Land Trust Alliance statement on Congress passing continuing resolution

Washington — Congress has passed a year-end continuing resolution that extends government funding through March 14, 2025. The resolution contains a one-year extension of the Farm Bill that does not include the remaining Inflation Reduction Act funding for Farm Bill conservation programs.

Farm Bill conservation programs are the largest single federal source of funding for private land conservation that create significant opportunities for land trusts to protect high-priority farm and ranch lands, grasslands, wetlands and forests. In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act invested $20 billion in these critical programs including the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

The following statement can be attributed to Lori Faeth, senior director of government relations for the Land Trust Alliance:

Farm Bill conservation programs safeguard essential agricultural lands that secure America’s food and fiber, contribute to the economy and are critical to tackling the impacts of severe weather. These programs are extremely popular and have helped conserve millions of acres of irreplaceable working lands while keeping these lands in family hands. We are extremely disappointed that Congress could not secure the remaining $14 billion investment the Inflation Reduction Act made in our nation’s working lands and all the benefits they provide. We look forward to working with the 119th Congress to ensure these funds remain available for America’s farmers and ranchers.

About the Land Trust Alliance

Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by empowering and mobilizing land trusts in communities across America to conserve land for the benefit of all. The Alliance represents approximately 1,000 member land trusts and affiliates supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., with staff in communities across the United States.