The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
James Cummins
All too often we associate public land with wildlife, but private lands are vitally important to the conservation of wildlife in the United States. Nearly three-quarters of the land in the lower 48 states is privately held, with 50% (890 million acres) of that land base managed as cropland, pastureland and rangeland. In Arizona, almost 13 million acres are private land.
The conservation successes we have achieved in this country are anchored by key pieces of legislation that passed in the last 100 years. The Farm Bill, which had its beginning in the Dust Bowl era, is one of these. This critical piece of private land conservation legislation has been reauthorized continuously for the past 90 years.
However, Congress did not reauthorize the Farm Bill when it expired in 2023, instead extending it until Sept. 30, 2024 — and then failing to meet that deadline. Unfortunately, unless Congress acts soon, the vital conservation and economic benefits the Farm Bill provides to private landowners in Arizona and other states will not exist after this year.
The first Farm Bill was intended to help steer the country out of the Great Depression. It addressed widespread domestic hunger, falling crop prices for farmers, and the catastrophic soil erosion during the Dust Bowl. Periodically, the law is reauthorized to address evolving conservation policy, commodity payments including disaster payments and price supports, as well as nutrition. At its core, the Farm Bill is designed to make sure that everyone has enough to eat, farmers can earn a living, and our soil and water stay healthy in the process.
The “Farm Bill” of recent times is a compilation of many different Acts that have been passed by Congress to enhance agricultural productivity and conservation on private lands. The Farm Bill is not a single piece of legislation but a dynamic series of Acts over the past eight decades that includes new programs or revises existing ones. It affects every citizen, from all of us who eat to those who grow what we eat.
The Farm Bill is extremely important to Arizona. For example, beef is the leading agricultural product in Arizona. Enough beef is produced annually in the state to feed over 4.6 million Americans. The Farm Bill includes programs that help keep Arizona’s beef producers afloat by protecting ranchers against price drops and high feed costs.
Agriculture contributes $23.3 billion annually to Arizona’s economy and provides 138,000 jobs in the state. Arizona is home to more than 16,400 agricultural operations that grow and raise a diverse array of food products ranging from cattle to lettuce to milk and cheese, The Farm Bill also provides tremendous benefits to Arizona’s 350,000 hunters and 516,000 anglers, improving habitat to support healthy fish and game populations.
The Boone and Crockett Club’s founder, Theodore Roosevelt, said, “There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.” While our country is facing some mighty grave issues, I believe TR would be proud of the conservation provisions of the Farm Bill and want all of us, as citizens, farmers, conservationists, and most importantly Congress, to make sure the Farm Bill passes this year.
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