Protect Conservation in the Farm Bill

Waterfowlers' help needed to protect habitat improvements

The Farm Bill is being debated in conference! Now is the time to make your voice heard for the ducks!

This phase is a critical step where select Members from the Senate and House of Representatives will attempt to hammer out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. While there will only be a handful of Members taking part in the conference committee, they will all be getting feedback and pressure from their colleagues to act one way or another. This process-only one step away from the President's desk-could be lengthy and difficult.

Once a final Farm Bill is agreed upon, we move on to implementation. We will work with Members of Congress and the US Department of Agriculture to make sure the programs and provisions we fought for are implemented in a manner benefiting waterfowl and farmers.

DU members have played a critical role in the Farm Bill process. Many of the gains made for conservation have been included in the Farm Bill at the urging of waterfowlers and outdoor enthusiasts. DU supporters will also make a difference in conference, as we work to ensure conferees do not cut out any of the gains that have been made for waterfowl habitat.

Although there will only be a select group of Senators and Representatives in the conference, all of them are subject to influence from their colleagues. DU members should treat every member of Congress as a top target to ensure our Farm Bill priorities are maintained. If your Members of Congress are not part of the conference committee, ask them to tell their colleagues that are to support waterfowl habitat conservation in the Farm Bill.

Click Here to tell your Members of Congress to support Farm Bill conservation.

You Can Help Guarantee Our Waterfowl Hunting Heritage

Together we can make a positive difference for our waterfowl hunting heritage. But, we all need our voices to be heard.

With three simple phone calls you can help make sure the Senate Agriculture Committee does not take a step backward on conservation.

The message is simple: Save farm bill conservation, save waterfowl habitat.

Funding for conservation programs is threatened as a conference committee now attempts to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. Programs that are critical to waterfowl population success, like the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program and Grassland Reserve Program are in jeopardy.

These programs are vital to keeping more critical habitat on the ground and more ducks in the sky.

Without these programs, we could see a negative impact on waterfowl hunter harvests across the United States.

Without these programs there could be 2.2 million fewer ducks in the air every year

Please call your Members of Congress today and tell them to support Farm Bill conservation! If not, waterfowl hunting as we know it might change forever.

Farm Bill Background

The United States Senate has recently passed the 2007 Farm Bill. The legislation will now be sent to a conference committee made up of both Senators and Representatives. These select Members are charged with resolving the differences between the House- and Senate-passed versions of the bill.

It will be entirely up to the conference committee to determine how much conservation comes out of the 2007 Farm Bill. The opportunity for a strong Sodsaver and a repaired Wetlands Reserve Program are in their hands.

By not giving conservation its due consideration, committee members could force vital conservation programs to take a step back from which they cannot recover. Ultimately, waterfowl populations would suffer.

The farm bill has shaped more conservation, and put more funding on the ground than any other suite of legislation.

The Farm Bill is being debated now. Every waterfowl hunter in the United States needs to contact their Senators and Representatives and make sure they know that conservation is important enough to farmers, ranchers, and sportsmen to warrant full funding. You can make a difference for waterfowl!