Protecting OUR ENVIRONMENT

Did you know—the farm bill dedicates more public dollars to protecting the environment than the Environmental Protection Agency.

Farmers and ranchers want to be good stewards of the land to protect it for future generations, but two out of every three who apply for conservation funding are turned away due to lack of funds.

U.S. farm policy should help farmers and ranchers provide cleaner water and air, wildlife habitat and open space.

Farms and ranches keep our drinking water safe by slowing runoff and erosion and filtering damaging substances. Plants and soils store carbon dioxide and help clean the air. And much of our agricultural land is home to important wildlife and native species.

Growing Renewable Energy

When improved energy and fuel efficiency is coupled with adequate support for natural resource conservation, the new energy future being grown on America’s farms and ranches has enormous potential to help sustain our working lands, improve our environment, and address some of the most important economic and political challenges of our time.

The 2007 Farm Bill can:

• Protect farm and ranch land that provides wildlife habitat
• Provide adequate funding to encourage and support the efforts of farmers and ranchers who want to be good stewards
• Reward farmers who help keep pollution out of our water supply and save taxpayers the cost of expensive water filtration systems
• Support efforts to make it easier for farmers to use healthy practices that address our environmental challenges such as climate change
• Give a big boost to renewable energy from farms and help reduce our dependence on burning fossil fuels

» What you can do to support the farm bill

» AFT's conservation farm bill recommendations

» AFT's renewable energy farm bill recommendations