US Senator Debbie Stabenov, Ph.D., member of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Forestry, and Joni Ernst, chairman of the board of directors of the subcommittee on rural development and energy, sent a letter from the two parties to the US Department of Agriculture on April 17.

In this letter, they are urging the Ministry to identify and maintain in the 2018 Farmers Act a list of priority measures to address water quality problems.

“The 2018 Farm Law has made historic investments in voluntary conservation efforts to address water quality issues — from the Great Lakes to the Chesapeake Bay and the Mississippi River,” senators wrote. “In particular, the bill reformed and improved all major programs, provided new tools to help farmers, ranchers and landowners solve water quality problems.”

“We know that farmers play an important role as custodians of our land and water,” the senators continued. “To maximize the effectiveness of these improvements in water quality, we urge you to implement these provisions as part of a nationwide water quality program that builds on the existing program in the Natural Resources Conservation Service.”

In addition to asking for a new program, senators also provided recommendations for coordinating the implementation of new water quality priorities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of investments in the farm bill.