Since 1985, farmers' and ranchers' eligibility for commodity program payments and other Federal, agriculture-related payments has been contingent on their meeting certain soil and wetland conservation standards. On highly erodible cropland, for example, producers must apply an approved soil conservation system to maintain eligibility for government payments. ERS research indicates that this "conservation compliance" requirement could be responsible for up to 25 percent of the 1,2-billion-ton reduction in annual cropland soil erosion between 1982 and 1997.
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