April 12, 2021 By Staff
Stefanik asks for conservation standards change for farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C.— This week, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) and fellow members of New York’s Congressional Delegation co-signed a letter toTerry Cosby, acting chief of theU.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), requesting that farmers be allowed to mechanically harvest their cover crops and meet the NRCS standards.
According to a press release, the USDArecently published a standard that would no longer allow cover crops to be mechanically harvested.
Cover crops are utilized by farmers to help mitigate emissions, control soil erosion, improve water quality and as a feed source for their animals.
“Farmers in the North Country have been responsible stewards of the land for generations, and they are experts at implementing conservation practices,” Stefanik said in a statement.
“The USDA’s decision to modify this standard is another example of unnecessary government overreach and poses a significant challenge to farmers across the country.”
You can read this article in full here: https://www.pressrepublican.com/
