WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to continue investing in conservation programs that allow farmers to prevent runoff and protect water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin. During a hearing for the Senate Agriculture Committee yesterday, Brown condemned proposals in the House to slash conservation funding by nearly $1 billion in the next Farm Bill. Brown told Perdue the USDA cannot walk away from the programs farmers are using to improve water quality across Western Ohio. Brown also urged the Secretary to extend a three-year, $41 million program that Brown helped create in 2016 that aims to protect Lake Erie from harmful algal blooms.
Senator Brown has been working to support farmers and protect the water quality of Lake Erie by helping producers reduce runoff. Last month, Brown introduced bipartisan legislation called the Give Our Resources the Opportunity to Work (GROW) Act with Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Bob Casey (D-PA), which would refocus federal investments to improve water quality and soil health, while also maintaining profitable farmland. Brown said these efforts would improve federal conservation programs and better support local farmers by reforming the three largest conservation funding programs to protect waterways while expanding access to quality farmland. With farmland playing such an important role in both Ohio’s economy and environment, Brown said it is important that farmers have the resources they need to protect local waterways while continuing to farm their land.