Expanded Conservation Assistance for Family
Farmers?Environmental Working Group
A proposed bill is aiming to reform farm subsidies by expanding
conservation assistance, reports the Environmental Working
Group. Two-thirds of government agricultural subsidies
currently goes to the wealthiest 10 percent of agribusiness, while
the majority of farmers who ask for help in conservation farming
measures are turned down. By guaranteeing farmers in each state a
specific dollar amount for conservation needs, the proposed
Reid-Leahy bill would increase subsidies for farmers interested in
conservation practices. Conservation practices that preserve
wetlands and cut down on runoff are already popular with farmers —
as demonstrated by a $2 billion national backlog — and the EWG
hopes Congress will pass the legislation, which is expected to move
to the floor before the end of the term.
–Kate Garsombke
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