Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary –
This is Karina Jones, Field Director for R-CALF USA, filling in for John Block.
If I didn’t know any better, I would say that DC has officially established the 4th branch of government. It has long been a burr under the saddle of many citizens that lobbying power of corporate America and money from political action committees has stolen the ear and the power of elected officials in Washington DC. But, now Congress has made it perfectly legal for one government regulatory agency to be “bought off”!
Let me introduce you to the Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act of 2021 or the SUSTAINS Act that got passed in the recent omnibus spending bill.
According to Food & Power, “The SUSTAINS Act changes the terms on corporate contributions to USDA conservation programs. Under previous law, the USDA could technically accept private donations for public programs, but few companies took part. Under the SUSTAINS Act, corporations gain more authority to earmark money for specific programs, in specific regions, targeting a “natural resource concern” of their choice. Donors will also get some perks, including sponsorship publicity and a share of any “environmental service benefits” that farmers generate with their funds, like tradeable carbon-offset credits for taking on practices that sequester carbon in the soil. The USDA can also take funds out of other conservation programs to match corporate funds.
For example, the Conservation Stewardship Program already supports farmers in adopting cover crops. Going forward, Bayer could give USDA a hefty donation to start a Bayer cover crop‑promotion program under CSP. USDA may dedicate some CSP funds to bolster the program. Any farmers that use funds from the USDA-Bayer cover crop program to generate carbon-offset credits would have to give some of those offsets to Bayer. Smithfield could donate money to EQIP to start a similar program funding biodigesters on hog manure lagoons.
The potential conflicts of interest are obvious. Many conservation programs, such as organic production or pasture-based livestock methods, require removing corporate products and production methods from the landscape. Corporations are very unlikely to donate to efforts that threaten their business models.” So once, again, it looks like this legislation will allow the USDA to pick winner and losers in American agriculture.
When I did some digging on this bill I was shocked to find it only had 7 co-sponsors in the House, all Republican. 7 out 435 House members and it was never introduced in the Senate. Yet, it was swept into the Omnibus unbeknownst to most of America.
President Abraham Lincoln said, “…a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth.” Have the elected officials in DC forgotten who “the people” are?
Until next week, this is John Block reporting from Washington, D.C. If you would like to review my radio shows going back more than 20 years, just go on-line to www.johnblockreports.com.
