TESTIMONY LB 790
January 22, 2008
On behalf of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, we would like to extend our support for LB 790. We believe that this change to the existing Nebraska State Buffer Strip Program is needed to ensure the future of a successful state wide water quality conservation program. We would like to thank the Nebraska Department of Agriculture for working in putting this change together and their past years of administrating this program.
The Nebraska State Buffer Program has provided benefits to our state in areas of water quality and increased habitat. Buffer Strips create a natural filter system that provides a line of defense in protecting surface water, by working to prevent sediment and residue runoff. The use of buffer strips is a well documented and widely accepted conservation practice used in rural and urban areas.
The Nebraska program was created by the legislature a decade ago as an effort to complement local and Federal programs to expand buffer strip usage. The USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service programs are based on national guidelines that in many areas resulted in Nebraska’s landowners unable or unwilling to participate. The need for a Nebraska specific program arose, which resulted in the current program that addresses challenges facing farming and ranching in our state.
The committee is aware of the current values of agriculture commodities Nebraska has experienced the past year. Unfortunately, as the value of commodities has increased the value of land has risen sharply in the state. UNL’s yearly Farm Real Estate Market Development Survey which was completed in March 2007 saw crop land values increase up to 19 percent in some areas of the state. There is little question that we will see a huge increase in land values and rental rates when the 2008 results are released in March.
The simple objective of this Bill is to allow the program to adjust the rental rates paid to adjust to a level of market value. The current cap of $150.00 per acre will fall short as landowners make land usage decisions. We are concerned without a reasonable rental rate Nebraska will begin to experience a loss of buffer strips.
We would ask the Committee to advance LB 790.
