WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 24, 2023 – Today, the House Agriculture Committee passed its version of the Farm Bill – the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. Ducks Unlimited has a long history of working with ranchers, farmers, and other private landowners across the country to enhance and restore millions of acres critical to waterfowl and other wildlife habitats.

"The Farm Bill’s voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs are the backbone of our cooperative conservation work with our partners in agriculture," said DU CEO Adam Putnam. "Farmers, ranchers and waterfowl rely on strong congressional support for these programs, and this bill delivers. We appreciate Chairman Thompson and the committee for their work on this bill, and we look forward to further bipartisan collaboration between the House and Senate to pass a Farm Bill that benefits all Americans, wildlife and private landowners."

The conservation title includes many of Ducks Unlimited’s bipartisan priorities, such as:
 

  • Codifying stewardship opportunities for existing Wetland Reserve Easements
  • Enhancing access opportunities under WRE to socially disadvantaged producers by creating a separate funding pool for applicants
  • Eliminating the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limitations for USDA easements and for producers who derive 75% of their income from farming
  • Promoting locally led decision-making and enhancing incentives under the Conservation Reserve Program
  • Providing flexibility for technical assistance and other expenses related to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) 
  • Updating the Emergency Watershed Program by authorizing funds to be used to restore and maintain the hydrological function of floodplain easements


For more on Ducks Unlimited’s Farm Bill priorities, visit our dedicated Farm Bill webpage, here. 

Or visit www.ducks.org and be sure to Follow DU’s Twitter feeds – @DucksUnlimited and @DUConserve – to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 18 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent comprehensive campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:
Parker Williams
(202) 621-1646
pwilliams@ducks.org