Texas Conservation Groups Support USDA Conservation Funding

American Farmland Trust, Texas Region * Audubon Texas * Bayou Preservation Association * Bull Creek Foundation * Central Texas Environmental Network * Christian Life Commission, Baptist General Convention of Texas * Environmental Defense, Texas Office * Friends of Clear Cr eek * Katy Prairie Conservancy * Legacy Land Trust * Llano Estacado Audubon Society * Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basin Coalition * San Marcos River Foundation * Save Barton Creek Association * Texas Center for Policy Studies * Texas Rivers Protection Association * Texas Wildlife Association * Valley Land Fund

March 12, 2002

Dear Chairman Combest and Ranking Member Stenholm,

This joint letter by members of the Texas agricultural, conservation, and environmental communities urges you, as leaders of the House Agriculture Committee and members of the Farm Bill Conference Committee, to take a vigorous role in ensuring that the final 2002 Farm Bill maintains the higher conservation funding levels of S. 1731, the Agriculture, Conservation, and Rural Enhancement Act of 2001.

USDA conservation programs are of great importance to the farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, natural resources, and communities of Texas. In FY’01 alone, Texas had an unmet need for more than $178.5 million in USDA conservation funding. In order to address these mounting challenges, the 2002 Farm Bill must provide $4.4 billion annual funding for conservation, including a number of programs of particular importance to Texas:

In FY’01 alone, Texas had a backlog of $1.1 million in unmet requests from farmers and ranchers to restore and protect wildlife habitat in our state, as well as $1.8 million in unmet requests from landowners to restore and enhance wetlands. An average of $246 million a year for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and sufficient funding to enroll 250,000 acres a year in the Wetlands Reserve Program will provide much-needed resources for our farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to restore and enhance wildlife habitat for our state’s at-risk and game species. It is also important to Texas that the WHIP program 1) provide incentives for farmers ranchers to participate as well as share in the costs of wildlife enhancements, and allow farmers and ranchers who are unable to participate under the current program to enroll lands that would provide especially important habitat for wildlife and 2) designate a small percentage of WHIP funds for producers offering to improve habitat for endangered, threatened and sensitive species.

In FY’01 alone, Texas had a backlog of more than $175 million in unmet requests from farmers and ranchers interested in reducing runoff and protecting water quality. An average of $1.24 billion a year for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and maintaining the reasonable feedlot restrictions included in the Senate version of the bill would help our farmers and ranchers protect and improve the quality of our state’s rivers, streams, lakes, and drinking water sources.

As recommended by the Departments of Agriculture of the NFACT Coalition, composed of the Departments of Agriculture of New Mexico, Florida, Arizona, California, and Texas, the Conservation Reserve Program needs to be expanded to help Texas and other states protect environmentally sensitive lands and reduce soil erosion. To meet this need, the 2002 Farm bill should provide authority to enroll 40.5 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program;

As the nation’s leader in the number of cattle and calves, sheep, lambs, goats, and horses, and in beef production, Texas relies upon healthy grasslands and farmlands. The establishment of a two million-acre Grasslands Reserve Program to protect and restore native prairies and grasslands is vital to our state. This program should be structured in accordance with the Senate bill so that it is devoted entirely to long-term, 30-year and permanent easements and does not have an artificial dollar cap. The final bill should also include $350 million a year on average for the Farmland Protection Program.

In addition, the final bill should include language authorizing state and local governments to establish partnerships with USDA to coordinate all federal conservation programs with state and local efforts to preserve and enhance wildlife.

Texas has great need for increased funding for USDA conservation programs. We urge you to take the necessary steps to ensure that the final 2002 Farm Bill provides $4.4 billion a year on average for conservation programs and includes the above-mentioned provisions.

Sincerely,

Julie Shackelford
American Farmland Trust, Texas Region

Terry Austin
Audubon Texas

Mary Ellen Whitworth
Bayou Preservation Association

Skip Cameron
Bull Creek Foundation

George Coffer
Central Texas Environmental Network

Rev. Terri Morgan
Christian Life Commission, Baptist General Convention of Texas

Melinda Taylor
Environmental Defense, Texas Office

Mona Shoup
Friends of Clear Creek

Mary Anne Piacentini
Katy Prairie Conservancy

Jennifer Lorenz
Legacy Land Trust

Jill Haukos
Llano Estacado Audubon Society

Bess Metcalf
Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basin Coalition

Diane Wassenich
San Marcos River Foundation

John Beall
Save Barton Creek Association

Mary Kelly
Texas Center for Policy Studies

Tom Goynes
Texas Rivers Protection Association

Kirby Brown
Texas Wildlife Association

Mike Hannisian
Valley Land Fund