Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 1, 1990 TAG: 9005010040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ed Shamy
DATELINE: OTTER HILL LENGTH: Short
So, too, does virtually every other farmer in America.
In order to participate this year in government-backed agriculture programs - and they reach into markets as diverse as honey, mohair, corn, cotton, milk, wheat, peanuts and tobacco - farmers are required to have a soil conservation plan for their land.
The plans, tailored for each farm, are blueprints for limiting soil erosion. By planting cover crops, by contour planting (planting across the slope of the land), by strip cropping (planting strips of thick grasses between tracts of more erosion-prone crops) and by channeling runoff water down their fields, farmers can help keep topsoil in place.
This growing season marks the first time the conservation plans are mandatory. Historically, soil conservation plans and practices have been voluntary.
The federal Food Security Act of 1985 - commonly known as the farm bill - required that conservation plans for all farms be submitted to and approved by local soil conservation districts by Jan. 1, 1990. The plans must be implemented by 1995.
The Turners complied because they rely on federal crop insurance to protect their farm against natural disaster. They would be ineligible for the insurance this year without the plan.
Also affected are farmers who rely on price supports, disaster relief, Farmers Home Administration loans and other programs administered by the federal government.
by CNB