U.S. Senators from four states are working together on a bipartisan bill they hope will improve agricultural conservation practices.
U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota recently filed a bill to streamline the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s process for updating and adopting conservation practice standards they say will help farmers and ranchers "improve soil health, build resilience to climate impacts, and achieve their conservation goals," according to a press release from Heinrich's office.
The lawmakers think the bill will help ranchers and farmers voluntarily follow NRCS conservation practices.
Heinrich said farmers need ways to make their land more resilient, and he thinks this would help.
“Regenerative agriculture and soil health practices help farmers and producers make their working lands more resilient, something that is widely wanted and needed," Heinrich said in the release. "As Congress negotiates the next Farm Bill, Republicans and Democrats agree that we must update the process for developing new conservation practice standards at the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and make that process more transparent and accessible for all. By leveraging innovation happening in New Mexico and across the country, producers can build more resilience into their operations and make a real difference in our fight against climate change."
Ernst said she supports the bill since she thinks it will help the long-term viability of farming in Iowa.
“Iowa’s ability to remain a powerhouse and leader in conservation is heavily determined by how efficiently we can improve and streamline the process for getting new technologies into farmers' hands,” Ernst said in the release. “By boosting efforts to conserve vulnerable areas, we can promote positive habitat health, increase water quality, strengthen the health of our soil, and ultimately ensure that future generations also have the opportunity to farm.”
Source: thecentersquare.com
Categories: Iowa, Government & Policy