Action Alert: Your Input Needed on the Farm Bill

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Your Input Needed on the Farm Bill You can take action on this alert by reading the information below and following the directions at the bottom. Congress is in the process of reauthorizing the Farm Bill and will likely complete their work by the end of the summer. They are crafting the programs for the next five years and need your input immediately. Due to lack of funding, programs that protect fish and wildlife habitat are at risk. Most people think the Farm Bill is simply about farms and has little or nothing to do with hunting or fishing or wildlife conservation. The title is deceptive because this bill provides important funding and programs that help protect wildlife and wildlife habitat in Georgia. Farm Bill conservation programs provide more than $40 million per year for fish and wildlife habitat and resource conservation on privately owned farms and forests in Georgia. The Wetlands Reserve Program has restored and protected more than 23 square miles of wetlands in Georgia, and the Conservation Reserve Program provides more than 300,000 acres of habitat. Deer, turkey, waterfowl and many other species of wildlife benefit from these and other Farm Bill conservation programs. One immediate problem is there is NO funding budgeted to continue the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP). WRP is the largest federal wetland restoration program in the country, and GRP is the largest grasslands protection program. Funding must be provided to the Agriculture Committee for WRP and GRP to continue. Georgia is 93% privately owned which is unlike many states that have huge amounts of public lands. The Farm Bill programs are our best opportunity to impact wildlife conservation on private lands. These programs are cost-effective ways to accomplish large conservation gains with limited public funding. Farmers and forest owners benefit directly, but so do hunters, anglers and every citizen who enjoys the indirect products of forest and farms, including clean air and clean water, abundant wildlife, open space and the wise use of natural resources. All of these programs are totally voluntary. Farmers and forest landowners choose to enroll in these programs. It is not regulatory in any way. Pressures to develop land for housing, business and industrial sites are eating away at our farms and forests especially in the faster growing areas of the state. The conservation programs and policies in the Farm Bill are providing incentives to keep some farms and forests from being fragmented into developments. It is important that you let your congressional delegation know that the conservation programs in the Farm Bill are important to you. These are your tax dollars they are appropriating and you need to let them know how you want it spent. They represent you and would like to hear your views on this important legislation. Your message will be sent to each of the following targets: Your U.S. Representative Your U.S. Senator A sample message appears below, which you may edit before sending. Make Conservation a Priority in the Farm Bill Dear Representative, As you consider the reauthorization of the Farm Bill I encourage you to make conservation of our soil, water and wildlife a high priority. It is important to every citizen to have a quality environment and the ability to enjoy the outdoors. Conservation of our wildlife and natural resources should be an equal priority along with other parts of the Farm Bill. Please work to keep and expand the conservation gains of previous Farm Bills so as to meet the needs of current and future generations. The problem is there is not enough money available to farmers and landowners who need financial and technical assistance to meet their natural resource objectives. We are missing many opportunities every day. Over the years the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Conservation Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitats Incentive Program and Forestry Programs have made a difference in preserving, restoring and enhancing the quality and quantity of water, land and wildlife on Georgias farms and forests. In Georgia the WRP is important for preserving wetlands which are vital to our states environmental and economic well being. WRP must have funding to continue and grow but presently there are NO budgeted funds to continue it. Please see that this immediate need it met. Pressures to develop land for housing, industrial sites and retail are eating away Georgias landscape, polluting our air and water, and degrading wildlife habitat. Farm Bill conservation programs are voluntary, but they provide incentives to keep farms and forestlands together. These programs are essential if we are to have a quality environment and places to hunt, fish, bird watch and hike. As you know, forestry is a very big business in Georgia and one that also impacts wildlife on private lands, which make up 93% of the state. However, our state and federal wildlife and forestry professionals are stretched too thin and more funding is needed for practice incentives and technical assistance. For example, one great need is increased funding for the application of forest thinning and prescribed fire. This restores ecosystem health, improves wildlife habitat and minimizes the risks and impacts of catastrophic wildfires like those that have plagued Georgia this year. Please make sure that funding is available to meet Georgias needs for integrating wildlife and forest management. The opportunity for energy independence and local financial gain has great potential, especially in Georgia. Like so many new ideas, there must be sufficient research and real world experience to discover and develop the best methods for new technology. I would encourage you to support funding in the Energy Title of the Farm Bill that places priority on next generation biofuels. Across Georgia companies are exploring sites, like the one in Treutlen County, to build a plant to convert pine tree byproducts into fuel. I urge you to be cautious of any plan to take funding from conservation programs to promote biofuels. The conservation and energy programs must grow and thrive separately. This is why I urge you to support the Biofuels Innovation Program sponsored by Senators John Thune and Ben Nelson. This approach would support farmers who are trying and testing new crops, but in ways that do not harm soil, water or wildlife. We all must be good stewards of our land and the reauthorization of this Farm Bill provides the best opportunity over the next five years to cultivate sound conservation on our family farms and forests. Your support for conservation programs will be an investment in wildlife for our benefit as well as our children and grandchildren. Please look out for Georgia. Ensure that our tax dollars for Farm Bill Conservation Programs are used to maximize natural resource and environmental benefits in the 2007 Farm Bill. Your name and address here This Action Alert Campaign is Closed.

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