United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-09-27 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-241 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-241 P0b002ee1803755c2 f:rc94241 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-241 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-241 RCED-94-241 Agricultural programs Soil conservation Land management Management information systems Regulatory agencies Agricultural policies Law enforcement Farm income stabilization programs Farm credit Environmental policies USDA Conservation Reserve Program USDA Swampbuster Program Letter Report RCED In 1985, Congress created the conservation compliance program to reduce soil erosion and the swampbuster program to prevent the conversion of wetlands to new cropland. The Agriculture Department's Soil Conservation Service (SCS) manages these programs through more than 3,000 field offices at the state and county levels. Although SCS has made considerable progress in placing millions of acres under these environmental programs, Office of Inspector General evaluations have urged SCS to improve (1) the quality of farmers' conservation plans and its decisions identifying wetlands, (2) its related enforcement activities, and (3) the quality and quantity of information needed to manage and evaluate the programs. Since 1991, SCS has begun a series of reforms to address these three areas. This report discusses whether these reforms will help the agency to better manage these environmental programs and whether additional improvements are necessary to ensure effective management. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-241/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-241.htm GAO/RCED-94-241 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-241 Letter Report GAO/RCED-94-241; Soil and Wetlands Conservation: Soil Conservation Service Making Good Progress but Cultural Issues Need Attention; Agricultural programs Soil conservation Land management Management information systems Regulatory agencies Agricultural policies Law enforcement Farm income stabilization programs Farm credit Environmental policies USDA Conservation Reserve Program USDA Swampbuster Program