Demystifying the Farm Bill-Tapping into the Nation's Largest Source of Conservation Funding

The Federal Farm Bill is one of the largest sources of conservation funding in the country.  It has tremendous potential for advancing wildlife and habitat conservation in addition to the more traditional uses of protecting farmland and improving farming operations. Despite the relative abundance and accessibility of Farm Bill conservation dollars, much of this important funding remains underutilized by the conservation community. Learning how to tap into the Farm Bill and use it creatively can help you leverage dollars, projects and land donations to advance your own conservation goals, provide an important service to landowners and protect valuable wildlife habitat. 

This webinar will provide:

• An update on the 2008 Farm Bill conservation title and an overview of the most important programs for land trusts
• Information on opportunities for land trusts to use programs to advance their own conservation goals, reach out to landowners and strategically protect important landscapes
• Case studies of how land managers have creatively leveraged program dollars
• Tips for how to talk to and engage landowners in using Farm Bill programs
• Examples of how multiple programs can be layered to maximize conservation benefit and produce income for landowners

Registration closes July 6, 2009

Presenters:

Aimee Weldon manages the Living Lands Project for Defenders of Wildlife.  In this role she works to support the work of local land trusts interested in wildlife and habitat conservation through financial, technical and educational resources. 

Randall Gray retired from USDA NRCS in 2007. His last position was as NRCS’s National Wildlife Biologist in Washington, DC. During his career with NRCS he helped develop policy for several of the Farm Bill programs and spent eight years doing oversight on Farm Bill program implementation throughout the U.S. He has given many presentations and written articles on the value of farm bill programs for fish and wildlife. He presently works part time with the Intermountain West Joint Venture as their Farm Bill coordinator and recently wrote a Wildlifer’s Guide to The Farm Bill.

Sid Goodloe is a rancher and founder of the Southern Rockies Agricultural Land Trust.  He has spent the last 51 years personally restoring his working ranch with the help of the SCS/NRCS and is active within several organizations focused on environmentally friendly use of working lands.  Sid has provided numerous presentations and educational workshops on this topic.