Hundreds of Organizations Ask Congress to “Hold the Line” on Conservation Programs in the Farm Bill
June 12, 2012
Trout Unlimited: Steve Moyer, smoyer@tu.org, 703-284-9406
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Katie McKalip, kmckalip@trcp.org, 406-240-9262
The Nature Conservancy: Heather Layman, hlayman@tnc.org, 703-841-3929
National Wildlife Federation: Aislinn Maestas, Maestas@nwf.org, 202-797-6624
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Ferd Hoefner, fhoefner@sustainableagriculture.net, 202-547-5754
National Association of Conservation Districts: Laura Wood or Bethany Shively, laura-wood@nacdnet.org, 202-547-6223
Land Trust Alliance: Russ Shay, rshay@lta.org, 202-800-2230
Environmental Defense Fund: Sara Hopper, shopper@edf.org, 202-422-1823 (cell)
American Farmland Trust: John Stierna, jstierna@farmland.org, 202-378-1241
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies: Jen Mock Schaeffer, jenmock@fishwildlife.org, 202-624-7890
Ducks Unlimited: Dan Wrinn, dwrinn@ducks.org, 202-347-1530
WASHINGTON (June 12, 2012) – Today, more than 500 organizations,
businesses and individuals signed a letter asking congressional leaders not to
further cut funding to the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill. Noting that
conservation programs already have been significantly cut in recent years and
will bear more than their fair share of deficit reduction in the Farm Bill as
currently drafted, the letter asks Congress to “hold the line” on conservation
funding at the amounts provided in the bill approved by the Senate Agriculture
Committee.
The 523 signatories comprise large and small organizations,
businesses and landowners from all across America, collectively representing
tens of millions of Americans.
The letter notes that conservation programs are essential to the
sustainability of agriculture and forestry in the United States and to meeting
the growing demand for food and fiber at home and abroad. These programs are
“high-leverage investments in rural America,” protecting natural resources by
funding a variety of voluntary partnerships and cooperative conservation
efforts between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private landowners.
“Since the 2008 farm bill was enacted, Conservation Title programs
have already been cut significantly through the annual appropriations process,
particularly in the last two agriculture appropriations bills, and these cuts
have had real and unfortunate impacts on the ground. The additional significant
cuts to conservation funding included in the bill advanced by the Senate
Agriculture Committee, if enacted, mean that the Conservation Title is already
contributing more than its fair share to budget deficit reduction. While policy
improvements can help reduce the impact of these additional cuts, they will,
nevertheless have a negative impact on the ground. Further cuts would
jeopardize this country’s entire system of successful agricultural and forestry
conservation programs. And so we urge you to hold the line on Conservation
Title funding at the amounts provided in the bill approved by the Senate Agriculture
Committee on April 26th, 2012,” states the letter.
Conservation Title programs “are both popular and highly
effective,” state the groups in the letter. These programs “recognize that the
health of America’s soil, water, wildlife, and other natural resources is
essential to the long term productivity and economic viability of agriculture
and forestry, that protecting and managing our natural resources is critical to
the future of American communities, and that most of our nation’s opportunities
for hunting, fishing, and observing nature depend upon privately owned habitat
on working farms, ranches and forest land.”
The letter concludes, “Maintaining, strengthening, and providing
sufficient funding for the Conservation Title programs will deliver
multiple benefits for every region of America. Not the least of these is
helping America’s farmers, ranchers, and private forest land owners to stay on
the land as stewards of America’s natural resources.”
The letter was coordinated and distributed by 11 agricultural,
forestry, and conservation organizations. They are American Farmland Trust,
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Ducks Unlimited, Environmental
Defense Fund, Land Trust Alliance, National Association of Conservation
Districts, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Wildlife
Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
and Trout Unlimited.
The full
text of the letter to the
leaders of the Agriculture Committees can be found online, including the
complete list of signers.