American Farmland Trust Urges Congress To Provide Full Funding For Farm Conservation, Protection, Beginning Farmer And Other Programs Authorized By The 2014 Farm Bill


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TO BUSINESS, AND STATE EDITORS:

American Farmland Trust Urges Congress To Provide Full Funding For

Farm Conservation, Protection, Beginning Farmer And Other Programs

Authorized By The 2014 Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American

Farmland Trust is asking the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture

Appropriations subcommittees to provide full funding for farmland

conservation protection and beginning farmer programs authorized in

the 2014 federal Farm Bill.

"The recently enacted 2014 Farm Bill already cut food, conservation

and agriculture programs by $23 billion contributing proportionately

more than their share to deficit reduction," said Andrew McElwaine,

President and CEO of AFT. "We are asking Congress to support full

funding of conservation and agriculture programs as set in the Farm

Bill and we oppose efforts to make further cuts to these much-needed

programs which can leverage private investment as high as a four to

one taxpayer return for conservation."

"Strong funding for farmland conservation programs such as the

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, the Regional Conservation

Partnership Program and conservation technical assistance will provide

significant natural resource benefits by protecting farmland and

improving the quality of our water and air," said McElwaine. "It is

also critical Congress provide opportunities for future growth in

agriculture by adequately funding programs like the Beginning Farmer

and Rancher Development Program and the Farmers Market and Local Food

Promotion Program.

"These programs provide funding for state and local farmland

protection, installation of on-farm best conservation practices, help

bring new farmers into agriculture to deal with the critical issue of

an aging farm population and support innovative ways to grow local

markets for farm products," said McElwaine.

"Members of Congress have already agreed to funding levels in the Farm

Bill, now they need to carry through on that commitment and actually

appropriate the funds needed to help farmers," said McElwaine.

AFT's request has been submitted to members of the Senate

Appropriations Committee Agriculture Subcommittee including Chair Mark

Pryor and ranking member Roy Blunt and members of the House

Appropriations Committee Agriculture Subcommittee including Chair

Robert Aderholt and ranking member Sam Farr.

A copy of the House letter is available online at:

http://www.farmbillfacts.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/House-Agriculture-Appropriations.pdf

A copy of the Senate letter is available online at:

http://www.farmbillfacts.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Senate-Agriculture-Appropriations.pdf

The American Farmland Trust is the nation's leading conservation

organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming

practices and keeping farmers on the land.

AFT will host the Farmland, Food and Livable Communities national

conference in Lexington, Kentucky on October 20-22. Visit

www.farmland.org for more information.

For more information on the policies and programs of the American

Farmland Trust, visit www.farmland.org, follow us on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/AmericanFarmland or Twitter www.twitter.com/farmland.

CONTACT: Andrew McElwaine, President & CEO, American Farmland Trust

Phone: 202-378-1212 or Jeremy Peters, Director of Federal Policy,

American Farmland Trust Phone: 202-378-1219

SOURCE American Farmland Trust

-0- 04/11/2014

/Web Site: http://www.farmland.org

CO: American Farmland Trust

ST: District of Columbia

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-- PH03538 --

0000 04/11/2014 13:49:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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