Biden’s 30×30 plan draws skepticism from farm group, state political leaders | Grand Island Local News

According to the USDA, under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the 2018 Farm Act), the Congressional Budget Office estimates mandatory conservation spending of $29.5 billion over five years. Much of that is in the form of incentives for farmers to enact conservation measures on their land.

According to the Nebraska Wildlife Federation, more than 95% of Nebraska’s land base is privately owned farms and ranches, with 19 million acres in principal crops and more than 22 million acres in pasture and rangeland. Less than 2% of Nebraska’s land base is publicly owned parks, recreation areas, national grasslands and forests, wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges.

NWF said Farm Bill conservation programs provide more than $150 million a year to help state landowners protect wetlands and prairies, change farming practices, better manage grasslands, reduce their pesticide use and plant buffer strips along streams.

The organization said that is the largest single source of money available for fish and wildlife habitat and conservation in Nebraska.

NWF said the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program and Grassland Reserve Program have provided more than 1 million acres of wildlife habitat in Nebraska, which is more than all of the land in federal, state and local parks, wildlife areas, grasslands, forests and refuges put together.