Farmers in Arkansas are urging Congress to make permanent funding for conservation programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 dedicated just under $20 billion to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS. Now, growers are calling on lawmakers to include that funding in the reauthorization of the large multi-year spending package known as the Farm Bill.

Jared Phillips is a professor at the University of Arkansas, and raises sheep at his farm in the Northwest Arkansas city of Lincoln. He says the funding, of which Arkansas received $724 million, helped him sustain and preserve his natural resources for future use.

Arkansas farmers urge Congress to protect conservation funding