Harkin visits Lake City area farm
2007-08-14
Source: Fort Dodge Messenger
It may be a bold proposal, but Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wants to mandate that 80 million acres be enrolled in the Conservation Security Program within five years. That's about twice the amount of land currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.
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rss feed"With 15 million more acres coming out of CRP in 2007 compared to 2006, we need this mandate now more than ever," said Harkin, who spoke to a group of about 20 farmers who gathered at the Jim and Judy Zimmerman farm northwest of Lake City on Aug. 10. "We'll have to fight hard for more conservation funding, but I'm an optimist.''
As the U.S. Senate prepares to draft its version of the next Farm Bill, funding more conservation efforts in agriculture has become a top priority for Harkin, who noted that $4 billion has been taken from the CSP to pay for various disasters.
"We're short on funds, and the House ag bill basically gutted the CSP, with no more signups until 2012,'' Harkin noted. "The Senate Farm Bill isn't out yet, so we still have time to make changes.''
Farmers speak out on CSP
Harkin hosted the conservation discussion at the Zimmerman farm during his recent trip through northwest Iowa. He also toured the couple's extensive conservation projects made possible through CRP and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, a major state/federal initiative to develop wetlands which are strategically located and designed to remove nitrate from tile-drainage water from cropland areas.
"I've got grandkids in the Des Moines area, and I'm trying to do everything I can to protect water quality,'' said Jim Zimmerman, who has enrolled 37 acres of his farm, which is located in the Raccoon River Watershed, in CREP. The main tile drains approximately 1,500 acres of land north of the farm, and the CREP land includes an 8-acre body of water that's nearly 7 feet deep at its lowest point. The wetland, which was built a year ago, features native grasses and provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including ducks.
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