One of the most important tools of Missouri agriculture is all but gone: the prairie. Once covering 15 million acres of our state, today we have fewer than 45,000 intact acres – less than half of 1% of the original area. Beneath our remaining prairies is an intricate network of roots and life that deeply captures and stores carbon, allowing prairie plants to thrive in volatile climates.
Despite their importance, Missouri’s remaining prairies and other native grasslands are among the planet’s most endangered and least protected biomes, disappearing faster than many other habitats. In the U.S., nearly half of our native grasslands, including nearly all of Missouri’s tallgrass prairies, have disappeared, dwindling to scattered remnants.
Yet the precious remains of Missouri’s prairie hold the keys to sustainable land use. For example, prairie plant seeds support a native seed industry that enables the establishment of prairie strips, a voluntary farm conservation practice that helps row crop farmers protect productive agricultural lands. As another example, ranchers who convert at least some of their fescue pastures to native plants — made possible by seeds of prairie grasses and other plants and voluntary ranch conservation practices — have nutritious and tasty food for their animals, even in the most remote areas. the warmest months.
As Missouri farmers know, agriculture is highly dependent on specific climate and landscape conditions, but those factors are changing rapidly. Last summer, one of the hottest in Missouri history, saw extreme drought across 15.7% of the state, causing significant economic costs to farmers. Missouri, which has experienced more than 50 climate disasters in the past decade and ranks in the top five states for climate change impacts, is at the forefront of our nation’s climate challenges.
However, the farmers of Show-Me State are never ones to give up and accept setbacks. Instead, many are embracing climate-friendly agricultural practices, such as prairie strips and native forages, that protect yields and help protect soil and water quality for future generations. Although most landowners are environmentally conscious and value conservation, many need financing and support to maintain their land.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is filling this gap. As part of the Farm Bill passed by Congress every five years, the USDA funds a collection of voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs that provide private landowners and farmers with the financial and technical assistance they need to implement climate-smart practices.
Traditionally, however, these programs have been so popular that they are often oversubscribed and must turn away up to 75% of qualified applicants, leaving the conservation needs of 13.8 million hectares unmet due to insufficient funding each year. Proper investment in these programs is critical to our nation’s agriculture, climate change mitigation, and rural communities.
Fortunately, a coalition of farmers, sportsmen and conservation groups secured $20 billion for Farm Bill conservation programs last year through the Inflation Reduction Act, marking the largest investment in conservation since the Dust Bowl.
In Missouri, we have proof that incentive-based programs work. Grasslands in the Great Plains and the Midwest have been rapidly converted to cropland, partly to feed a growing population, but also due to a disconnect between government policy and realities on the ground. The Farm Bill Sodsaver provision, implemented in other states in the region, addressed this gap by reducing crop insurance support for farmers who break down native turfgrasses and convert them to cropland. Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are aiming to make Sodsaver a national policy through the American Prairie Conservation Act.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Senator Josh Hawley have recognized the need to address drought and agricultural conditions in the state in the new Farm Bill. Now Missouri needs these recognitions to translate into actionable investments so the next generation of farmers can thrive.
As Congress negotiates a potential $1 trillion Farm Bill, we urge members of Congress to make good on their $20 billion pledge to provide farmers in Missouri and across the country with the conservation tools and resources they need need. We ask that members of Congress vote to guarantee the permanent inclusion of IRA funding and climate sideboards in the Farm Bill.
Conserving Missouri’s remaining native grasslands is a first step in protecting land’s biodiversity, water supply and carbon storage capacity, and securing the livelihoods of countless Missourians. It is time to take action for the grasslands and the future of our farmers.
Carol Davit is executive director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri’s agriculture needs to change. Here’s how Congress can help
