Weekly News Roundup – July 20, 2012

Want to know what National Wildlife Federation was up to this week? Here is a recap of the week’s NWF news:

2012 Farm Bill Conservation Programs ‘Essential for Great Lakes Restoration’

July 17 – As the U.S. Congress deliberates the final shape of the 2012 Farm Bill—which contains the largest source of conservation funding in the federal budget—the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging federal public officials to support strong conservation provisions which are essential to restore the Great Lakes.

Farm Bill conservation programs protect water quality by providing financial support to farmers to take specific actions on their farms to protect the environment, such as protecting wildlife habitat or controlling pollution. These programs are instrumental in helping prevent manure and excessive fertilizer from flowing off of farm fields and into rivers, streams and the Great Lakes, which can cause toxic algae blooms, which close beaches, kill fish and harm local businesses.

The primary agriculture and food policy tool of the federal government, the Farm Bill awards more than $500 million per year to farmers in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

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Published: July 20, 2012