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Farm Bill

Challenge: 

Photo courtesy: Oregon State Archives

The conservation title of the Farm Bill is the single-largest source of federal funding for conservation on private lands in our country. This periodically renewed legislation provides an unparalleled opportunity for sportsmen to partner with the farming and ranching community to encourage conservation of fish and wildlife habitat. Programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program and Wetlands Reserve Program have made millions of acres on America’s farms and ranches more attractive to fish and wildlife. Sportsmen in particular know what an incredible boon these programs are, having seen firsthand the increases in the numbers of game species and other wildlife since their inception.

Every five years when the Farm Bill’s renewal is considered by Congress, American hunters and anglers must fight for strong funding to ensure that these critical conservation programs are adequately funded.

Strategy: 

In 2005, a full two years before the Farm Bill was scheduled for reauthorization, the TRCP formed the Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group, a coalition of representatives from the nation’s leading conservation and sportsmen organizations. Together, the group produced recommendations on Farm Bill funding and programs, releasing them in the report Growing Conservation in the Farm Bill. When the new Farm Bill came up for debate, the AWWG worked to educate members of Congress and their staffs on the importance of a strong conservation title and relentlessly pushed for improvements to key programs even in the face of legislative delays and budget cuts. The 2008 Farm Bill finally was passed and signed into law in May 2008. The AWWG now is focused on the critical process of implementation of the new programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Review a summary of conservation outcomes from the 2008 Farm Bill.

In April 2010, the TRCP submitted recommendations for biofuels and biomass production programs in the Farm Bill. The recommendations signaled the AWWG’s support of the next generation of biofuels and renewable energy and reiterated the importance of considering fish and wildlife habitat conservation in the development of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Biomass Crop Assistance Program. The working group’s comments cite research that provides documentable and verifiable evidence that producing and harvesting biomass can be accomplished while conservation and improvement of soil, water and fish and wildlife resources continues. Read the AWWG’s comments. 

Action: 

While the 2008 Farm Bill is in force, much remains to be done to ensure that the conservation programs are administered effectively and that funding allocated to conservation and recreation hits the ground. One program established in the 2008 Farm Bill that is of great importance to sportsmen is the Voluntary Public Access Program, or “Open Fields.” Unfortunately, the regulations for this access program, which provides $50 million for hunter access to private lands, have languished with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The TRCP is urging the White House Office of Management and Budget to approve Open Fields so state fish and wildlife agencies can obtain the funds to expand hunter access as soon as possible.

The AWWG already is formulating a conservation agenda for the 2012 Farm Bill and meeting with key decision makers on Capitol Hill to assure that sportsmen’s values are represented in this key legislation. 

Become a TRCP partner and check back often to learn how you can help.

For more information about our Farm Bill initiative, contact Tom Franklin, director of policy and government relations. For media inquiries, contact Katie McKalip, associate director of communications.

Return to the TRCP home page.