National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONSERVATION LEADERS OUTLINE PRIORITIES FOR UPCOMING FARM BILL

ALBANY, GA—June 23, 2006—The National Association of Conservation Districts today offered input to members of Congress on the critical nature of conservation provisions in the farm bill, noting their importance to the success and productivity of agriculture.

In testimony before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Georgia Association of Conservation District Supervisors President Jim Ham, a farmer from Smarr, Ga., said that the growth of the conservation title over the past decade allows farmers to not only protect soil and water but also to be better neighbors and citizens.

“The conservation programs and policies help keep me on the farm,” Ham told the committee. “These tools have helped me continue to farm in an ever changing environment.”

Ham stressed the need for a continued commitment from Congress to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers. He highlighted the importance of a balance of programs that address both lands in active production of food and fiber, as well as retired and protected lands.

The hearing was the first of a series of field hearings being held by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Other witnesses included representatives from state and national agriculture organizations.

“These hearings are a valuable opportunity for direct dialogue between farmers and the agriculture committee and for folks in the surrounding region to share how they would like to see farm policy shaped as we write the next Farm Bill,” said committee chair Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.).

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Copy of Jim Ham's full testimony Before the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD’s website is at www.nacdnet.org.