Conservation compliance re­­quirements, which have been part of federal farm programs for nearly 30 years, were extended to crop insurance programs for the first time with the passage of the 2014 farm bill. Beginning next year, farmers will be required to maintain conservation compliance plans in order to be eligible for premium assistance on their federal crop insurance policies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials are still drafting the rules that link conservation compliance with crop insurance and are expected to have the final rules ready by late 2014. However, farmers are not likely to see big changes in how their conservation plans are administered, an official with the Iowa office of U.S. Department of...