Public Policy

General Public Policy

AgWRAP Application Deadline Feb. 10, 2012 - During the November Soil and Water Conservation Commission meeting, the commission approved recommendations to move forward with the Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program (AgWRAP) this fiscal year. A state application period for new agricultural water supply ponds is now open. AgWRAP will have two allocations:

  1. State allocation for new pond construction: $340,000 (40 percent of available funding). This is a competitive application process for new pond construction at the state level.
  2. District allocations: $510,000 (60 percent of available funding). These allocations will be made to each district and can be used for other AgWRAP best management practices similar to other commission cost share programs. AgWRAP BMPs will be submitted for commission consideration during its Jan. 8, 2012 meeting.

This percentage split is recommended to maintain the majority (60 percent) of AgWRAP funding at the district level. This will allow the districts' locally led process of program implementation to continue, similar to the Agriculture Cost Share Program and Community Conservation Assistance Program. The state allocation is being recommended because ponds are expensive practices. Due to the limited program funding, if 100 percent of funds were allocated to districts, no district would have enough funds to construct a pond. The recommendation of 40 percent takes into consideration existing district and division workload, while allowing funding for new agricultural ponds. Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Feb. 10, 2012.

Contacts: Julie Henshaw, nonpoint source programs section chief, N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation. (919) 715-9630. Mitch Peele, senior director of public policy, NCFB. (919) 782-1705.

Policy Adopted During NCFB's 76th Annual Convention - More than 1,000 farmers and rural residents from across the state attended North Carolina Farm Bureau's 76th Annual Convention in Greensboro, Dec. 4-6. Voting delegates set the organization's official policy positions for 2012. Issues related to animal care, transportation, research, disaster response, hunting and the environment were among the hundreds of policy positions evaluated for relevance, necessity and probability by the voting delegates. NCFB President Larry Wooten was re-elected to his post. Likewise, Vice Presidents J.M Wright Jr., Elton Braswell and Scott Whitford were also re-elected to their positions. Members of NCFB's Board of Directors also received their election results.

Drought Appropriation Funds - The N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Commission approved an allocation of the remaining drought appropriations funds during its Aug. 16 meeting. The 2012 drought appropriation allocation is $180,634. Only the following approved BMPs are eligible:

Districts may submit contracts, and funds will be encumbered to contracts as they are approved by the division. This will result in a just-in-time allocation approach as has been used with the annual CREP earmark (first come-first served). Contracts must be ready for approval by the division, and will not be allowed to be pended due to design or other missing items. Work done prior to division contract approval is not eligible. BMPs must be installed by December 31, 2011. Requests for payment must be received by January 31, 2012.

Structural Changes at NASS? - Changes could be ahead for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Ag Statistics Service, according to reports. The service's public information officer confirmed that discussions have been held within the USDA that could see the state NASS structure consolidated into nine regional offices. This change could result in the service being less able to develop the statistical reports upon which many farmers and agricultural scholars rely. It's interesting to note that the U.S. was part of a recent agreement to bolster and share world production, supply and demand numbers—not cut back on what is available.

Landowners' Rights and Mineral Leases in N.C. - If you are a farmer or landowner in Lee, Chatham, or Moore Counties in North Carolina, you may be approached by companies interested in leasing your mineral rights and tapping potential natural gas deposits beneath your land. Always seek legal advice before signing these contracts. Mineral rights leases are binding legal contracts that may have unexpected impacts for you and your family. RAFI has been working with North Carolina State University and legal experts to analyze the contracts being offered in the state. As a result, serious concerns about potential liability and other impacts on farmers and landowners have arisen. Gas leases can contain legal language that allows companies to:

Always talk to a lawyer before you sign one of these contracts. RAFI can help you find affordable legal representation. Contact: Jordan Treakle, RAFI, at (919) 444-1321.

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