Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) recently joined Reps. Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), John Duarte (CA-13), Yadira Caraveo (CO-08), David Rouzer (NC-07), Jim Costa (CA-21), and Chuck Edwards (NC-11) to introduce the Growing Access to Environmental Sustainability (GATES) Act. The bipartisan proposal seeks to reduce barriers that producers face when attempting to access agricultural conservation programs.
Current adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations disproportionately limit producers with high input costs from participating in certain U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation-focused programs. Those limitations have not kept pace with inflation. These barriers reduce the overall impact of federal efforts to conserve our environment.
“Being the grass seed capital of the world, Oregon will benefit tremendously from reduced barriers to participation in conservation programs,” said Chavez-DeRemer. “Farmers who make their livelihoods in the agriculture industry are buried by high input costs, and we should be making it easier for them to access programs that can make a real difference. I’m proud to co-lead the GATES Act to help our farmers put food on America’s tables and keep our environment clean.”
Specifically, the GATES Act would:
- Exempt the AGI limitation for farms that get 75 percent of their income from farming or related farming practices (agri-tourism, direct-to-consumer marketing of agricultural products, sale of agricultural equipment owned by person or entity, and other agriculture-related activities, as determined by the USDA).
- This would apply to the following conservation programs:
- Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
- This would apply to the following conservation programs:
The GATES Act is endorsed by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance and Western Growers.
“Our members and their workers provide more than half of America’s fresh fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts and yet are unable to access conservation funding that would help them adjust to erratic weather patterns by using conservation tools readily available to farmers who grow corn, soybean and other commodity crops,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia. “We thank Rep. Panetta and his colleagues Rep. Costa, Rep. Caraveo, Rep. Rouzer, Rep. Duarte, Rep. Edwards, and Rep. Chavez-DeRemer and we look forward to working together to ensure equitable access to this funding so our members can continue to be responsible stewards of the land for future generations.”
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