Monday, November 14, 2011

Farm Bill Programs and Forest Landowners

There is still time to contact your members of Congress and let them know how important Farm Bill programs are to forest landowners.  The House and Senate Agriculture Committees were unable to meet the November 1st deadline to submit their 2012 Farm Bill proposals.  They need to make $23 billion dollars in cuts to the program.  We are still waiting to hear the details on what they propose to cut.

The American Tree Farm System provides a Policy and Advocacy page which may be of some assistance.  On this page you will find information relating to the next Farm Bill and how it impacts forest landowners. You can also write a letter directly to your Congressional representative letting them know how important it is that forest landowners continue to be represented.

Craig and Janet Olver, Pennsylvania Tree Farmers from Wayne County, wrote an op-ed piece to their local paper, the Scranton-Times Tribune encouraging congress not to abandon forest conservation.  Craig realizes we have to do our part to get the deficit down but his hope is that conservation does not take an unfair hit.


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