Climate change isn’t high priority for $1.2 billion USDA farm stewardship program

“Alley cropping is planting trees or shrubs in sets of rows with crops or forages produced between the woody plants. Producers who practice alley cropping may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of improving crop or forage quality, reducing wind and water erosion, improving water quality and building soil health.” 

“Conservation cover is a permanent vegetative cover. Plants that produce high volumes of organic matter are recommended when this practice is applied to increase carbon sequestration and build soil health. Producers who plant conservation cover may generate co-benefits including improved water quality and strengthened benefits to wildlife or pollinator habitat.” 

“Conservation crop rotation is growing crops in a planned sequence on the same field over time. Producers who rotate crops may increase carbon sequestration while delivering the co-benefits of building soil health, reducing plant pest pressures, providing feed or forage for livestock and improving water quality.” 

“The residue and tillage management no-till/strip till/direct seed practice addresses the amount, orientation, and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface year-round. Crops are planted and grown in narrow slots or tilled strips established in the untilled seedbed of the previous crop.” 

“Planting orchards, vineyards, or other perennial crops so that all cultural operations are done on or near the contour.” 

“Contour buffer strips are strips of perennial vegetation alternated down the slope with wider cultivated strips that are farmed on the contour. Contour buffers strips are usually narrower than the cultivated strips.” 

“Cover crops are grasses, legumes and forbs planted for seasonal vegetative cover. Cover crops are not cash crops, but instead are planted to build soil health and carbon stocks by reducing erosion, incrementally increasing organic matter and building soil structure while reducing soil compaction. Producers who plant cover crops may also deliver co-benefits of improved water quality, suppressed weed pressure and broken pest cycles.” 

“Critical area planting establishes permanent vegetation on sites that have, or are expected to have, high erosion rates, and on sites that have conditions that prevent the establishment of vegetation with normal practices.” 

“Residue and tillage management, reduced till practice manages the amount, orientation, and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface year round while limiting the soil-disturbing activities used to grow and harvest crops in systems where the field surface is tilled prior to planting.” 

“Multi-story cropping is managing an overstory of trees or shrubs with understory plants that are separately managed for a variety of products. Producers who practice multi-story cropping may deliver co-benefits of improving biodiversity and building soil health.” 

“This practice establishes, enhances or renovates windbreaks, which are single or multiple rows of trees or shrubs planted in linear or curvilinear configurations. Producers who establish windbreaks may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of reducing erosion, protecting crops, livestock and buildings from wind-related damage, enhancing moisture management and improving ambient air quality.” 

“Silvopasture is the establishment and management of desired tree and forage species on the same land unit. Producers who practice silvopasture may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of providing forage, shade or shelter for livestock, reducing soil and wind erosion, improving water quality, increasing wildlife and pollinator habitat and building soil health.” 

“A field border is a strip of permanent vegetation established at the edge or around the perimeter of a cropland or pasture field. Producers who implement field borders may build perennial biomass and soil carbon stocks while delivering the co-benefits of improving water quality and providing habitat for wildlife or pollinators.” 

“Riparian herbaceous cover consists of grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, legumes or forbs that are tolerant of intermittent flooding or saturated soils and established as the dominant vegetation between upland and aquatic habitats. Land managers who establish riparian herbaceous cover may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of enhancing wildlife or pollinator habitat, improving water quality, reducing streambank erosion and establishing desired plant communities.” 

“A riparian forest buffer is an area covered by trees or shrubs that is located near, and generally uphill from, a body of water. Land managers who implement riparian forest buffers may generate carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while generating the co-benefits of improving water quality, restoring diversity of riparian plant communities, providing wildlife habitat and improving stream conditions for certain species.” 

“Filter strips are areas of herbaceous vegetation that remove contaminants from overland flow. Filter strips are generally established where environmentally sensitive areas need to be protected from nutrient, sediment, other suspended solids and other dissolved contaminants in runoff. Producers who implement filter strips may increase soil carbon and sequester carbon in perennial biomass while preventing nitrogen from entering water bodies. This may provide the co-benefits of improving water quality while also reducing indirect emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.” 

“A shaped or graded channel that is established with suitable vegetation to convey surface water at a non-erosive velocity using a broad and shallow cross section to a stable outlet.” 

“Establishing wildlife habitat by planting herbaceous vegetation or shrubs.” 

“Hedgerows are dense woody vegetation planted in a linear design to achieve a natural resource conservation purpose.” 

“Establishing adapted and compatible species, varieties, or cultivars of herbaceous plants suitable for pasture or hay production.” 

“Prescribed grazing is managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing or browsing animals to achieve specific ecological, economic and management goals. Producers who practice prescribed grazing may sequester carbon in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of enhancing or maintaining desired plant species for forage, improving water quality, increasing stocking rates and livestock vigor and building soil health.” 

“Range planting is the establishment of adapted perennial vegetation on range land. Producers who participate in range planting may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of supporting desired plant communities, providing or improving livestock forage, improving water quality and building soil health.” 

“Nutrient management enables producers to manage the rate, source, placement and timing of plant nutrients and soil amendments while reducing environmental impact. This conservation practice, and particularly applications that improve nitrogen use efficiency, such as use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers, split applications, reduced application rates, and precision agriculture, may reduce nitrous oxide emissions while delivering the co-benefits of strengthening plant health and productivity, improving water quality, lowering input costs and improving or maintaining soil organic matter.” 

“Manipulating and controlling the quantity and quality of available nutrients, feedstuffs, or additives fed to livestock and poultry.” 

“Permanent strips of stiff, dense vegetation established along the general contour of slopes or across concentrated flow areas.” 

“Herbaceous vegetation established in narrow strips within the field to reduce wind speed and wind Erosion.” 

“This conservation practice establishes woody vegetation by planting seedlings or cuttings, direct seeding or through natural regeneration. Land managers who establish trees or shrubs may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of maintaining or increasing plant diversity, establishing wildlife or pollinator habitat, reducing erosion and improving water quality.” 

“An artificial wetland ecosystem with hydrophytic vegetation for biological treatment of water.” 

“The return of a wetland and its functions to a close approximation of its original condition as it existed prior to disturbance on a former or degraded wetland site.” 

“A wetland created on a site location that was historically not a wetland.” 

“The augmentation of wetland functions beyond the original natural conditions on a former, degraded, or naturally functioning wetland site; sometimes at the expense of other functions.” 

“Herbaceous cover established in one or more strips typically perpendicular to the most erosive wind events.”