American Agri-Women

Agri-Women on the Radio!

Listen to an Interview by Karolyn Zurn, Minnesotta Agri-Women, regarding the new Land Acquisition Trust Fund as an amendment to the Transportation Bill.  

See the AAW Food Safety Committee Page HERE

USDA confirmed a positive test result as part of its targeted surveillance program to test cattle for BSE. USDA has confirmed this dairy animal was discovered at a rendering facility and was never presented for human consumption and poses zero risk to human health. The bottom line remains the same – all U.S. beef is safe.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Fact Sheet

Video: USDA Chief Veterinary Officer On BSE Case

Ag Committee Moves Forward with Farm Bill Process And Announces DC Hearings

April 18, 2012

WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Frank Lucas announced another series of hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill to begin next week in Washington, D.C. The six Subcommittees will hold the hearings throughout April and May to hear from national agricultural stakeholders advocating for policy priorities. It is the next step in the Farm Bill development.  Click here for the schedule of hearings and full article.

STOP the new Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LAFC) !!!

Go to www.landrights.org for details.

Recently the US Senate created a new Land Acquisition Trust Fund by amendment to the Transportation Bill. This gave billions of dollars to the Federal Land agencies with NO appropriations process. These agencies should not have a blank check to convert private land into Federal government ownership.
Please call, fax and e-mail your Congressman today, and everyday for the next two weeks. Ask them to stop the huge Senate Transportation Bill with the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that was put inside it when it comes to the House in the coming days.

Language was slipped in to increase the yearly LWCH money taken from the taxpayers so the Federal land agencies could acquire more private land and convert it into government ownership. The LWCF gets from $150 million to $350 million a year normally from Congress through the appropriations process. Language was added whereby the Senate upped the LWCF funding to $700 million.

In fairness, the Senate did say the agencies could only use this money to buy out and remove the “willing sellers.” Even the former Director of Land Acquisition for the Park Service, Will Kriz, was quoted years ago saying there is no such thing as a “willing seller.” Every landowner is threatened with condemnation.
There is no Congressional appropriations process for this money in the LWCF fund and little or NO oversight regarding this.

SOLUTIONS:
1.Call your Congressman and urge him to oppose any version the the Transportation bill that has LWCF land acquisition funding inside. You can call any congressman at (202)225-3121. The Senate added the LWCG. The House must stop it.

2.Call the Speaker of the House, John Boehner at (202) 225-0600. Urge him to pass a separate Transportation gill which does NOT include money for LWCF funding and which actually includes an explicit prohibiton on federal land acquisition. E-mail: --bill.greene@mail.house.gov

It is critical that your Congressman add Amendments to the Transportation bill to force it nto a House-Senate Conference Committee. 

For more information, visit the Land Use Committee Page

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