LaMalfa focuses on drought and wildfire in review of Farm Bill programs

Today, Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, participated in a hearing on a review of Farm Bill Conservation Programs. This hearing is the first of the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee for 2022. For nearly 40 years, Congress has supported voluntary, incentive-based conservation through Title II of the Farm Bill, such as the Conservation Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Witnesses were Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator at the Farm Service Agency and Terry Cosby, Chief at the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa gave the following statement after the hearing: “Conservation of our nation’s natural resources continues to be a top priority in the upcoming Farm Bill. We should focus on voluntary programs that we know will work and will provide the intended environmental benefits to farms, rural towns, and the foresters who choose to participate in them. Farmers and ranchers have been working for years to improve and protect lands and we should give them the tools to continue that good work. Many western states, and my district especially, have seen catastrophic drought and wildfires. As we discuss conservation policy, forest revitalization, increasing water storage capacity, best farming practices, and managing forests’ woody biomass must be a part of the conversation. As this Committee begins the next Farm Bill process, I appreciate hearing from both Administrator Ducheneaux and Chief Cosby today on the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill.”