This article argues that the next farm bill will bring even larger federal conservation programs with expanded funding – potentially up to $5 billion per year nationally by 2012. By controlling most of the funding, USDA will be the major player in water quality policy as it relates to land-use, thus continuing to erode the influence of traditional environmental agencies on key water quality issues. As always, federal funding for agricultural conservation brings questions about performance, and the article urges a movement towards value based conservation.
Available at http://aede.osu.edu/people/sohngen.1/OER/index.htm