Guest Commentary: The Farm Bill and Water Quality

At the same time MDL's editor was touting the "Get Big or Get Out" philosophy of agribusiness, MDL ran a sharp letter to the editor pointing out one of the many dangers of that profit-blindered mindset: the deterioration of water quality caused by farming marginal lands. For an explanation, we turn to fellow Lake Herman intellectual Charles Stoneback:

If you think the farm bill affects only Ag producers it is time to think again. With corn, soybean and wheat prices soaring to create pressure for putting marginal soil, wetlands and stream banks into production it is now time to shift some of the payments from crop production into promoting natural resource conservation in farming practices which will ensure long term productivity of Ag land as well as protecting our water and wild life resources. Two specific areas of the farm bill that I feel are critical to the water quality in our lakes and streams are the Conservation Security Program and the Sod Saver Program. The Conservation Security Program that pays producers on how well soil, water and wildlife habitat are improved in water sheds has been cancelled in the House passed version of the bill. The Sod Saver program would prohibit taxpayer support payments on native grass and forest land cultivated for crops. This program is facing major opposition from several farm groups.

Why do I feel these programs are so critical to our water quality? The Interlakes Water Quality Committee has sponsored two water quality monitoring initiatives in our local lakes this past year. The first was a phosphorus testing program which compared samples taken at sites during 1995 with those taken during 2007. It should alarm us all that measured dissolved phosphorus which produces the smelly green fish suffocating scum has more than doubled in Lake Herman in spite of the expensive county wide watershed project completed in 2005. The second project started this spring is a volunteer monitoring program for bacteria coordinated by East Dakota Water Development District. Again alarming levels of E coli bacteria are being found in Lake Herman during the spring run off and after rain events. The highest recordings are where streams enter the lake. It may be like global warming as far as difficulty in determining responsibility but I don’t think our lakes can wait another six years to improve Ag conservation practices. It is time to contact our Senators before the Senate passes it’s version of the farm bill