Farm Bill Bulletin – Time for Californians to Call Our U.S. Senators

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

If properly drafted, the federal Farm Bill could be a boon for conservation in California. That's why the National Wildlife Federation, PCL, and over 30 other conservation groups requested that the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee dedicate an additional $6 billion to the bill's conservation programs.

Unfortunately, the Committee completed its "markup" of the Farm Bill Thursday and that $6 billion dollar target was not reached!

Committee leaders hope to debate the bill in the full Senate as early as this week, so now would be a great time to call California's U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to tell them that you want the Senate version of the Farm Bill to make a major commitment to conservation.

Here are two simple messages to convey to our Senators:

1.The Farm Bill conservation title (in which the federal government makes a commitment to programs that assist conservation) needs to include more than the $4.8 billion increase that the Senate Agricultural Committee bill provides. Please add significant new funding for conservation in the Farm Bill!

2. Reasonable reforms in the Farm Bill's commodity programs could save enough to allow more money to go into the conservation programs. The conservation programs serve all farmers, not just farmers who grow any of five specific subsidized crops (such as cotton and corn).