Farm Bill Action Postponed Again

[Windyhills]

As many who hunt wild birds in agricultural country are aware, the US Farm Bill is up for reauthorization and is vitally important to the welfare of many of our wild game birds.

Congress has blown by another deadline and extended the old bill for another week to allow it more time to hammer out final details.

A number of major sporting and conservation groups have been calling for action from interested sportsmen/conservationists:

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever:

1) Critical Habitat is at Stake The Conservation Title of the Farm Bill is critical to the nation’s rural economy, it’s critical for a wide variety of wildlife species, it protects our soils from erosion, and it safeguards our waters from pollution. Please voice strong support for the following conservation programs in particular: • Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) • Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) • Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) • Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) • Sod Saver – new program to protect native prairies from ever being broken • Open Fields – new program to create public access on private lands

2) $4 Billion in NEW Conservation Spending Not only do we need these conservation acres to remain enrolled in Federal programs, but we must have the competitive rental rates that make USDA programs attractive for enrollment. Land isn’t getting any cheaper and the demands for acres continue to mount. $4 Billion AT MINIMUM in NEW funding will help ensure a future for America’s outdoor heritage, cleaner water, and wildlife habitat.

Find contact information by clicking here.

Don't Act Alone! As a Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever supporter, you are part of a strong network of 125,000 friends, hunters, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts. We need you all to contact your elected representatives in support of conservation, and we ask that you forward this message on to others and encourage them to do the same. If you don’t act today, who will? Thank you for your support!

Dave Nomsen, VP of Government Affairs

Ducks Unlimited

The Farm Bill is being debated in conference! Now is the time to make your voice heard for the ducks!

This phase is a critical step where select Members from the Senate and House of Representatives will attempt to hammer out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. While there will only be a handful of Members taking part in the conference committee, they will all be getting feedback and pressure from their colleagues to act one way or another. This process—only one step away from the President’s desk—could be lengthy and difficult.

Once a final Farm Bill is agreed upon, we move on to implementation. We will work with Members of Congress and the US Department of Agriculture to make sure the programs and provisions we fought for are implemented in a manner benefiting waterfowl and farmers.

DU members have played a critical role in the Farm Bill process. Many of the gains made for conservation have been included in the Farm Bill at the urging of waterfowlers and outdoor enthusiasts. DU supporters will also make a difference in conference, as we work to ensure conferees do not cut out any of the gains that have been made for waterfowl habitat.

Although there will only be a select group of Senators and Representatives in the conference, all of them are subject to influence from their colleagues. DU members should treat every member of Congress as a top target to ensure our Farm Bill priorities are maintained. If your Members of Congress are not part of the conference committee, ask them to tell their colleagues that are to support waterfowl habitat conservation in the Farm Bill.

Together we can make a positive difference for our waterfowl hunting heritage. But, we all need our voices to be heard.

With three simple phone calls you can help make sure the Senate Agriculture Committee does not take a step backward on conservation.

The message is simple: Save farm bill conservation, save waterfowl habitat.

Funding for conservation programs is threatened as a conference committee now attempts to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. Programs that are critical to waterfowl population success, like the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program and Grassland Reserve Program are in jeopardy.

These programs are vital to keeping more critical habitat on the ground and more ducks in the sky.

Without these programs, we could see a negative impact on waterfowl hunter harvests across the United States.

Without these programs there could be 2.2 million fewer ducks in the air every year

Please call your Members of Congress today and tell them to support Farm Bill conservation! If not, waterfowl hunting as we know it might change forever.

National Wildlife Federation

Key decisions on the final Farm Bill will likely be made in the next few days.

That could make this your LAST CHANCE to weigh in on key Farm Bill conservation issues.

We ask you to contact your members of Congress one more time, and urge them to:

1. Support a strong SodSaver provision in the Farm Bill, one that would reduce taxpayer-paid incentives for farmers to plow up grasslands to plant crops;

2. Support mandatory funding for a new Open Fields program that would support state efforts to reward farmers willing to open their conservation land to recreational access;

3. Support at least $5 billion in new funding for conservation programs that help farmers and ranchers adopt wildlife-friendly practices that protect our natural resources.

Make a difference! Contact your members of Congress today!

Conference meetings are being broadcast live on the internet at www.agriculture.senate.gov.


Duane Hovorka
Farm Bill Outreach Coordinator
National Wildlife Federation