SEEC Climate and Agriculture Task Force Urges Continued Support for Conservation Programs for America’s Farmers
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Climate and Agriculture Task Force Co-Chairs, Reps. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Kim Schrier (WA-08), along with Task Force Members Reps. Julia Brownley (CA-26), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), sent a letter to the House Agriculture Committee urging them to continue to support America’s farmers in their climate-resilient conservation efforts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) critical climate-smart agriculture programs in the upcoming Farm Bill negotiations.
“America’s farmers are no stranger to climate and weather-associated production risks. In 2024 alone, our farmers experienced a staggering $20.3 billion in economic losses for crops and rangelands from major extreme weather events,” wrote the Task Force. “Specifically, drought, excessive heat, and wildfires alone accounted for over $11 billion in damages to the agricultural sector in a single year. Simultaneously, federal crop insurance payments over the last two decades have soared to $143.5 billion, with two thirds of that amount stemming from drought and excessive moisture that are exacerbated from climate change.”
“We at SEEC’s Climate and Agriculture Task Force are committed to working with you to ensure this Farm Bill includes the essential resources needed to give our farmers the necessary tools to mitigate and adapt to climate change,” the Task Force concluded. “We look forward to engaging with the House Agriculture Committee to incorporate the feedback of the millions of American producers who are demanding the Farm Bill reflect the very real climate impacts they are facing on the ground today.”
The letter can be found here.
Background
The upcoming Farm Bill represents a significant opportunity to strengthen climate-resilience for America’s farms. USDA’s voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs help producers adopt agricultural practices to both adapt to and mitigate extreme weather and climate change. Our farmers, ranchers, and foresters have witnessed what happens when we meet this robust demand for USDA’s programs with historic federal investments. The Task Force highlighted that we must continue this critical support for our rural economies to ensure that our nation’s producers can thrive by:
- Supporting USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program
- Supporting and improving USDA’s Conservation Practice Standards
- Modernizing crop insurance for America’s farmers
- Expanding USDA’s conservation technical assistance