Agricultural News
National Association of Conservation Districts President Addresses Farm Bill Rally
Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:02:56 CDT
National Association of Conservation Districts President Gene Schmidt was a speaker at the "Farm Bill Now!" rally on the National Mall. The event brought together legislative representatives, agriculture and conservation leaders, and hundreds of farmers and ranchers to bring a unified message to Congress that we need a comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire at the end of the month.
The following are Schmidt's remarks as prepared for the rally:
"As a farmer and a conservationist, I know how important the Farm Bill is -- not just to production agriculture, but to the preservation of our critical natural resource base, which is the foundation of the world's food supply.
"As our nation deals with the worst drought we've seen in more than 50 years, the passage of a Farm Bill could not be more critical. Strong, locally-led conservation planning-as supported by Farm Bill Conservation Programs-is our best defense in minimizing the impacts of drought and other extreme weather events.
"Despite the extreme drought, we are not expected to enter into a modern-day Dust Bowl situation. Why? Because of careful, long-term nationwide conservation and production practices that started mainly in response to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
"The 2012 Farm Bill contains a strong Conservation Title that streamlines and consolidates programs for increased efficiency and ease-of-use for producers. At the same time, it maintains critical funding and the intent of the conservation programs needed to implement conservation where it counts and preserve our natural resources for the future. The Farm Bill also includes emergency provisions that budget for future disasters -- instead of relying on short-term, reactive legislation, like the recently-passed emergency drought bill.
"The Farm Bill is a jobs bill. Failure to pass a Farm Bill before the current bill expires would send uncertainty through a sector critical to our economic recovery. As stewards of the land and producers of the food and fiber we rely on every day, our nation's producers deserve to have a long-term framework providing them with the ability to effectively and efficiently manage natural resources for the years ahead. The time for a Farm Bill is now!"
The rally was endorsed by more than 80 organizations representing a broad range of associations and coalitions. For more information, visit www.FarmBillNow.com
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