On Monday, President Obama released his FY 2011 Budget Proposal.

At a time when we most need to invest in protecting our natural resources and keeping them healthy for the future, the President’s proposed budget would cut hundreds of millions of dollars (nearly 20%) from key farmland preservation, conservation, and water quality programs that were promised under the 2008 Farm Bill. I am concerned that it is penny-wise now, but will be very pound foolish for America’s future.

Slashing these programs will do nothing significant to address our nation’s budget problems while it will dramatically reduce our ability to protect the resources that supply abundant food and a healthy environment.

Despite the administration’s rhetorical desire to support conservation and agriculture, and address such issues as climate change and renewable energy, reductions of over one-half a billion dollars in mandatory conservation program spending will make it much more difficult for farmers and ranchers to make changes necessary to protect our air, land and water.

Farmers like Jim Andrew, who reversed soil erosion on his farm through no-till planting and is the first farmer in the U.S. to qualify for Tier III, the highest performance level under the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)- one of the crucial conservation programs to be cut under the President’s budget.

On a more positive note, the administration is building on new programs for farmers by developing local and regional food systems through new programs under the 2008 Farm Bill; and during the last year, USDA has moved forward in conservation and environmental programs.

However, we simply must address loss of farmland, and the potential of farms and ranches to maximize their production of environmental benefits like cleaner water and air, sequestering carbon, renewable energy, and more. This is a critical time to invest even more cost-share money, not less.  We look forward to working with members of Congress and the administration to highlight our concerns, reexamine the President’s budget and recalibrate the priorities for agriculture.

Read the President’s proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency in full.

About the Author: Jon Scholl is President of American Farmland Trust. Prior to AFT, he served as Counselor to the Administrator for Agriculture Policy at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.