Agricultural BMP
Cost-Share Program

VFBF Position

We encourage long term and stable state funding of the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program from a dedicated revenue source for all approved applications of soil and water conservation practices.

Background

The Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program is a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth and farmers. This program is not a “hand-out.” The farmer must contribute a significant amount of capital to these practices. 

In 2006, the General Assembly directed the Secretary of Natural Resources to develop a comprehensive plan to address all sources of pollution to Virginia’s waters. In January 2007, the Secretary of Natural Resources established goals for achieving water quality as outlined in the “Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Waters Clean-up Plan.” Two of the goals for achieving improved water quality from nonpoint sources require “widespread adoption of cost-effective agricultural best management practices.” By 2013, if five priority BMP practices are implemented, an estimated 60% of the needed nonpoint source nutrient reductions will be achieved in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These five priority practices are nutrient management plans to minimize fertilizer use, buffers of vegetation along streamside to trap and filter runoff, “no till” planting to minimize erosion, cover crops to absorb leftover fertilizer, and fencing to keep livestock out of streams. The second goal is implementation of TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Load) on approximately 400 river and stream segments in the Southern Rivers watershed by 2018. The total cost for achieving these two goals is approximately $1 billion. This amount includes funding for technical assistance by the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Virginia Farm Bureau, along with the Virginia Agribusiness Council, Virginia Dairymen’s Association, and the Virginia Poultry Federation, has partnered with the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Virginia Chesapeake Bay Foundation, James River Association, Virginia forever, Friends of Rappahannock, and Potomac Conservancy and are requesting the Governor and the General Assembly to dedicate $100 million annually for these programs, to be financed by 1/10^th of one cent of the existing state sales tax. Virginia farmers would match those state dollars with a total additional $646 million as their share of the public-private partnership.

This investment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, if fully funded, could reduce nitrogen runoff pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone by 12 million pounds a year.

Reasons for Position

1. To reach two of the nonpoint source policy goals established by the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Waters Clean-up Plan, $100 million is needed over the next ten years.
   
   
2. Virginia farmers would match those dollars with $65 million each year for the next ten years.
   
   
3. If a long term and stable funding source is not achieved, the timeframe for achieving water quality goals will have to be extended.