Coalition Urges Lawmakers to Protect Essential Investment in Climate-Smart Agriculture in Budget Reconciliation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A broad coalition of 165 conservation, farmer and rancher, and hunting and angling groups and food and agriculture companies urged Congress to ensure that the $28 billion proposed for climate-smart agriculture and Farm Bill conservation programs remains in the final budget reconciliation package. 

“Increasing funding for the Farm Bill conservation programs and climate-smart agriculture and ramping up conservation technical assistance on the ground will enable landowners to mitigate the impacts of drought and flood, restore wildlife habitat, improve soil health and long-term food security, create new job opportunities for rural economies, and galvanize the agriculture sector to lead the charge in our fight against climate change,” the coalition wrote in the letter to congressional leadership. “Farmers, ranchers, and foresters are ready adopt practices that sequester carbon and reduce emissions if they are provided the tools and resources to make that goal a reality. Action this year on a reconciliation bill with robust funding for climate-smart agriculture represents the best opportunity in decades to meet farmer demand for conservation programs.”

The letter’s signatories are the National Wildlife Federation, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, Alter Eco, American Bird Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, American Fisheries Society, Anacostia Watershed Society, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Arizona Wildlife Federation, Audubon Western Everglades, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Bread Riot, Cacapon Institute, California Climate and Agriculture Network, Capital Region Land Conservancy, Carbon180, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Carteret Food and Health Council - NC, Center for Rural Affairs, Ceres, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Conservancy, Chesapeake Legal Alliance, Clif Bar and Co, Climate Positive Consulting, Coastal Enterprises Inc., Community Farm Alliance, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, Conservation Federation of Missouri, Conservation Northwest, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, Defenders of Wildlife, Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, Dr. Bronner's, Earthjustice, Eleni Toubanos LLC, Environment America, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Environmental Working Group, Faith Community Church, Farm Aid, Farm to Table - New Mexico, Florida Wildlife Federation, Inc., Foodshed Capital, Friends of Family Farmers, Friends of St. Clements Bay, Friends of the Mississippi River, Friends of the Rappahannock, Georgia Organics, Green Lands Blue Waters, Green State Solutions, GreenStep Solutions Inc., Guilford Urban Farming Initiative, Harpeth Conservancy, Hazon, Healthy Gulf, Hendry-Glades Audubon Society, Hoosier Environmental Council, Idaho Wildlife Federation, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Impossible Foods Inc., Indiana Sportsmen’s Roundtable, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Iowa Wildlife Federation, Izaak Walton League - Illinois Division, Izaak Walton League of America, Izaak Walton League of America - Cypress Chapter (Florida), Izaak Walton League of America - Dwight Lydell Chapter (Michigan), Izaak Walton League of America - Florida Division, Izaak Walton League of America - Florida Keys Chapter, Izaak Walton League of America - Minnesota Division, Izaak Walton League of America - Oregon Division, Izaak Walton League of America - Porter County Chapter (Indiana), Izaak Walton League of America - W. J. McCabe Chapter (Minnesota), Izaak Walton League of America - Will Dilg Chapter (Minnesota), Izaak Walton League of America - Wisconsin Division, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Kansas Rural Center, Lancaster Clean Water Partners, Lancaster Farmland Trust, Land For Good, Land Stewardship Project, Land Trust Alliance, League of Conservation Voters, League of Rural Voters, Maine Farmland Trust, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Mississippi River Network, Mississippi Wildlife Federation, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri River Bird Observatory, Montana Organic Association, Montana Wildlife Federation, Narrative Food, National Association of Conservation Districts, National Audubon Society, National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, National Center for Appropriate Technology, National Deer Association, National Farmers Union, National Organic Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Young Farmers Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nebraska Wildlife Federation, Neighboring Food Co-op Association, Nevada Wildlife Federation, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, North American Grouse Partnership, North Dakota Wildlife Federation, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Northeast Organic Farming Association - Massachusetts, Northeast Organic Farming Association - New York, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network, Oregon Tilth, Organic Farmers Association, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, PennFuture, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Pesticide Action Network, Piedmont Environmental Council, Plant Based Foods Association, Pollinator Partnership, Potomac Conservancy, Queenan Productions, River Network, Rivertown Coalition for Clean Air and Water, Rowan Food and Farm Network, Salem Audubon Society, Save the Dunes, Scenic Hudson, Sierra Club, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Soil and Water Conservation Society, South Dakota Wildlife Federation, Southern Vision Alliance, Sustainable Food Center, Tentree, the Bee Girl Organization (BGO), the Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Tofurky Company, Trout Unlimited - Illinois Council, Trust for Public Land, U.S. PIRG, Union of Concerned Scientists, Virginia Association for Biological Farming, Virginia Conservation Network, Western Landowners Alliance, Wild Farm Alliance, Wildlife Management Institute, Wildlife Mississippi, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

 

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