Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources, led a bipartisan coalition of Western senators in calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately implement water conservation tools that were included in the 2018 Farm Bill, which was signed into law in December 2018. These new tools and resources will help farmers and ranchers adapt to the prolonged drought in the West.
“Drought is now the single largest cause of U.S. farm production losses, in recent years accounting for more than 40 percent of total crop insurance payments, averaging $4 billion annually,” wrote the senators. “The 2018 Farm Bill provides multiple new authorities for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address these natural resource challenges in a strategic fashion.”
In their letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the senators highlighted the need for the USDA to move quickly to implement the 2018 Farm Bill and provide further guidance to the agency on these provisions. They also requested that the USDA use the new drought-related conservation tools in a coordinated and strategic manner to establish a voluntary, targeted western drought initiative.
“The Farm Bill was signed by the President on December 20, 2018 and our constituents are concerned with the delay in implementing conservation programs,” wrote the senators. “We request that you immediately implement these new authorities and use them in a coordinated and flexible manner to establish a western drought initiative to address the water supply challenges in the West and sustain our agricultural economy.”
In addition to Bennet, the letter was signed by Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tom Udall (D-NM), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
A copy of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Secretary Perdue:
The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334) includes critical western drought provisions that provide funding for voluntary water conservation efforts to farmers, ranchers and the entities that serve them. We request that you immediately implement these new authorities and use them in a coordinated and flexible manner to establish a western drought initiative to address the water supply challenges in the West and sustain our agricultural economy. The Farm Bill was signed by the President on December 20, 2018 and our constituents are concerned with the delay in implementing conservation programs.
Drought is now the single largest cause of U.S. farm production losses, in recent years accounting for more than 40 percent of total crop insurance payments, averaging $4 billion annually. Most western producers rely on water delivery systems that require both on and off-farm infrastructure. Substantial water is lost as it is conveyed from its source to their fields, and reductions in agricultural water use can also have environmental consequences.
The 2018 Farm Bill provides multiple new authorities for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address these natural resource challenges in a strategic fashion. The 2018 Farm Bill authorized USDA to address water supply and drought challenges at an expedited pace and watershed scale by modifying the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, the Watershed Protection and Flood Control Act, and the Conservation Reserve Program. Below, we describe these new authorities and our intent in writing them, to help guide USDA implementation.
The Department has administratively established several major programs across the country to target substantial funding toward voluntary conservation efforts that address urgent natural resource concerns. Until the 2018 Farm Bill, USDA lacked the authority to effectively target a sizable investment to western agricultural producers to address water supply and drought challenges. Accordingly, we would like to now work with you – as you implement the new Farm Bill authorities – to establish a targeted, voluntary western drought initiative.
Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,