Defenders Backs Boost in Agriculture Conservation
"Despite record payments to farms last year, we still see thousands of farmers and ranchers shut out of programs despite excellent proposals to restore wetlands and wildlife habitat on their land, to take steps to cut erosion, or a host of other innovative conservation ideas, all because funds aren’t available. When Congress reauthorizes the farm legislation this year or next, a robust conservation budget can help fix a whole lot of what ails American agriculture – including low farm income and failing family farms – all while paying environmental dividends for every U.S. taxpayer," said Mark Shaffer, Defenders of Wildlife senior vice president for programs.
The letter sites a number of specific areas where conservation budgets have not met farmer demand, including "... half of all farmers seeking assistance to remediate polluted runoff and soil erosion, and three out of four farmers seeking to restore wetlands. Over a million acres of our best farm and ranchlands are threatened by sprawling development while the landowners wait in line to voluntarily sell their development rights to make sure the next generation can grow crops instead of houses. At least 10,000 farmers would annually seek federal assistance to protect and restore wildlife habitat if funding were available. In the next five years, farmers tilling over 200 million acres of cropland will need the technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve their practices. Under current funding levels, 70 percent of them would not be served."
Signers of the letter include: American Farmland Trust, American Planning Association, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Center for Rural Affairs, Defenders of Wildlife, Environment and Energy Institute, Environmental Defense, Fires of Hope, Institute for Environment and Agriculture, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Land Trust Alliance, Mississippi River Basin Alliance, Minnesota Project, National Association of Conservation Districts, National Association of State Foresters, National Audubon Society, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northern Forest Alliance, Palouse Clearwater Environmental Council, Scenic America, Smart Growth America, Soil and Water Conservation Society, South Carolina Conservation League, Surface Transportation Policy Project, The Wildlife Society, Trout Unlimited, Trust for Public Land, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Wildlife Management Institute. Copies of the letter are available upon request.
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