{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://nunn.house.gov/2023/12/20/nunn-introduces-bipartisan-bills-help-iowas-farmers-improve-environmental/", "Nunn Introduces Bipartisan Bills to Help Iowa\u2019s Farmers, Improve Environmental Conservation", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "IA", "Zachary Nunn", "N000193", "nunn.house.gov", "nunn", "https://nunn.house.gov/category/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Ottumwa, Iowa \u2014 U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today introduced two bipartisan bills to assist Iowa\u2019s farmers in improving water quality, preventing soil erosion, and protecting critical wildlife habitat. The Conservation Innovation Act, introduced by Rep. Nunn and co-led by U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), will establish an Office of Conservation Innovation within the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act, introduced by Rep. Spanberger and co-led by Rep. Nunn, will strengthen NRCS by providing for increased public input.\n\n\u201cThere is no better steward of our land than farmers,\u201d said Rep. Nunn. \u201cAs producers prepare for the future, it\u2019s important they have the tools and resources they need to succeed. No one understands the needs of their land better than farmers, so we must also ensure Iowa\u2019s producers are in the driver\u2019s seat as new conservation practices are developed.\u201d\n\nAccording to the USDA, approximately 500,000 farmers across the United States work with the agency to implement conservation practices. Current conservation practices are determined through a process that starts with recommendations through state committees that are then sent to the USDA NRCS. The process allows for little engagement from stakeholders, such as Iowa\u2019s farmers, and is overly cumbersome. Often, by the time new practices are implemented, the standards use outdated technology and do not keep up with the latest advancements.\n\n\u201cAs the only Virginian on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, I\u2019ve heard from farmers and producers across our Commonwealth who utilize voluntary conservation practices to improve their yields and boost their bottom lines,\u201d said Rep. Spanberger. \u201cFarmers are constantly innovating to find new best practices to further their conservation goals \u2014 but bureaucracy is delaying the approval of these practices that farmers and producers could use to their advantage. By cutting unnecessary red tape and making the process more transparent, our bipartisan bill would help make sure that farmers are able to benefit from the most up-to-date, efficient practice standards.\u201dThe two bipartisan bills from Reps. Nunn and Spanberger will address this issue to ensure the most cutting-edge technology is utilized and input from farmers is taken into account:\n\nThe Conservation Innovation Act would establish an Office of Conservation Innovation within NRCS to ensure the utilization of the most effective new technology during the revision of current conservation standards and development of new standards.\n\nThe Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act would require the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to provide a process for stakeholder input on each conservation practice during the review process, review all conservation practice standards on a rolling basis every five years, and establish an expedited review process for new conservation practices.\n\nText of the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act can be found here. Text of the Conservation Innovation Act can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://nunn.house.gov/2023/12/20/nunn-introduces-bipartisan-bills-help-iowas-farmers-improve-environmental/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.30815215036273, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}