Farm Bill ... info from Ducks Unlimited

Got my morning DU spam today (Ok, I guess it's not really spam if I'm a member) Thought this might be of interest...
ducksunlimited.com http://ducksunlimited.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------

In the Home Stretch - Farm Bill nears completion

You may recall that the House passed their version of the 2002 Farm Bill last October. Now that the Senate has passed their version of the 2002 Farm Bill, the bill now sits in a joint House-Senate Conference Committee to resolve the differences in the two versions.

"The Senate passing a bill was a positive step because progress was made toward completion of the Farm Bill," said Dr. Alan Wentz, Ducks Unlimited's Group Manager for Conservation, "This brings us closer to renewal of key agriculture conservation programs like the Conservation Reserve Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program that are very important to wildlife and to the nation's farmers and ranchers that participate in them. Both programs are currently under-funded and oversubscribed."

The Wetlands Reserve Program, which is helping farmers voluntarily restore a small portion of the bottomland forests that have disappeared over the last century, will be renewed with this legislation. The Senate's bill has 250,000 acres per year for five years. The House bill has 150,000 acres per year for ten years.

The Conservation Reserve Program, which helps protect highly erodible land and creates wildlife friendly areas on private lands is also renewed in this legislation. The House acreage is set at 39.2 million acres while the Senate bills acreage is set at 40 million acres.

"Our country's farmers and ranchers are America's primary land stewards and we need to support them. We are enthused that the Senate passed a strong conservation title that will provide for those that protect the resource," said Dr. Wentz. The majority of wetlands, an imperiled natural resource, are in private hands. Dr. Wentz also said, "There are a number of positive steps that both the House and Senate have taken in their respective versions and we look forward to working with the House, Senate, as well as the administration on putting together a comprehensive conservation title and finalizing this bill."

Both bills going to conference are supportive of the new grasslands reserve program to help protect America's vanishing native prairie and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. Ducks Unlimited is working with various interested parties including the agricultural sector to achieve a final bill that will provide opportunities for wildlife and agriculture to continue to thrive together.

"We hope for final legislation that provides both the technical and financial assistance farmers need to continue to provide conservation that will protect hundreds of species of wildlife, especially the North American waterfowl population," said Olen Zirkle, a Ducks Unlimited Regional Agricultural Lands and Water Specialist in the western U.S.