Farm Bill Update

We’re making progress, but still need your help!

The 2007 Farm Bill cleared the Senate Agriculture committee, and is now being debated on the Senate floor. DU members are making their voices heard for conservation. The Senate Agriculture Committee passed several important measures for conservation, including a full 250,000 acres per year for the Wetlands Reserve Program and a Sodsaver provision that is stronger than the version that the House passed.

There are still many challenges that face conservation on the Senate floor.  Rumors persist of possible amendments that would drastically limit conservation payments, encouraging landowners to not take advantage of them.  Other possible amendments include weakening Sodsaver and preventing other conservation programs from being utilized to their full potential.

Ducks Unlimited welcomes the positive steps taken by the Senate Agriculture Committee to fund conservation programs in response to the push from sportsmen. “We were concerned that conservation may be cut to fund other aspects of the bill, resulting in a step backward for America’s conservation efforts” said Barton James, director of agriculture conservation policy for Ducks Unlimited. 

To see how the House and Senate Farm Bills differ and stack up to DU’s conservation priorities, see the chart below.

Thank you to all of the DU members and supporters that have called their Senators to support Farm Bill conservation, but the while one battle is past, the war for Farm Bill conservation remains.  Pick up the phone and call your Senators today!  Every phone call from every state makes a difference for the ducks!

Unlimited is working aggressively with Senators and their staff to ensure that these issues are addressed in the debate on the floor.