The Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition (FIFB) released its 2018 Farm Bill recommendations. The National Association of Conservation Districts has been an active participant in the creation of the recommendations, serving on two of the coalition’s working groups to ensure that NACD’s policies and principles were included.
“The public expects clean air and water, healthy soils, and abundant wildlife habitat and our nation’s forest lands certainly provide opportunities to achieve these expectations,” NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. “The farm bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress works on to address our nation’s forest lands and landowner needs. Locally-led, voluntary incentive-based conservation works.”
The coalition welcomed input from a diverse group of forestry stakeholders in the consensus building process, and NACD is pleased with the recommendations brought forth through this collaborative process.
“These recommendations show the importance of and need for strong forestry programs. This consensus effort highlights the fact that despite differing and diverse perspectives, there are still numerous areas in which the forestry community can come together to provide Congress with a series of policy improvements,” NACD CEO Jeremy Peters said.
As Congress continues to work on drafting the next farm bill, NACD will continue to work tirelessly to educate lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the critical importance of locally-led conservation.