WASHINGTON, DC -- This morning the House Committee on Agriculture's Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing on the implementation of conservation programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Mississippi’s Buddy Allen, a member of USA Rice Federation’s Conservation Committee, served as one of the six witnesses offering testimony.
As a rice farmer and chairman of his local soil and water conservation district in Tunica, Allen was able to offer a unique perspective on the implementation of the farm bill’s conservation programs. Allen praised the Committee’s recognition of voluntary ag working lands conservation.
“Working land programs not only address resource concerns, they increase productivity yielding sustainability by making cropland more diverse and efficient,” he said. “The consolidation and streamlining of the conservation title will make these programs more efficient and easier to use for farmers and ranchers.”
Allen also discussed the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), “Rice producers have put years of work into finding new ways to reduce erosion and water usage, and to address a number of other critical conservation priorities. Because of the unique methods for farming rice compared to other commodity crops, sensitivity of water quantity/quality and soil stability are particularly essential to maintain operations. That being said, the RCPP is a natural fit for our industry to further augment our already impressive conservation platform.”
Allen and the other witnesses thanked the Members of the subcommittee for their support of the 2014 Farm Bill’s conservation title and praised the work that NRCS is doing to implement the programs.
Contact:
Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475