A Bipartisan Farm Bill Ensuring Lasting and Sustainable Support for Pennsylvania Farms
Two years after its expiration, the new Farm Bill should provide farmers with a pathway to preserve their farms for future generations.
Pennsylvanians need a bipartisan Farm Bill that will deliver for our farmers and landowners who work to conserve our land and protect the health of our waterways.
The legislative language for the federal Farm Bill released by Senate Agriculture Nutrition & Forestry Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow is a step in the right direction and includes many provisions which are supported by PennFuture and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania.
This Farm Bill, which doubles the allocation of funding to the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)would greatly alleviate the ongoing challenges Pennsylvanians face in securing investments for water quality improvements by providing essential support to farmers who adopt best management practices.
This reauthorization bill, formally known as the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, also puts a special focus on protecting critical funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), a $20 billion carve-out for climate-smart agriculture practices. This investment is imperative for Pennsylvania farmers to put in place conservation projects such as planting cover crops for farmland resiliency, installing and maintaining healthy soils, and building agrivoltaic and digester systems to lead us to cleaner air and energy.
PennFuture and Conservation Voters of PA urge congressional members to pass a Farm Bill at the start of 2025. As the 119th Congress prepares to commence in January, we remind our elected representatives that we are already two years past due, and we cannot afford to let another year go without taking action. It’s critical to enact legislation that not only meets our agricultural needs but also advances our priorities for Pennsylvania’s forests and waterways.