Contact:	Joe Snyder	303-850-3349	jsnyder@beef.org	
Veneman: $3.9 Billion in Conservation Programs Proposed
Agriculture Secretary Addresses Cattlemen Convention

01/30/2003 
NASHVILLE (January 30, 2003) – The Bush Administration is proposing $3.9 billion in conservation programs to aid farmers and ranchers in environmental stewardship, cattlemen were told today. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman made the announcement while addressing the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Nashville. The proposal is an increase of $582 million over the fiscal 2003 level.
 
Veneman pointed out that the fiscal 2004 funding proposal is more than double the funding for these activities than provided by the previous Administration. “We know farmers are the best stewards of the land,” she said. “This record-level request illustrates the priority the President places on conserving natural resources by providing landowners the tools they need for private land management.”
 
Nearly $3.5 billion of the funding request would be used for financial assistance or other direct payments to farmers, including $2 billion for the Conservation Reserve Program, $850 million for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), $250 million for the Wetlands Reserve Program, $112 million for the Farmland Protection Program, $85 million for the Grassland Reserve Program, $42 million for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and $19 million for the new Conservation Security Program.
 
The proposal, which must be approved by Congress, would enable the cost-share and technical assistance for conservation efforts authorized by the fiscal 2002 Farm Bill to become reality, the Secretary said.
 
Veneman said the proposed rule for EQIP is being published today in the Federal Register, allowing ranchers to start accessing funding for the program. The public has 30 days after publication to provide comment on the EQIP plan. 
 
She commended NCBA for its Environmental Stewardship Award Program. “Through over 12 years of this program, the awards have recognized the importance of balancing environmental benefits with the economic needs of our communities,” she said.
 
Veneman also talked about other issues concerning beef producers, including energy, trade, food safety, country-of-origin labeling and tax programs.
 
Acknowledging longstanding efforts by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to permanently repeal the Death Tax, Veneman drew applause when she reminded the crowd of about 1,200 that Bush “is a strong supporter of eliminating the Death Tax.” She said about 85 percent of farmers and ranchers would benefit from this and other tax reductions being proposed by the President.
 
NCBA President Wythe Willey introduced Veneman, noting that it was her second consecutive visit to the annual cattlemen convention and “hopefully her visit here becomes a tradition.” She accompanied President Bush to the cattlemen convention in 2002.
 
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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.