The U.S. Senate has voted to approve the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, a bipartisan Farm Bill authored by Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Ranking Member Senator Thad Cochran. Both Senators are members of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) and ushered broad bipartisan support to pass the bill by a vote of 66-27.
The bill, which saves taxpayers more than $24 billion, represents the most significant reform of American agricultural policy in decades. The 2013 Senate Farm Bill conservation title includes a national Sodsaver program and re-couples conservation compliance to crop insurance. Both provisions are designed to encourage the conservation of our nation’s wetlands and grasslands, which helps keep our waters clean, prevent soil erosion and provide critical habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and other conservation groups now look to the House of Representatives to bring H.R. 1947, which passed the House Agriculture Committee, to the floor for a vote on final passage and bring the House and Senate Farm Bills into conference. To view a list of sportsmen’s priorities for the Farm Bill, click here.
With this vital legislation hanging in the balance, CSF was joined by Members of Congress and sportsmen’s conservation groups for a breakfast briefing on Capitol Hill on June 5, focusing on priorities for the 2013 Farm Bill. Click here to view the press release.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
