Commentary: America’s wildlife, farmers, and economy remain lost without a Farm Bill – Outdoor News
Editor’s note: Marilyn Vetter is the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever president and CEO.
On September 30, one year will have passed since the 2018 Farm Bill expired. Despite a year-long extension, the reality of the situation is clear: Congress owes America a more permanent solution.
As a hunter and conservationist, I am concerned — but this isn’t just about our cherished uplands. Every five years, Capitol Hill has a massive opportunity to reinvest in vital parts of our economy, industry and culture.
Yes, conservation is a key part of the Farm Bill and a mission objective for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and its 477,000 members, supporters and partners. But so, too, is food security, bottom lines, climate, clean water and rural economies in this country.
The Farm Bill impacts nearly every American – that alone deserves the utmost consideration from both sides of the aisle.
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Right now, our opportunity to prioritize agriculture and conservation is greater than it’s ever been — and so too is the risk if partisan politics get in the way of supporting our nation’s original conservationists in the form of farmers, ranchers, and hunters. The longer we wait, the more opportunities we miss.
In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included a major investment in the voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs authorized in the Farm Bill. This funding provided an additional $19.5 billion for climate mitigation and carbon sequestration practices on private lands. As much as $14 billion of that has yet to be spent by USDA, Congress now faces a historic opportunity to strengthen Farm Bill programs.
The IRA was a one-time investment, and all those funds will expire in 2031. Or, as bipartisan leaders have suggested, Congress can deploy IRA assets into the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill providing a seismic boost to conservation in this country. Reinvestment of IRA dollars would also carry over to future farm bills, meaning the $6 billion-per-year Conservation Title could see up to a 25% increase in baseline funding – in perpetuity.
Congress is currently bogged down in partisan bickering over a small handful of Farm Bill issues, including how the IRA money would be spent. If the stalemate continues, the country loses.
Contrary to what some may have you believe, conservation, climate resiliency and agriculture are not at odds with one another. Every day, biologists from Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and dozens of conservation groups and agencies work hand-in-hand with farmers, ranchers and private landowners throughout the country to balance a healthy environment with feeding the world.
We can have our cake and eat it too. Collaboration is vital for our habitat, our wildlife, our agricultural producers, and our future.
We’re all working together with the next generation in mind — now’s the time for Congress to do the same by passing legislation in the form of a 2024 Farm Bill.
