crop residue can make it difficult to establish a crop.

The PNDSA will take an active role in educating growers and the public about the use of burning as a management tool and alternative strategies to adopt direct seeding in heavy residue situations without destroying surface residue. The PNDSA supports increased research on viable options to field burning that do not involve increasing tillage. Research successes can substantially reduce the amount of acres burned in the PNW. The PNDSA will work with all stakeholders to promote responsible use of burning with regard to smoke management and consumer air quality concerns.

Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Credit Trading
Adopted July 8, 2003; Amended October 13, 2005

1. Selling or Leasing Credits/Understanding the Risks: Although carbon sequestration is likely to play an important role in American agriculture in the future, the lack of an established regulatory framework for carbon value trading means farmers must be careful of signing contracts without adequately understanding the repercussions.  If growers desire to monetize benefits from sequestering carbon, PNDSA encourages growers to consider leasing rather than selling carbon credits.
   
   
2. Agriculture as an Eligible Sink: Agricultural practices that increase carbon storage capacity should be considered creditable and tradable means of emissions reduction.
   
   
3. Measurement Systems:
   (a) To efficiently measure carbon storage on a massive scale, predictive models, rather than field measurements, should be used; and
   (b) High priority should be given to funding research that refines measurement models that accurately predict the carbon storage capacity of alternative cropping systems in a wide variety of agricultural production areas.
   
   
4. Monitoring Markets and Educating Growers: PNDSA is exploring all aspects of carbon credit trading to assure PNDSA membership gains the greatest benefit from, and avoids potential pitfalls of, an immature market.  The PNDSA also strives to collect and disseminate information to educate farmers on the benefits and risks involved with the carbon credit market, and to promote quantification of economic and environmental benefits that can be derived from direct seed cropping systems.
   
   
5. Credit to Direct Seed Pioneers: Farmers already following reduced tillage practices should receive credit for their beneficial activities, retroactively from 1990.
   
   
6. Global Collaboration in Policy Formulation: Global warming is a problem that warrants widespread coordination and cooperation to reach solutions.  PNDSA support efforts to continue dialogue with other grower groups as well as environmental and conservation organizations to define policies that are fair and economical to farmers and also encourage adoption of economically and environmentally sound farm practices

Salmon Recovery in the PNW
Adopted July 8, 2003; Amended October 13, 2005

The PNDSA recognizes the importance of several salmon species in the tri-state region, and believes agriculture plays a key role in the process of recovery. The importance of water quality in promoting better spawning conditions is critical to that recovery. Conservation farming practices that include direct seeding can help bring endangered salmon species back to our rivers. Direct seeding contributes directly to salmon recovery through reduction of soil erosion and pesticide runoff and improvement of spawning habitat. PNDSA supports formation of partnerships with entities interested in environmental improvement that will directly enhance salmon recovery through improved production practices.

Research Policy Priorities
Adopted October 13, 2005

The following are high priority research areas based on surveys of PNDSA members.

Production Priorities: Nutrient Management; Residue Management; Alternative Crops; Crop Variety Development/Response

Pest Management Priorities: Wild Oats; Jointed Goatgrass; Rhizoctonia; Downy Brome; Russian Thistle; China Lettuce

Biofuel Production
Adopted October 13, 2005

Biofuel production can help promote the viability of alternate crops and make it easier for farmers to transition to or maintain diversified rotations.  PNDSA supports increased research support for biofuels as well as expanded biofuel production it the PNW.  PNDSA’s mission is to promote adoption of economically viable and environmentally sustainable cropping systems.  A critical component of these systems is often keyed to the existence of a diverse rotation system where soils and climate will accommodate this diversity.  In order for rotation crops to be considered they also have to be economically viable.  That means that the combination of marketability, cost of production, and rotational benefits must make a positive contribution to the overall cropping system.  PNDSA supports initiatives that have potential to improve marketability and viability of these crops in making adoption of direct seed cropping systems more feasible.

Crop Insurance
Adopted October 13, 2005

Having a comprehensive set of risk management tools is essential to PNW farmers’ viability.  The design of specific program provisions in crop insurance programs should encourage implementation of diverse crop rotation systems.  Some RMA policies and claims procedures penalize growers with diverse rotations, and insurance programs often fail to deliver the expected coverage purchased when the actual claims process takes place.  The PNDSA recommends that the Pacific Northwest Steering Group (representatives from the major PNW commodity groups along with representatives from RMA and the insurance industry) reconvene to review a number of risk management problem areas.  PNDSA encourages RMA working in concert with the Steering Group to consider the following priorities in Federal Crop Insurance programming:

• Expand application of master yields for alternative crops

• Implement a Crop Revenue Program for peas, lentils and chickpeas

• Expand winter coverage for Winter peas and lentils

• Continue efforts to make the unit agreement provisions more flexible for establishing optional units in mosaic geographic regions of the PNW

• Modify the NCIS claims manual to delete misleading information and fully implement 2002 rule change for handling dockage on pea and lentil claims

• Eliminate the practice of combining yields of unlike commodities when calculating production for claims purposes (peas and lentils; spring and fall wheat; continuous crop and summer fallow wheat