The Chillicothe FFA Agricultural Issues Forum team presented to the Chillicothe R-II School Board Club at the Chillicothe R-II School Administrative Building on Monday, March 21, 2017.
The purpose of the Agricultural Issues Forum is to provide students an opportunity to explore local agriculture issues and create an unbiased presentation to a public audience. The ability to understand and communicate clearly with the public about agriculture is important to the career success of students and to the agriculture industry.
Chillicothe FFA Chapter has chosen for their Agriculture Issues forum, “Should the Next Farm Bill Include More Funding for the Conservation Reserve Program?” The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length.
The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the loss of wildlife habitat. Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, CRP is the largest private-lands conservation program in the United States. Thanks to voluntary participation by farmers and land owners, CRP has improved water quality, reduced soil erosion, and increased habitat for endangered and threatened species. In 2007 CRP peaked at 36.8 million acres enrolled and by the fall of 2015, it was down to 24.2 million acres, its smallest size since the 1980’s. Most recently, given the newest farm bill, the number of acres accepted in the Conservation Reserve Program was cut from 40 million to the current 24 million.
The Agriculture Issues Forum team has also present previously to the Livingston County Farm Bureau Board, the Chillicothe Agri-Leaders, Chillicothe Rotary Club, Chillicothe Young Farmers, and the KMZU Farmer Appreciation dinner.
The team received first place at the area level and will compete at the district level on March 28, 2017.
The FFA members on the Agriculture Issues team are Marley Anderson, Elena Boon, Isaiah Boon, Austin Case, Liberty Cox, Gracie Ellis, and Adler Marshall.
