[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 94 (Friday, May 14, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 26804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-10922]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 94 / Friday, May 14, 2004 / Notices  

[[Page 26804]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


Conference Entitled ``Conservation Reserve Program: Planting for 
the Future''

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of a scientific conference on the Conservation Reserve 
Program.

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SUMMARY: USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Department of 
Interior's U.S. Geological Survey are hosting a national conference on 
the future of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)--the Nation's 
largest conservation program.

DATES: June 6-9, 2004. An optional field trip is planned for June 9, 
2004, depending on attendee interest. Details will be announced at the 
conference.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held at the University Park Holiday 
Inn, Fort Collins, Colorado. The field trip, if held, will be to the 
Pawnee National Grasslands and neighboring CRP fields, about 30 miles 
west of Fort Collins, Colorado. Transportation and directions for the 
field trip will be provided at the conference.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexander Barbarika, Natural Resources 
Analysis Group, Economic Policy and Analysis Group, Farm Service 
Agency, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, STOP 0516, Washington, DC 
20250-0516; telephone: (202) 720-7093; FAX (202) 690-2186; email: 
[email protected].
    Persons with disabilities who require special accommodation to 
attend or participate in the conference should contact Laurie 
Montgomery, telephone: (202) 205-7832; email: 
[email protected], by May 31, 2004.
    Conference Registration: Conference attendees may register in 
advance or at the conference. Registration is $250 per person if 
completed by May 21, 2004, and $275 after May 21, 2004. Because space 
will be limited, advance registration is recommended. Cost of the field 
trip, if held, will be $20 for bus transportation and lunch, for those 
registering early, and $35 for those registering for the field trip 
after May 21, 2004. Conference details, including registration, meeting 
agenda, and hotel accommodations are available on FSA's Web site at: 
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/crpconf.asp or from Alexander Barbarika at 
(202) 720-7093; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: First established in 1985, the CRP is a 
voluntary program encouraging farmers to implement conservation 
practices on environmentally-sensitive agricultural land to reduce soil 
erosion, protect water quality and enhance wildlife habitat. About 35 
million acres are currently enrolled. Over 16 million acres of CRP 
contracts expire in 2007 and over 6 million acres expire in 2008. 
Determining the future direction of the CRP is thus critical.
    FSA Administrator James R. Little says ``This conference provides 
an exciting opportunity for CRP experts to help shape the future of the 
Nation's largest conservation program. I'm quite pleased that we will 
be focusing on results and the need to use the best science and data 
available for policy development. Science-based understanding is 
crucial for effective CRP policy development.'' Rigorous CRP analysis 
will inform producers, legislators, budget overseers, and other 
decision-makers on how best to manage the CRP to maximize agricultural 
and environmental benefits at minimum taxpayer cost.
    Noted conservationist Aldo Leopold once wrote that the complexity 
of the land organism is the outstanding discovery of the twentieth 
century. Building on that theme, over 40 speakers drawn from academia, 
State and Federal agencies, and diverse interest groups will present 
expert insights into the CRP's known impacts, impacts still needing 
research and quantification, and how science can strongly inform future 
CRP policy.
    Depending on attendee interest, FSA and USGS will host an optional 
field trip to the Pawnee National Grasslands and neighboring CRP 
fields, about 30 miles west of Fort Collins. The 190,000-acre grassland 
reserve provides a rare, sizeable example of native grass species.

    Signed in Washington, DC on April 29, 2004.
James R. Little,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 04-10922 Filed 5-13-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P