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KWOA
Nov 83 min read

Join the American Forest Foundation in asking Congress to pass a Farm Bill

Updated: Nov 22


KWOA Members, the American Forest Foundation has put out an important call to action:


Call to Action:

Join us in asking Congress to pass a Farm Bill in the lame-duck session while highlighting AFF’s Farm Bill priorities, including streamlining RCPP, three recommendations to CRP, and including RFMA into the baseline text of the Farm Bill. See below for an email script already composed for your convenience. Feel free to copy and paste this in an email to your legislator.


Furthermore, here are factsheets you can attach to your outreach email: 


Although we encourage all members of Congress to become aware of these recommendations, the states we are particularly targeting include: Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. It is important to note that even if you do not reside in these states, you can still contact these offices. CRP is a federal program impacting landowners across the US.


If you do not have your elected officials’ contact information, and need assistance obtaining that information, please email Sarah Jewell at sjewell@forestfoundation.org.


Call to Action Email Script:


To use this email script, copy and paste the following into your email, replace the highlighted sections, and send to your Representative and/or Senator.


Hello, my name is [insert name]. I am reaching out to urge [insert Representative’s or Senator’s name] to pass a Farm Bill during the lame duck session, before the new Congress. The Farm Bill supports a plethora of interests that are the bedrock of this country, including agriculture, wildlife, and the sustainability of our forests. Thus, delaying passing this vital bill will only create more uncertainty and hardship for Americans who rely on Farm Bill programs.


While I urge Congress to take up a Farm Bill in this Congress, I also wanted to highlight these provisions:

  • Reauthorizing and streamlining the Regional Conservation Partnership Program—The potential of RCPP to create a pathway for innovative public-private partnerships across regional landscapes has been hindered by current administrative processes. For more information on the specific alterations the program needs to reach the full potential of these partnerships, see attached. 

  • In the face of increasing conversion of farm and forestland to other uses like commercial and residential development, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a critical incentive for keeping forests as forests. However, CRP forestry acres under contract have increasingly declined in the past decade. Thus, alterations are needed to support more forestry enrollment in the program. Specifically, amending contacts harvesting (post and mid), amending the limitation on re-enrollment of forested acreage, and restoring cost-share for mid- contract management activities on CRP enrolled land. Please see factsheet attached for more specific amended language recommendations.

  • Due to the high costs of implementation and complexities, many small family landowners cannot participate in the voluntary carbon market. Failing to unlock carbon markets for family forest owners means leaving them out of income opportunity that fuels stronger rural economies and healthier forests. The Rural Forest Markets Act (RFMA) is designed to solve this—it authorizes USDA to provide, loan guarantees, and bond guarantees to help private forest owners participate in the voluntary carbon market. I urge you to cosponsor and insert it into the Farm Bill so small family forest landowners can build generational wealth and bring economic wealth to their rural communities. Please see attached factsheet for more information.

 

For these reasons, I urge you to pass a Farm Bill in this Congress and prioritize the above provisions. Thank you for your support.


[insert name]

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