Agricultural News
Izaak Walton League Says House Ag Committee's Farm BillFails to Protect Soil, Water, and Wetlands
Thu, 16 May 2013 17:07:33 CDT
This release was provided by the Izaak Walton League.
The House Agriculture Committee continued to erode the public investment in clean water and wetlands Wednesday night by passing a Farm Bill that ignores common-sense, low- or no-cost conservation solutions. Americans must now depend on the full House of Representatives to protect taxpayers' investment in critical natural resources by re-establishing the link between conservation compliance and crop insurance and including a national Sodsaver provision in the final bill.
Since 1985, farmers who receive taxpayer-subsidized farm program benefits have been required to minimize soil erosion and refrain from draining wetlands. In 1996, these requirements were eliminated from the federal crop insurance program to maximize farmer participation. Crop insurance is now the primary financial safety net for farmers.
As traditional farm support programs are eliminated in favor crop insurance, re-establishing the link between conservation compliance and crop insurance has become critical to ensuring clean water for all Americans and healthy wetlands for wildlife.
"The bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee was a severe blow to conservation compliance," said Bill Wenzel, Agriculture Program Director for the Izaak Walton League of America. "Eliminating direct payments and other commodity programs was a laudable achievement. However, the House Agriculture Committee failed to restore the linkage between crop insurance and conservation compliance as was done by the Senate Committee the day before. The result is a lot less conservation for taxpayer subsidized farm program benefits." American taxpayers deserve a better return on their dollars."
The House Agriculture Committee also rejected a nationwide Sodsaver program in favor of a regional approach that already failed under a previous Farm Bill. Sodsaver would reduce the taxpayer-subsidized portion of a producer's crop insurance premium when native grassland with no cropping history is plowed under. However, the legislation passed by the House Agriculture Committee would only apply to the Prairie Pothole National Priority Area a region that includes limited portions of five states. This limitation makes the program difficult to administer and enforce and leaves native grasslands across the country vulnerable to production pressure.
When the full House considers the Farm Bill, it must prioritize our country's soil, waters, and wildlife by restoring the conservation compliance compact between taxpayers and producers and including a national Sodsaver provision to protect remaining native grasslands.
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