Down on the Farm: October 2007
At Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever we put a great deal of effort into bringing the concerns of America's conservationists, sportsmen and women to Washington D.C. Of particular note has been our work to strengthen the conservation programs within the Federal Farm Bill. The Farm Bill addresses land use practices on over 50 million acres of America's most environmentally sensitive lands; including the 39.2 million acres making up the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP has been the nation's most successful conservation program in history. Since it's inception in 1982, it has prevented soil erosion, improved water quality, created habitat for pheasants, quail, ducks, and a myriad of other wildlife species, and stabilized rural farm economies. This year is a critical year for conservationists and wildlife as the 2007 Federal Farm Bill is debated. Down on the Farm will be a monthly up-date on the status of conservation in that debate.
Senate Farm Bill Needs Your Help!
Contact Senators Regarding Conservation Shortages in Proposed 2007 Farm Bill
Your help is needed to secure additional funding from the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee for the 2007 Farm Bill's Conservation Title. Without your voice fighting for conservation programs, we stand to lose countless acres of critical habitat in the coming years. Simply put, fewer acres mean fewer pheasants, quail, and other wildlife.
Last week, the Senate Finance Committee marked-up Farm Bill tax legislation which provides an increase in funding for conservation programs through conservation tax credits to landowners in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) - programs vital to keeping habitat on the ground. However, this legislation faces an uphill battle, as some members of the Senate Agriculture Committee wish to divert those savings away from the Conservation Title and into other titles in the Farm Bill.
In July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a version of the 2007 Farm Bill which provides $4.5 billion in new conservation monies. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever viewed the House bill as a strong starting point in the 2007 Farm Bill process. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are advocating that the Senate equal the House level on these conservation programs. But we need your help.
Please call and email your senators as soon as possible to ask them to support increased funding for conservation programs. To find your Senator's contact information, log onto the QF Legislative Action page. Here are examples of appropriate comments:
- Farm Bill conservation programs, including CRP, WRP and GRP, need to be funded and fully supported. At the very minimum, the funding in the Senate Ag Committee's Conservation Title must equal that of the House bill.
- All funding associated with conservation tax credits must stay within the Conservation Title and not be diverted elsewhere. In these days of high land values, we need more dollars for conservation, not less. These dollars are needed to keep these conservation programs viable and compete against land conversion into row crops.
- Conservation cannot wait. There can not be extensions and no alternatives. We need 2007 Farm Bill legislation passed this year. These programs are important to wildlife and important to me, as they improve our air, water and other natural resources.
Please forward this message to fellow friends, hunters, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts and ask them to contact their Senators in support of conservation. If you don't act today, who will? Thank you for your support!
If you have story ideas, dog photos, pre-1980 hunting photos and requests for future On The Wing consideration, please send correspondence to ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.
Return to On The Wing: October 2007"On The Wing" Archive
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- On the Wing: December 2007
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