U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, (R-Kan), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, spoke with members of the National Association of Conservation Districts, highlighting the importance of voluntary conservation programs in the upcoming farm bill.

“The conservation districts are the perfect example where we see coordination in government working at its best – bringing together federal, state, local and private partners and leveraging those resources to get conservation on the ground,” said Roberts in his address.

“It is important to deliver a united message that locally led and voluntary conservation incentives have always been the foundation of USDA conservation programs. Voluntary conservation – not regulation – is an effective model that resonates with producers across the country.”

“Federal investment in these programs has a proven track record of success to incentivize farmers and ranchers to install best management conservation practices on the ground to help address critical natural resource concerns like improving water quality, improving soil health, or enhancing wildlife habitat.”

You can hear comments made by Roberts covering agriculture issues at last week’s Agri-Pulse event here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/agripulse-farmbill-17-roberts.mp3″ text=”Remarks from Senator Pat Roberts, Senate Ag Committee Chairman”]