Published Apr 2, 2013

Advocacy Alert: Take 2 minutes to Support CSP & EQIP
By Drake Larsen

ACTION NEEDED—MAKE A CALL TO SUPPORT WORKING LANDS CONSERVATION
Farmers and the environment both benefit from federal conservation programs. Farmers count on them to conserve soil for future generations, keep water and air clean, and create habitat for wildlife – all while farming profitably. As one farmer who uses the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) put it to us: “CSP is a great program for farmers to not only to be given credit for what they’re doing, but to give them the incentive to do better.”

In the short-sighted budget-cutting frenzy of the last two years, Congress slashed conservation programs by over $1.5 billion! Right now, your legislators are making decisions about next year’s agriculture budget – including conservation – and they need to hear from you!

Your action today will protect crucial conservation funding that supports cleaner waterways, habitat for wildlife, and farms that are more sustainable over the long term.

Can we count on you to make a call today?
It takes just a moment – please call Iowa’s Senator Tom Harkin’s office at (202) 224-3254 and Congressman Tom Latham (202) 225-5476 and ask to speak with their agriculture appropriations aides, and share a message like this one:

“I am a constituent and a voter. (Let them know you’re a farmer, too!) Please protect Farm Bill conservation programs from further cuts in Fiscal Year 2014, and please do not limit mandatory funding for Farm Bill conservation programs. We must protect our natural resources and reward farmers for the environmental benefits they produce – please oppose any further cuts to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.”

Stay tuned for more opportunities for action – it’s going to take all of us speaking out loud and clear for sustainable agriculture in the weeks to come.
Thank you for all that you do,
Drake

P.S. Looking for more details? Click here. (http://bitly.com/2014approps) After you call, please tell us how it went – drake@practicalfarmers.org