U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall and Joni Ernst of Iowa, both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act last week. The legislation would modernize the process for updating conservation standards at USDA.
“Streamlining updates to conservation practice standards helps cut the bureaucratic red tape that our farmers have been wrongly forced to navigate,” said Sen. Marshall. “Our producers work hard to find new, innovative ways to work the land while conserving its resources and the federal government should be a partner in doing so—not a roadblock.”
Specifically, the act would require USDA to regularly review existing conservation practice standards, create a public process for submitting and adopting new practices and prioritize the integration of innovative tools like nutrient efficiency technologies—biological fertilizer being one example that’s proven to improve plant growth.