Prioritize Conservation, Access and Forestry in the 2023 Farm Bill

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 04:00:00 GMT

The federal farm bill is a massive multiyear law that governs many food, agriculture and conservation programs, and the current law is set to expire at the end of September. Congress is currently building the next five-year bill and the impact on private lands conservation and forest management is pivotal. RMEF encourages members to contact your members of congress now to make sure that wildlife conservation and hunter access is a priority.

The conservation programs in the farm bill are all voluntary, incentive-based programs and include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Healthy Forest Reserve Program (HFRP) and Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). These programs support wildlife habitat, clean water and working forests. and in many cases help ranchers and farmers keep their operations intact.

RMEF is specifically advocating for a strengthened Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) to parallel the farmland program ACEP. There is bipartisan and bicameral support, but carving out funding is a challenge. RMEF is encouraging support for H.R. 3424 and S.1161 and their inclusion in the Farm Bill. RMEF also supports a strengthened access program through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP), which incentivizes state walk-on programs to open more private lands to hunting and fishing by the public. S. 2631 and H.R. 5186 have been introduced as markers for the farm bill.

RMEF’s staff and lobbyist are working with Congress on the details of the new bill, but it is critical that members of Congress, rural, suburban and urban, hear from their constituents that conservation, access and forestry are a priority. They are definitely hearing from welfare advocates about nutrition programs. Sportsmen and women need to be heard now as Congress begins construction of the farm bill.

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Prioritize Conservation, Access and Forestry in the 2023 Farm Bill