HR2, deemed the worst farm bill by any standards has more groups calling foul. It is to be voted on next week but was pulled before due to the corporate give away, water & pesticide pollution issues, food stamps and more.
May 14, 2018
Dear Members of Congress:
The undersigned organizations, representing millions of people across the country who care about clean water, write to urge you to protect our nation’s water supplies through robust and effective support for conservation programs and policies as you are writing the 2018 Farm Bill. The next Farm Bill should further efforts to reduce the threat nutrient pollution poses to clean water and ensure farmers and ranchers have the tools they need to be leading stewards of our shared water resources.
Conservation practices can go a long way toward protecting our water sources, and Farm Bill conservation programs offer an opportunity to give producers the financial and technical assistance needed to put those practices in place. Cover crops, conservation tillage practices, buffer strips, manure and livestock management, wetland restoration, and conservation crop rotations are just a few examples of water-friendly practices that help protect water at the source, usually at a lower cost than that incurred by downstream communities, water utilities, and rate payers to clean polluted water. That is why it is crucial to write a strong Farm Bill for conservation.
We ask that as you consider the next Farm Bill, you support the following priorities for a water-friendly 2018 Farm Bill:
Funding: Increase funding for the conservation title to support critical working lands, partnership, and easement programs that help to reduce nutrient pollution, protect source water, and protect water quality and availability.
Conservation Compliance: Protect the linkage between basic conservation requirements and crop insurance and ensure that Sodsaver and Swampbuster provisions stay in place to keep soil out of our waterways and protect wetlands that provide critical water storage and filtration functions.
Access: Increase access, through funding, technical assistance, and outreach, to Farm Bill conservation and related programs that put conservation tools in the hands of the people and communities who need them most.
Targeting: Encourage greater targeting of funds towards areas that need it the most and towards conservation practices that are most effective at protecting drinking water sources and water quality in the places where it is most threatened.
Conservation Outcomes: Improve measurement, reporting, and evaluation of conservation program outcomes to provide data on the impact of conservation programs and practices on water quality outcomes.
Crop Insurance and Water Quality: Create incentives for, and eliminate barriers to, water-friendly agricultural practices within the Federal Crop Insurance Program.
The next Farm Bill must invest in clean water by ensuring that farmers and ranchers have the tools they need to be conservation leaders and protect our nation’s shared water resources. To do so, we believe the next Farm Bill must reflect these shared principles and invest in clean water.
Additionally, we urge you to reject any attempts to add anti-environmental provisions to the Farm Bill, as it must not serve as a vehicle for changes that run counter to the goal of protecting and enhancing our shared water resources.
Thank you,
21st Century Youth Leadership Movement
AFGE LOCAL 3354
AFGE- Local 3354
Alliance for the Great Lakes
American Rivers
American Society of Landscape Architects
American Sustainable Business Council
Bluestem Communications
Clean Water Action
Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, Inc.
Concerned Citizens of Big Bay
Concerned Citizens of Cattaraugus County
Connecticut Food System Alliance
Conservation Minnesota
Cottage House Inc.
Earthjustice
Ecology Center
Endangered Habitats League
Endangered Species Coalition
Environment America
Environment Erie
Environment Iowa
Environment Minnesota
Environment Virginia
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Environmental Working Group
Fairland Farmers Market
Family Farm Defenders
Farms Not Arms
Freshwater Future
Friends of Pool 2
Friends of Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Mississippi River
Friends of the St. Joe River Association
Genesee County Hispanic Latino Collaborative
Genesee Valley Audubon Socirty
Great Rivers Habitat Alliance
GreenLatinos
Hartford Food System, Inc
Headwaters Chapter Izaak Walton League
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Hip Hop Caucus
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters – USA-JPIC
Hoosier Environmental Council
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
IHM Sisters Justice, Peace and Sustainability Office
Illinois Council of Trout Unlimited
Illinois PIRG
Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Izaak Walton League of America
Lake Erie Foundation
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters United States
Maryland Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association
Michiana Watershed
Michigan Wildlife Conservancy
Midwest Environmental Advocates
Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc.
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Minnesota Division Izaak Walton League of America
Montana Audubon
Montana Conservation Voters
Montana Trout Unlimited
Montana Wildlife Federation
Nathan Murphy
National Family Farm Coalition
National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association
National Parks Conservation Association
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Heritage Institute
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nature Abounds
Nine Mile Creek Conservation Council
North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers Land Loss Prevention Project
Northflow LLC
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Ohio Environmental Council
Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project
Operation Spring Plant, Inc
Oregon Environmental Council
Peace Roots Alliance
PennEnvironment
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Pointes Protection Association
PUSH Buffalo
Religious Coalition for the Great Lakes
River Raisin Institute
Rural Advancement Fund of the National Sharecropper, Inc
Rural Coalition
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
Save EPA
Save Lake Superior Association
Save Our Sky Blue Waters
Save The Dunes Conservation Fund, INC.
Save The River / Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper
Sierra Club
Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester Global Environment Committee
Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc.
Superior Rivers Watershed Association
Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville
Sustainable Resource Alliance
Tennessee Clean Water Network
Texas Mexico Border Coalition CBO
The Farmworker Association of Florida, Inc.
Tierra del Sol Housing Corporation
Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition
US PIRG
Virginia Conservation Network
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society
Wisconsin Trout Unlimited
WISPIRG
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve