Late last week, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman sent a letter to Senate Ag Committee leadership detailing his opposition to Inflation Reduction Act funding for farm bill conservation efforts.
“I strongly oppose any measures that would essentially cannibalize IRA conservation funding in order to pay for the farm bill’s conservation efforts,” Fetterman said in the letter. “The bottom line is that to both support our nation’s agricultural producers and mitigate climate change, we must maintain the Inflation Reduction Act programs and include separate robust agriculture conservation funding in the upcoming farm bill.”
Fetterman also says the country can and must do both. The letter was supported by multiple Pennsylvania-based environmental and farming-focused groups. Senator Fetterman says he’ll continue to oppose any effort to move Inflation Reduction Act funding away from its original purpose to get used for farm bill conservation efforts.
Farmers in Pennsylvania continue to support funding for voluntary conservation programs.