This week, the House Agriculture Committee held a 2023 Farm Bill Listening Session in Tulare, CA during the World Ag Expo. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson, and additional Members servicing on the committee were in attendance. CAFB President Jamie Johansson testified during the listening session. The testimony focused on the importance of the 2023 Farm Bill to California farmers and ranchers as well as priority areas of focus including, but not limited to, the need for additional crop insurance tools, the importance of a robust forestry title and nutrition programs that link California producers to effective food programs. A recording of the Farm Bill listening session can be viewed here.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing to revise Section 10 permit regulations for the federal Endangered Species Act which cover voluntary conservation agreements such as candidate conservation agreements with agreements (CCAA) and safe harbor agreements (SHA). According to FWS, the purpose of the proposal is to revise the regulations to reduce the time it takes for applicants to prepare and develop the required documents to support applications for section 10(a) permits, thus accelerating permitting and conservation implementation. The proposal seeks to clarify the following:

The proposed changes would also combine future CCAAs and HCPs into one Conservation Benefit Agreement receiving enhancement of survival permits. Additionally, applicants for an enhancement of survival permit would have the option, currently available in a SHA, to return the property to baseline conditions. CAFB Federal Policy staff is reviewing the proposal and will submit comments as appropriate. Comments on the proposed rule are due to FWS by April 10, 2023.

On February 13, USDA announced a new multi-state strategy, titled the Western Water and Working Lands Framework for Conservation Action, to address key water and land management challenges across 17 Western States. The new framework is intended to assist farmers and ranchers conserve water, address climate change, and build drought resilience in the West. In addition, $25 million in WaterSMART funding was announced for three new priority areas and 37 existing priority areas in the West. These funds are intended to complement projects led by irrigation districts water suppliers and other organizations receiving WaterSMART program funds from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. For more information, view the USDA press release here.

The USDA Farm Service Agency has announced that 41 counties in California are accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from the recent severe storm to eligible farmland, fences, and conservation structures/other installations. ECP signup will begin on February 13th, 2023, and end on April 14th, 2023. The approved ECP practices under this authorization include debris removal, grading, shaping & leveling, fence restoration & restoring conservation structures & other installations. The use of ECP funds is limited to activities to return the land to the relative pre-disaster condition. Conservation concerns that were present on the land prior to the disaster are not eligible for ECP assistance. For more information, including a list of eligible counties, view the USDA FSA press release here.

On Wednesday it was announced that current Undersecretary for Rural Development, Xochitl Torres Small would be nominated to serve as USDA’s Deputy Secretary. The nomination would fill the second-in-command role that has been held by Jewel Bronaugh, who announced last month that she would be stepping down. Torres Small has played a key role in the administration’s focus on rural development projects, which has included a substantial investment in the expansion of broadband access. Formerly a House Member from New Mexico, Torres Small has served with USDA since late 2021.

The USDA Farm Production and Conservation survey remains open for feedback from farmers, ranchers and forest managers. USDA would like to hear from existing customers, and they hope to also reach a new audience of prospective customers, specifically those that don’t know about USDA, have yet to work with USDA, and those who were unable to participate in the past. The survey is anonymous, takes about 10 minutes to complete, and is open until March 31, 2023. The survey can be found at www.farmers.gov/survey.

As a reminder to members, the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) has opened up applications for their “Phase Two” payments. These cover disasters experienced in 2020 and 2021 that were not covered by traditional crop insurance programs. We are eager to hear any feedback from members that are navigating this application process and whether they have received any funds they have applied for. Given the difficulties the USDA had in transitioning approved funding towards a functioning program, we want to ensure that those utilizing these Phase Two payments are able to successfully navigate the platform. For any details on your experiences, please contact Matthew Viohl.