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For a cotton producer, maintaining soil resources has a big impact on how productive his land will be, which impacts the producer’s financial gain. But, beyond being a fiscally sound idea, preserving soil quality is actually part of the federal environmental standards for soil management. Specifically, producers of "program crops," such as cotton, must submit a Conservation Compliance Plan to the U.S. Government for approval. The 1985 Food Security Act introduced the Conservation Compliance and Sodbuster programs to minimize soil erosion. In 1995, 90 million acres of cropped Highly Erodible Lands (HEL) in the U.S. were subject to conservation plans. Approved plans are mandatory for any producer wishing to participate in the crop program and enforcement is strict. Thus, for many U.S. cotton producers, sustainable practices are not only a good idea, they are literally the law.
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