Lodian in D.C. Pushing for Farm Bill Conservation

By Reed Fujii, The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Mar. 15–Lodi grape grower Brad Lange will be among a number of farmers in Washington, D.C., today calling for increased conservation funding in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Lange and his brother, Randy, owners of LangeTwins Inc., recently received a national award for their conservation efforts.

“The farm bill represents the opportunity for the agricultural community to … help marry the environment and the farm working landscape together and improve both,” Brad Lange said before leaving for the nation’s capital.

“We want to encourage conservation in the farm bill but not discourage farming of the land.”

Efforts by the Langes and other farmers are the focus of a campaign being launched by Environmental Defense, which includes a series of ads featuring farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who have moved to provide cleaner air and water, protect farmland and preserve wildlife habitat.

“Thousands and thousands of farmers are taking steps every day, typically at their own expense, of addressing some of the nation’s biggest environmental challenges,” said Scott Faber, campaign director for Environmental Defense.

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture spends roughly $2 billion a year on conservation projects, more is needed, Faber said. The environmental group calculates that the USDA rejects three out of four farmers who apply for conservation cost-sharing programs due to inadequate funding.

The campaign launch coincides with today’s introduction of legislation from Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., that would dramatically increase voluntary USDA conservation programs. Next week, Reps. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced and Adam Putnam, R-Fla., are expected to introduce a specialty crop bill that also would do the same thing.

Cardosa, chairman of the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, will reintroduce the EAT Healthy America Act originally offered in the fall. He considers additional resources for conservation a top priority, a spokesman said.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com. Visit his blog.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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