Though not the final hurdle, an important piece of legislation that benefits fish, wildlife, habitat and conservation took a big step forward on Capitol Hill. On March 4, 2026, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee passed a new Farm Bill by a bipartisan vote of 34-to-17.
Though much of the Farm, Food and Natural Security Act of 2026 focuses on nutrition assistance, support for farming and ranching, and other issues, a key section is of particular importance for forestland, animals, hunters and anglers. Title 2 of the bill is the Conservation Section. It includes the alphabet soup of private land conservation such as Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the important Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
CRP encourages and supports farmers and ranchers to convert highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, like native grasses, trees and riparian buffers. Doing so helps a wide array of fish and wildlife species.
“The CRP program was originally established more than four decades ago in the 1985 Farm Bill and is probably the most impactful private land conservation effort ever implemented,” said Blake Henning, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation chief conservation officer.
A new Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) aims to keep working forests intact and promote the restoration and improvement of habitat for fish and wildlife species. It has the support of a broad coalition of hunting, forestry and other interests and its inclusion in the House bill is a positive sign.
The new Farm Bill is now eligible to go before the full House for a vote, but passage in the House and Senate is far from certain. H2C supports this legislation and encourages Congress to pass it into law.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
