FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2012
For more information, contact:
Amy Sauer
Mississippi River Program Manager
773-754-8906
asauer@biodiverse.org
Farmers, Residents Deserve Smarter Farm Bill
Mississippi River Network calls on House to pass a Farm Bill that protects our River
JULY 17, 2012 – With only two months left before the current Farm Bill expires, House Congressional leadership remains quiet on whether it plans to move forward with the 2012 Farm Bill that is now ready for consideration by the full House.
“We’re hearing reports that the GOP House leadership is not willing to bring this bill up on the floor before the election because it could put some of their more vulnerable Members in a tough spot,” said Claudia Emken, the Policy Manager for the Mississippi River Network. “Tough spot or not, Americans need a Farm Bill this year to keep the important programs that not only protect, preserve and restore our waterways, but also provide economic certainty for our nation’s farmers.”
The Farm Bill is the single most important piece of legislation that impacts food and farms in the United States. It regulates and funds programs like crop insurance for farmers and nutrition, as well as conservation programs that help farmers improve soil and water health. The current Farm Bill is due to expire at the end of September, leaving the future of its programs and funding in doubt.
“It would be irresponsible for Congress to let this bill expire without finishing what they have started,” said Ryan Stockwell, the Agricultural Program Manager for National Wildlife Federation. “We urge them to work harder to protect wildlife, water quality, and taxpayers as they finalize this bill.”
The Senate passed its Farm Bill (Reform, Foods, and Jobs Act of 2012) in June. Their version included a number of provisions popular among environmental groups. These provisions include a national “Sodsaver” program to protect critical grassland resources, as well as a requirement ensuring taxpayer-funded economic benefits only go to farmers who comply with conservation measures. The version of the bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee removes the conservation compliance requirement entirely and limits the Sodsaver program to only the Prairie Pothole region of the Great Plains. The Mississippi River Network advocates restoring these two programs as they appear in the final Senate version.
“More than 115 million acres are in some type of private agriculture production in the Mississippi River region,” said Olivia Dorothy, the Upper Mississippi River Coordinator for the Izaak Walton League. “So it is vitally important to include sound conservation programs in the Farm Bill for the health of the river and our communities.”
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The Mississippi River Network, a coalition of organizations dedicated to protecting the land, water and people of the Mississippi River basin, advocates better River management alternatives that include improved water quality through restoration of wetlands and floodplains. The Mississippi River Network: Headwaters to the Gulf is managed by Biodiversity Project and supported by McKnight Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. You can find out more information about the network at www.1mississippi.org, on Facebook, or on Twitter at @1_Mississippi.