Corn lobbyist to lead USDA land, water stewardship

[Guest guest]

i like the fact that he uses no till..but..corn? and he's in charge of water

resources? egads..doesn't corn use more water then just about any other crop,

except rice?

 

 

Corn lobbyist to lead USDA land, water stewardship

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USA: March 28, 2002

 

 

WASHINGTON - Corn producer lobbyist Bruce Knight will become chief of the

Natural Resources Conservation Service, which runs many land and water

stewardship programs, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said yesterday.

 

 

The agency's role would grow sharply under the farm bill pending in Congress.

Funding to control manure and field run-off would zoom. Spending also would grow

for programs to preserve wetlands, prevent development of farmland and improve

wildlife habitat.

Knight, the National Corn Growers Association lobbyist in Washington, will begin

the job on May 6, succeeding Pearlie Reed. Veneman announced the selection

during a visit to Indiana.

 

Farm groups welcomed the announcement, regarding Knight as longtime friend

well-versed in farming issues and conservation. Knight owns a 1,500-acre grain

farm and cattle ranch in South Dakota that uses no-till and rest-rotation

grazing systems.

 

" Bruce Knight brings to USDA a great deal of knowledge and first-hand experience

in conservation and agriculture policy from having served as a congressional

staff member, a public policy leader for a national trade association, and a

working farmer and rancher, " Veneman said.

 

While working for then-Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, Knight worked on

conservation issues in the 1996 farm law, now in its final year. He also has

worked for the National Association of Wheat Growers, Rep. Fred Grandy, Iowa

Republican, and Sen. James Abnour, South Dakota Republican.

 

Major NRCS programs were the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which

provides cost-share money for manure and farm run-off control, the land-idling

Wetlands Reserve Program, the easement-buying Farmland Protection Program and

the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, to improve wildlife habitat.

 

The Farm Service Agency was in charge of the Conservation Reserve, which pays

farmers an annual rent to idle environmentally fragile land for 10 years. NRCS

provides expertise to farmers on how to protect CRP land.