On April 30, the House of Representatives passed an update to Farm Bill (HR 7567)—a package of conservation and agriculture programs renewed by Congress on an approximately five-year cycle—to send it to the Senate for consideration. The Farm Bill provides critical resources for multiple agricultural and conservation programs that conserve open spaces, restore habitat and environmental quality, and expand access to hunters and anglers.
Soon, the bill will be sent to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee chaired by Senator John Boozman (Arkansas), where he and fellow committee members will have the opportunity to review, discuss, and amend the bill. If changes are made, it will return to the House for concurrence. Often, the two legislative chambers must meet in a conference committee where negotiators iron out their differences so that one version of a bill can be supported by both chambers.
Needless to say, while passage from the House is an important step, much work remains to be done.
What’s at Stake?
The Farm Bill provides funding for multiple programs important to hunters, anglers, and other outdoors enthusiasts in every state, such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Forest Legacy Program, among many others. Without a renewal of the Farm Bill, partner agencies on the ground such as soil and water conservation districts, state natural resource agencies, and land trusts and the landowners they work with are left in limbo. These partner agencies will have to wait to implement projects that protect farmlands from conversion, restore water quality, and expand access for outdoor recreational uses.
That long wait could cost agencies partnerships with willing landowners. That is why organizations such as the Land Trust Alliance and their member land trusts are hopeful the Farm Bill can become law soon and make these conservation outcomes a reality.
“We’re excited to see the Farm Bill move forward with resources for multiple conservation programs at levels that really support on-the-ground conservation benefitting every corner of the country,” says Susan Morley LaCroix, Land Protection Director for Legacy Land Conservancy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “In addition, the Farm Bill that came from the House includes funding for the Forest Conservation Easement Program, which enables us to protect smaller forest properties around Michigan, many of which provide habitat for wildlife important to hunters and anglers such as turkeys, whitetail deer, brook trout, and walleye.”
The Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) is a new program similar to the established Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. It can protect working forestlands from conversion to developed uses (e.g., housing subdivisions, warehousing, etc.). But, unlike the existing Forest Legacy Program that is geared toward large, commercial forestlands, the FCEP is better suited to smaller landowners who still experience many of the same environmental and economic challenges as larger commercial landowners. If you have a small property with a few hundred acres of actively-managed forest that also happens to support your whitetail hunting activities, FCEP may be able to help conserve your land for your children and grandchildren to enjoy while still allowing you and them to use and enjoy it as your own.
In addition to the permanent protection mechanisms like RCPP, Forest Legacy, and FCEP, past iterations of the Farm Bill authorized the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP), which provides financial incentives to landowners to allow for public access (e.g., hunting and fishing).
If you have hunted on private lands open to the public for hunting and fishing, chances are those landowners have received VPA-HIP funds in exchange for the access you enjoyed. Established through the 2008 Farm Bill, VPA-HIP not only restores natural resources found on private lands and provides for recreational opportunities, but it also creates a significant return on the investment benefiting local economies.
Unfortunately, the version of the Farm Bill that passed the House does not include any new funding for VPA-HIP in spite of recent efforts to include up to $150 million in funding proposed through bipartisan legislation. While the Department of Agriculture recently announced some additional funds for the program, the resources remaining in the program will not carry it forward indefinitely; thus, new funds will need to be appropriated if the program is to continue supporting private landowners as well as hunters and anglers.
What’s Next?
Since the Farm Bill passed the House, it’s up to the Senate to pass its version of the bill. Committee members—led by Committee Chair Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)—will begin reviewing material, holding hearings, and engaging with stakeholder organizations to consider amendments.
That’s where hunters and anglers can play a critical role.
While organizations such as the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and others are meeting with elected officials and their staffs to help inform their decisions, outdoor enthusiasts also need to make their voices heard. Just as we helped stop efforts in 2025 to sell off public lands, you can contact your senator to urge their support for the Farm Bill and get it across the finish line.
You can contact Senate offices through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, send a letter or email, or work with one of the litany of hunter and angler organizations that you support to urge the Senate to take action on the Farm Bill.
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