Rep. Ron Kind Fights for Mississippi River Conservation

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Tim Walz (D-MN) sent a letter this week to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that he designate the entire Mississippi River as a Critical Conservation Area under the farm bill’s new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

“Agricultural production in the Mississippi River Basin is an integral part of both the regional and national economy,” said Rep. Kind. “Conservation efforts are critical to maintaining agricultural output. This new designation would give a boost to farmers and others whose livelihoods depend on our natural resources, helping them tackle a wide range of conservation challenges.”

Wetland management, habitat preservation, flood control, irrigation and erosion prevention are critical issues facing farmers along the Mississippi River Basin. Through cooperative efforts at the local and regional levels, many of these concerns are being addressed, but the RCPP would provide an important opportunity for conservation organizations to leverage USDA’s resources to most effectively meet their goals.

The Mississippi River meets the criteria of having water quality and quantity concerns, and of furthering the conservation use of natural resources on a regional scale. This new designation would build on previous Congressionally-authorized USDA conservation programs to make voluntary assistance available to farmers and would not provide the basis for new environmental regulations or studies.

A copy of the letter can be read here.