Legislation contains key measures to conserve critical waterfowl habitat and to provide public access to hunting grounds
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — The legislative process toward delivering a new U.S. Farm Bill has taken important first steps this week.
Delta Waterfowl appreciates the work of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, chair of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, to advance their respective initial overviews of the Farm Bill.
“This step is important progress to ensure America’s producers have the safety net needed while also investing in the voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs that are so crucial for the future of ducks and duck hunters,” said John Devney, chief policy officer for Delta Waterfowl.
In addition to being the central policy supporting agricultural production, the Farm Bill includes important habitat conservation measures such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Reserve Program. Both EQIP and CRP conserve critical breeding duck habitat for mallards, pintails, teal, and many other species of waterfowl.
Another key piece of the Farm Bill for hunters is the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, which provides states with funding to incentivize landowners to open their private lands to public hunting.
U.S. Farm Bills typically span five years. The 2018 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30, 2023, but Congress passed an extension last November that runs through Sept. 30, 2024.
While the details of both the Senate and House proposals are in development and will be under deliberation, the release of initial drafts is important to set the stage for committee work and the usual give and take necessary to secure consensus legislation.
“We applaud these important first steps in delivering on a bipartisan, bicameral Farm Bill in the 118th Congress,” Devney said. “We look forward to working to ensure that the needs of ducks and duck hunters are well represented in the final Farm Bill.”
Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.
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