Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Latest:
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Ag & Range

30×30 plan draws some concern from agriculturalists

Kamryn Kozisek

By 2030 the Biden administration wants to protect 30% of U.S. land and oceans by creating  the 30×30 plan. 

Some farmers and ranchers became concerned that the 30×30 plan meant that the government would be forcefully taking away their land. USDA Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack claims that this is not the case. 

“There’s no intention to take something away from folks,” Vilsack said, on a call with reporters. “It’s really designed to figure out creative and innovative ways to encourage folks to participate in what I think many farmers and ranchers are already doing, and may very well be inclined to do more, if the right set of incentives are in place.” 

Vilsack assured agriculturalists that the plan is not aimed at grabbing land from farmers or ranchers.  

Instead, he said that it intends to encourage farmers and ranchers to use USDA programs voluntarily. These programs help to conserve land and reward agriculturalists.  

Conservation efforts for farm and ranch lands are already offered through programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Emergency Conservation Program, Farmable Wetlands Program, Emergency Forest Restoration Program, Grasslands Reserve Program and the Source Water Protection Program. 

These programs reward agriculturalists for helping to conserve land and water resources. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) offer these programs, which are done voluntarily by agriculturalists. 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) there is about 640 million acres that the Federal Government holds. The lands include national forests, grasslands, parks and    wildlife refuges.  

Nebraska is currently 97% privately owned with 549,346 acres belonging to the federal government according to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.    

There are currently more than 5 million acres of land and wetlands protected by the USDA through these programs. In Nebraska there are 27,205 land contracts with FSA CRP programs, totaling to about 1,271,718 acres.