Legislative update
Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., speaks to congressional staff about the importance of irrigation to U.S. agriculture.
IA releases farm bill priorities
As 2017 comes to a close, the Irrigation Association continues to proactively provide solutions to legislators for water and agricultural issues through efficient irrigation, research and sound policies. In August, the IA released its 2018 Farm Bill Priorities document (
www.irrigation.org/ farmbillpriorities). Staff also traveled to Boston to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures from Aug. 6 – 9.
The association’s activities around the farm bill have been ongoing this year. At the start of 2017, the IA created a Farm Bill Task Force to develop priorities for the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill. Every five years Congress must reauthorize this piece of legislation that shapes U.S. agriculture policies. In short, the IA will advocate for voluntary programs that support efficient irrigation, encourage the adoption of other water-efficient technologies, and recognize IA-certified irrigation professionals.
Earlier this year, representatives from IA member companies met with their members of Congress to share details about the industry’s work innovating and promoting technologies that apply water more efficiently in agriculture. The IA is also a member of the steering committee of the Western Agriculture and Conservation Coalition, which works to support the common interests of agriculture and conservation. The IA will continue to
promote efficient irrigation technologies and work with coalition partners to ensure a strong conservation title.
With farm bill conservation programs under review, the IA’s Farm Bill Priorities document focuses on strengthening the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
EQIP Priorities EQIP priorities include
• increasing funding for farmers within EQIP.
• adding “improved water quality” as a national initiative of EQIP.
• increasing investment in private sector consulting services, including technical service providers and irrigation district staff.
• updating water savings criteria to be based on irrigated crop productivity (i.e., amount of crop produced per drop of water used).
• eliminating the 2/5 year rule. • allowing farmers to decide what happens to the saved water, rather than requiring water be returned to the environment.
RCPP Priorities RCPP priorities include
• replacing the difficult alternative funding arrangement contracting option with a more flexible tool with a proven record of accomplishment.
• eliminating the unnecessary administra- tive burden and complexity of fund tracking.
• streamlining RCPP applications. • ensuring an agriculture producer group is included as a partner in each RCPP proposal.
For more information about the farm bill, visit
www.irrigation.org/farmbill.
IA meets with state officials
On the state policy side, IA staff attended NCSL’s annual Legislative Summit for the fifth time. NCSL is a bipartisan group focused on providing state legislators with the “tools, information and resources to craft the best solutions to difficult problems.” Each summer, thousands of legislators and their staff members attend this event.
IA staff leveraged this annual conference to provide legislators with information regarding the benefits of irrigated agriculture, as well as the importance of efficient irrigation technologies, products and services.
The next NCSL Legislative Summit will be in Los Angeles, California, July 30 – Aug. 2, 2018. IA staff are already planning how to make the most of this conference. With western states focused on water and water use in agriculture, the IA has secured a larger booth and will also be reaching out to member companies to help promote the irrigation industry with state legislators at the 2018 event.
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