National Farmers Union released a poll Tuesday that shows American farmers value conservation programs – particularly in times of drought – and reject cutting conservation funding. The bipartisan poll surveyed 400 American farmers across 13 Midwestern and Great Plains states. According to the results – farmers view conservation programs as highly important and strongly oppose any plan to cut conservation in order to fund short-term drought relief.

NFU President Roger Johnson says there is clearly strong support for critical conservation programs that are helping to lessen the effects of the current drought. He says cutting funding for conservation in order to pay for a short-term drought bill is detrimental to the long-term vitality of America’s agricultural land. If Congress would pass a farm bill before September 30th – Johnson says we would get drought assistance without having to cut conservation programs.

Farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin were surveyed. Eighty-six percent of farmers said the level of conservation funding should be maintained or increased – with nearly half of the respondents stating they would be less likely to support a member of Congress who voted to further cut conservation funding from the farm bill. Seventy-nine percent of farmers believe conservation programs are important to dealing with drought conditions. Also highlighted by NFU – farmers rejected a plan to pay for short-term drought relief by cutting conservation programs by a nearly two-to-one margin.