Self-reporting farm projects key to voluntary stewardship

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Apr 05, 20180

Area conservation districts know that local farmers and ranchers are already taking care of their land and resources, many without anyone telling them to do so.

Now, the conservation districts just need to know about the good being done to keep government from coming in to try and regulate practices.

“If someone is doing good things, we want them to continue doing good things,” said Brad Johnson, Palouse Conservation District and watershed manager and coordinator of the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP).

VSP allows farmers and ranchers to continue agricultural practices without government regulation so long as those producers are protecting critical areas while keeping their agricultural endeavors viable.

“These producers are doing more than anyone realizes,” Johnson said.

The kicker is that, while producers are doing good things, they do not always let others know so they can get the credit for those things.

“We need producers to come in and self-report all the great stewardship practices they’re doing on their own,” Johnson said. Farmers and ranchers are invited to visit local conservation districts to talk about the stewardship practices they already have in place so those numbers can be counted toward the VSP work plan. While talking, they may find there are cost-sharing options available to help them keep up the good work. Johnson noted in this day and age, it is more practical to do cost-sharing which can help producers get over financial humps that may be keeping them from stewardship practices they want to implement.

In addition to conservation districts, the Whitman County Cattlemen’s Association, Whitman County Farm Bureau and the Whitman County Association of Wheat Growers are part of the Whitman County VSP Work Group. The various organizations provide technical assistance to producers. The stewardship practices can also be reported to the other agencies.

“We all want to see agriculture sustainable,” Johnson said.

The VSP work plan lists different goals for a variety of stewardship practices in Whitman County. The work plan uses stewardship practices as of July 22, 2011, as the baseline. Goals are set to increase different practices that protect critical areas through 2026. So long as those goals are met, it means regulatory agencies stay out of what the farmers and ranchers are doing. The work group decided it did not want to go down the regulatory path.

The overall goal is protecting critical areas such as wetlands, habitat conservation areas, aquifer recharge areas, geologically hazardous and frequently flooded areas while keeping ag viable. One example common in Whitman County is residue management, such as no-till or direct seed. By 2021, the goal is to have nearly 28,000 acres in the county under residue and tillage management. For 2026, the goal is about 59,500 acres.

On the livestock side, managed grazing is one marker. The work plan lists goals of acres in managed or prescribed grazing at about 3,600 by 2021 and about 7,700 by 2026.

What farmers and ranchers are doing to improve their lands and protect those critical areas is very open under VSP. Johnson said it makes his job easier if producers come in with ideas already on stewardship practices they want to try or have implemented.

Reporting the work being done does not bind the farmer or rancher to anything. Johnson said when people self-report to any conservation district with stewardship strategies, their information is protected. Participation in VSP does not require the party to be in a government-funded program. Johnson noted they may be able to find funds or programs to help producers in their stewardship goals, but there in no requirement to use them for VSP.

“We really need producers to come in the door and self-report,” he said.

There is no deadline for farmers and ranchers to report their stewardship practices, but Johnson noted the sooner the better.

According to a checklist of the work plan, failure to meet the protection goals will trigger agencies taking a regulatory approach. But, so long as area producers are reporting what they’re doing, they will be able to continue working without regulation.

A copy of the full work plan is on the VSP website whitmancountyvsp.com including multiple pages of eligible practices that can be counted toward the VSP goals.