A group of over 150 Minnesota farmers and ranchers have written to Congressman Collin Peterson asking him to defend agricultural conservation in the final drafting of the 2018 farm bill by the conference committee. Land Stewardship Project Federal Policy Program Organizer Ben Anderson says they anticipate Representative Peterson will serve on the farm bill conference committee and they want him to preserve the Conservation Stewardship Program.

He says while the House farm bill eliminated CSP, the Senate version kept CSP and put improvements in it. Anderson says they want the conference committee to include what the Senate measure is calling for.

Anderson says the Minnesota group of farmers and ranchers also want some tweaks to the federal crop insurance program to recognize the diversity of cover crops.

Anderson is hoping the conference committee will craft a final farm bill prior to the expiration of the current one the end of September.