The Boone and Crockett Club thanks the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture for the bipartisan vote last week that moves the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) out of committee and to the full House for consideration. The legislation includes significant funding for conservation programs on private lands, including the Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) – one of the Club's top priorities for the next Farm Bill. The Committee's vote of 34-17 shows the strong bipartisan support for enacting a Farm Bill in this Congress.
"The Boone and Crockett Club greatly appreciates the leadership of House Agriculture Committee Chairman "GT" Thompson for working to create a Farm Bill reauthorization that recognizes the important conservation and environmental benefits that our nation's working farms, ranches, and forestlands provide," commented Club president Mary Webster. "The committee-passed Farm Bill's conservation title continues to offer the voluntary, incentive-based working lands programs that are a win-win for our natural resources and for producers' bottom line. I am particularly grateful the Committee included provisions to create a new Forest Conservation Easement Program to fill a major gap in conservation of private working forests."
Farms, ranches, and forests provide essential wildlife habitat and opportunities for hunters to recreate. Farmers, ranchers, and forest owners need to be able to meet their agricultural objectives, which may or may not involve conservation. Finding a way to help them meet their objectives as producers and landowners while offering the funding and technical assistance to address ecological needs is a win-win prospect. The conservation and forestry provisions within the Farm Bill are crucial to helping private landowners maintain wildlife habitat. In addition, provisions for voluntary public access and habitat improvement support access easements to tens of thousands of acres of private land for hunting and fishing, while funding for federal forest management improves habitat and reduce wildfire threat on thousands of acres of public land that are used extensively by sportsmen and women.
"The Farm Bill is truly one of our nation's most important pieces of conservation legislation and has been a top priority for the Boone and Crockett Club for decades. We appreciate this action in the House Agriculture Committee and hope it sets the stage for Congress to reauthorize this critical policy this year," Webster concluded.
While the House moves forward with deliberations on their version of the bill, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee is also working on reauthorizing the Farm Bill. Conservation programs, including the Forest Conservation Easement Program, will be a top priority as they build their final package.
About the Boone and Crockett Club: Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Montana. Click here to learn more about the Boone and Crockett Club.