National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

Past Alerts

The material below is provided as a reference to past National Campaign activities. The time to act on these particular items is now past. For current actions, please see our current alerts.

HOUSE AGRICULTURE SUBCOMMITTEE TO VOTE ON FARM BILL CONSERVATION TITLE MAY 22nd

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS MUST SPEAK OUT TO ENSURE THAT CSP CONTINUES!!

What: On May 17th Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced his 2008 Farm Bill Proposal in which no new sign-ups for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) are authorized until 2012. In effect, this decision kills the CSP program for the life of the new farm bill. Funding that is currently dedicated for CSP is instead shifted under the Peterson proposal to increase funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a program that provides conservation cost share but also currently subsidizes the development and expansion of factory farms.

Action Needed: Phone calls or faxed letters are needed no later than Monday May 21st to members of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development, and Research (see list of members at the end of this alert). These members, who will be meeting on May 22nd to debate the Chairman's bill, must stand up and express their disapproval that 2008 Farm Bill funding for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) be gutted to increase funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) over and above its current $1.3 billion a year.

PLEASE CALL OR FAX IMMEDIATELY

The message is simple. I am a constituent (or resident of the state the Congressman/woman represents) and I am calling to urge Representative _________________ to stand up for the Conservation Security Program during mark-up on Tuesday, May 22nd by

expressing their support for the Conservation Security Program, and
their disapproval of the chairman's proposal to gut the Conservation Security Program

The CSP is an innovative program that helps sustainable and organic farmers, drives new conservation investments, and supports farmers for the environmental benefits they can foster rather than production of particular crops for all of these reasons the CSP should be the centerpiece conservation program of the 2008 Farm Bill, not on the cutting-room floor.

It's easy to call or write. Please call your Representative's office (phone numbers below). Ask the receptionist to connect you with the staff person responsible for agriculture. If the agriculture aid is unavailable, leave your name, phone number and the message above on the aid's voice mail, or if necessary, with the receptionist.

If you prefer to write, fax a brief letter with the same points above, along with your name, address, and contact information (fax numbers below).

Background:

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is an innovative and proactive stewardship incentives program first authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill. The CSP provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who develop and maintain conservation systems that solve critical natural resource and environmental concerns, rewarding them for investments of labor, management, and capital aimed at fostering healthy, productive, and non-eroding soils, clear air and clean water, energy savings, and wildlife habitat.

Despite its wide popularity with farmers and ranchers, the intent and scope of CSP have been stunted by repeated cuts to its funding levels. The 2008 Farm Bill is the vehicle for improving the CSP, strengthening its environmental criteria, ensuring that it serves sustainable and organic farmers, and getting its funding back to a level where the program can be made available to farmers on a regular, nationwide basis.

Chairman Peterson's proposal, rather than restoring funding to the CSP, instead would make another huge cut, effectively shutting the program down for the life of the new 5-year farm bill. The proposal then transfers those CSP funds to the already well-funded Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Unlike the CSP, EQIP has low environmental standards and uses a portion of its $1.3 billion a year to pay for construction costs associated with large scale confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), promoting overproduction and industrialization.

110 Congress: House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development, and Research

Democrats

Member	Phone	Fax
Tim Holden, PA Chairman (PA-17)	202-225-5546	202-226-0996
Stephanie Herseth, SD (at large)	202-225-2801	202-225-5823
Henry Cuellar, TX (TX-28)	202-225-1640	202-225-1641
Jim Costa, CA (CA-20)	202-225-3341	202-225-9308
Brad Ellsworth, IN (IN-8)	202-225-4636	202-225-3284
Zachary T. Space, OH (OH-18)	202-225-6265	202-225-3394
Timothy J. Walz, MN (MN-1)	202-225-2472	202-225-3433
David Scott, GA (GA-13)	202-225-2939	202-225-4628
John T. Salazar, CO (CO-3)	202-225-4761	202-226-9669
Nancy Boyda, KS (KS-2)	202-225-6601	202-225-7986
Kirsten Gillibrand, NY (NY-20)	202-225-5614	202-225-1168
Dennis Cardoza, CA (CA-18)	202-225-6131	202-225-0819
Steve Kagen, WI (WI-8)	202-225-5665	202-225-5729
Joe Donnelly IN (IN-2)	202-225-3915	202-225-6798

Republicans

Member	Phone	Fax
Frank D. Lucas, OK - Ranking (OK-3)	202-225-5565	202-225-8698
Mike Rogers, AL (AL-3)	202-225-3261	202-226-8485
Steve King, IA (IA-5)	202-225-4426	202-225-3193
Jeff Fortenberry, NE (NE-1)	202-225-4806	202-225-5686
Jean Schmidt, OH (OH-2)	202-225-3164	202-225-1992
Timothy Walberg, MI (MI-7)	202-225-6276	202-225-6281
Terry Everett, AL (AL-2)	202-225-2901	202-225-8913
Jerry Moran, KS (KS-1)	202-225-2715	202-225-5124
Robin Hayes, NC (NC-8)	202-225-3715	202-225-4036
Sam Graves, MO (MO-6)	202-225-7041	202-225-8221
Jo Bonner, AL (AL-1)	202-225-4931	202-225-0562
Marilyn Musgrave, CO (CO-4)	202-225-4676	202-225-5870