usda drainage policy over a century
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USDA Drainage Policy over a Century . Douglas Helms National Historian Natural Resources Conservation Service America’s Ag Water Management Summit Bloomington, Minnesota October 11, 2011. SWAMP LAND ACTS. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Slide 1
USDA Drainage Policy over a Century Douglas Helms
National HistorianNatural Resources Conservation Service
America’s Ag Water Management Summit
Bloomington, Minnesota
October 11, 2011
SWAMP LAND ACTS
• Swamp Land Act for Louisiana in 1849 was first. Extended to other states including Midwest. Granted swamp lands to states who could sell them and use money for drainage and levees.
Slide 2
Drainage Districts
• State laws to legality to drainage districts incorporating many private properties. Rapid growth in the early twentieth century, high agricultural and commodities prices until low prices and Great Depression slowed drainage.
Slide 3
Slide 4
1985: Area drained, 109.7 Mil.acres (USDA MP 1455)
2010: Est. area drained,115.0 Mil.acres
Est increase, 1986-2010221,000 ac/yr
1986: Max:Area drained via ACP assistance, 56.9
Mil.acres,
Est. area drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres, 58.1 Mil.
ac. (as of 2010)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1986 1990 2000 2010
Mill
ions
of a
cres
Farmland Drained, United States, 1900-2010Including ACP assistance 1940-1986, and unassisted drainage since 1900
Total land area drained, Mil.acres Area drained via ACP assistance, Mil.acres Area drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres
Bureau of Agricultural Engineering
and predecessors
• Irrigation studies 1898• First Drainage studies were in
connecting with irrigation and discovered that irrigation projects often needed drainage to prevent accumulation of salts.
Slide 5
• 1902 Moved into other aspects of drainage
• 1915 Irrigation and drainage to Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering (later Agricultural Engineering.)
• Developed techniques• Research and advice no cost-
sharing Slide 6
Slide 7
Civilian Conservation Corps
• Bureau of Agricultural Engineering supervised 46 camps on state-sponsored projects. Existing projects. But brought them back into use or improved.
Slide 8
Slide 9
1947: Max. area drained,
5 .6 mil. ac.
By 1980, 56.9 million acres
were drained via the ACP
-
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980
Mill
ions
of a
cres
Acres Drained Annuallyunder the Agricultural Conservation Program
United States, 1940-1980
Slide 10
1985: Area drained, 109.7 Mil.acres (USDA MP 1455)
2010: Est. area drained,115.0 Mil.acres
Est increase, 1986-2010221,000 ac/yr
1986: Max:Area drained via ACP assistance, 56.9
Mil.acres,
Est. area drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres, 58.1 Mil.
ac. (as of 2010)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1986 1990 2000 2010
Mill
ions
of a
cres
Farmland Drained, United States, 1900-2010Including ACP assistance 1940-1986, and unassisted drainage since 1900
Total land area drained, Mil.acres Area drained via ACP assistance, Mil.acres Area drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres
Slide 11
Slide 12
Slide 13
Slide 14
1947: Max. area drained,
5 .6 mil. ac.
By 1980, 56.9 million acres
were drained via the ACP
-
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980
Mill
ions
of a
cres
Acres Drained Annuallyunder the Agricultural Conservation Program
United States, 1940-1980
Wetland Protection
Slide 15
Consultation with Fish and Wildlife Service
• 1934 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to work with Federal agencies
• Drainage Referral Act 1962 prohibited SCS from assisting landowners in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota to drain prairie potholes that the Secretary of Interior found to be vital for wildlife habitat.
Slide 16
Water Bank 1970• Wetlands identified in conservation
farm plan (Circular 39, Types 1 through 7)
• 10-year agreement, selected migratory bird habitat, owner will not destroy wetland character
• 1980 amendments added bottomland areas in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana Slide 17
Executive Order 11990 • May 24, 1977
Protection of Wetlands
Slide 18
Comptroller General to Congress (CED-77-30, February 14, 1977)
• Criticized ACP for spending majority of funds on production-oriented practices which were profitable and which farmers would pay for anyway.
Slide 19
Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related
Agencies for fiscal year 1979(P.L. 95-448, 92 Stat. 1073,
approved October 11, 1978), Congress made clear its intent to
eliminate ACP cost-sharing for practices which are primarily production oriented. Slide 20
Agricultural Conservation Program
Drainage Policy 1979
ASCS eliminated the practices of drainage, liming of cropland, weed control and rotation seeding.
About same SCS does not give technical assistance for drainage unless land is already being farmed for three years. Slide 21
Food Security Act of 1985
• Wetland Conservation(aka) SWAMPBUSTER
Subtitle C of Title XII Conservation
Maintain eligibility for USDA Programs Slide 22
No Net Loss of Wetlands
• President George Bush before Ducks Unlimited in Washington, D.
C.1989
Slide 23
Wetland Reserve Program
1990 Farm Bill
11,000 landowners have enrolled over 2.3 million acres.
Slide 24
Slide 25
!985: Estimated farmland area
drained , 109.7 Mil. ac.
1980:Area drained via ACP assistance,
56.9 Mil. ac.
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 19751980 1982 1985
Mill
ion
acre
s
Extent of Farmland Drained, United States, 1900-1985With acres drained with Agricultural Conservation Program assistance 1940-1980
Total land area drained, Mil.acres Area drained via ACP assistance, Mil.acres
Slide 26
1985: Area drained, 109.7 Mil.acres (USDA MP 1455)
2010: Est. area drained,115.0 Mil.acres
Est increase, 1986-2010221,000 ac/yr
1986: Max:Area drained via ACP assistance, 56.9
Mil.acres,
Est. area drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres, 58.1 Mil.
ac. (as of 2010)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1986 1990 2000 2010
Mill
ions
of a
cres
Farmland Drained, United States, 1900-2010Including ACP assistance 1940-1986, and unassisted drainage since 1900
Total land area drained, Mil.acres Area drained via ACP assistance, Mil.acres Area drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres
Slide 27
Water Management without Federal Assistance
• 1991 SCS Policy Change• High Commodity Prices• Advantages of technical assistance
in design for retaining nitrogen in system.
• Water Management Practice in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Slide 28
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 20100.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
1985:Total land area drained, 109.7 Mil.acres (USDA MP 1455)
2010: Est. Total land area drained, 115.0 Mil.acres
Est increase, 1985-2010212,000 ac/yr
1980: Max:Area drained via ACP assis-tance, 56.9Mil.acres,
Est. area drained without ACP assis-tance, Mil.acres, 58.08 Mil. ac. (as of
2010)
Farmland Drained, United States, 1900-2010Including ACP assistance 1940-1980 and unassisted drainage since 1900
Total land area drained, Mil.acres Area drained via ACP assistance, Mil.acresArea drained without ACP assistance, Mil.acres
Mill
ions
of a
cres