Reward farmers for conservation-friendly farming

America's farmers care about protecting the environment. With the Farm Bill reauthorization due out of Congress this year, our Farm Policy Campaign Director Scott Faber sees this as a golden opportunity to pass smart, win-win farm policies that reward farmers for conservation-friendly farming.

With over half of the land in the U.S. owned by farmers, ranchers and forest landowners, it's no surprise that these landowners dramatically impact the environment.  Our farm policies should reward, not reject, these landowners when they help address our environmental challenges.

One of our top legislative priorities for 2007 is to use the Farm Bill reauthorization process to help farmers when they offer to share the cost of providing clean water, clean air, and habitat for wildlife. And we're making great progress.

50 farmers from 20 states joined us on Capitol Hill in March to urge Congress to make conservation a central priority of the 2007 Farm Bill.

The Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act' and 'The EAT Healthy America Act' were recently re-introduced and we already have over 140 congressional co-sponsors for these important bills. This broad support on the Hill is a strong indication that conservation is a farm policy priority nationwide.

These bills would protect farmland from sprawl, provide consumers with healthy food choices and double conservation funding to provide cleaner air and water, protect wildlife habitat and help fight global warming. 

Our farmers, ranchers and forest landowners are eager to help solve America's environmental challenges. They're ready, willing and able to provide clean air, clean water, and clean energy, but only if we are smart enough to accept and reward their offers to help.

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Posted: 02-Apr-2007; Updated: 02-Apr-2007