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The Farm Bill is in the final stages of
negotiation this week. In the last 24 hours, WRP has taken major blows.
The acreage total has been reduced from 250,000 acres to 185,000 acres.
Language fixing the yellow book appraisal problem (details below) has
been removed. And the Conservation Easement payment schedule has been
changed from a one time payment to a payment schedule over 10-30 years
(inefficient and not appealing to farmers).
Senator Kohl needs to hear from
Wisconsin farmers, hunters, anglers, bird-watchers, paddlers and other
conservation-minded citizens that Wisconsin's
farms, lakes and rivers need the support of wetlands restored under the
Wetlands Reserve Program.
Please call Senator Kohl's office and
tell him that you support his efforts to:
· restore the acres to 250,000
· restore the appraisal fix
· restore the conservation easement
payment to the 2002 Farm Bill protocol
Since 1990, more than 600 Wisconsin farmers have enrolled in WRP to restore
wetlands on more than 47,000 acres of marginally productive cropland
across the state. But this highly successful program is now endangered by
last minute political negotiations.
Click here for
more information about Wisconsin's Wetlands Reserve Program.
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