The 2007 Farm Bill passed by the House today will provide unprecedented conservation funding targeted to restoring healthy streams and clean water and help family farms, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

“CBF applauds the leadership of Rep. Tim Holden and a bipartisan group of the region’s congressmen and women who understand that thriving, well-managed farms are vital to the long-term health of our waterways,” said CBF President William C. Baker. “The battle now moves to the Senate, where Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter hold key positions. With their leadership, we hope to see a Senate bill that is even stronger.”

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau also praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a comprehensive 2007 Farm Bill that would benefit a wide variety of agriculture programs and provide a more equitable safety net for Pennsylvania farmers and praised the efforts of House Agriculture Committee Vice Chairman Tim Holden who the Farm Bureau said, “Helped defeat an amendment opposed by Farm Bureau that would have gutted the safety net for farmers in order to increase nutrition and conservation spending.”

The House-passed bill includes $212.5 million in conservation funding specifically dedicated to protecting Chesapeake Bay waterways over the next five years. The region’s share of national conservation programs will also increase by an estimated $290 million.

The increased commitment to helping clean up and restore the health of local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay is long overdue. It is a huge step towards achieving the funding levels necessary to provide a healthy environment, and clean water today and for the generations to come.

The House passed bill also includes the continuation of the Milk Income Loss Contract Program, $1.6 billion dollars of new funding for specialty crops (such as fruits and vegetables), and programs that bolster conservation, alternative energy and farmland preservation.

Now, it is the Senate’s turn to increase federal funding levels for the Bay’s rivers and streams when it takes up the legislation after its August recess.

For more information visit the Farm Bill webpages of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

7/27/2007