More than 140 leading farm, conservation, and wildlife groups on Tuesday asked appropriators to “respect the funding decisions made in the 2018 farm bill and reject any cuts to farm bill conservation funding through the appropriations process.”

In a letter delivered Tuesday to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees, the groups – including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Farmers Union, National Association of Conservation Districts, National Wildlife Federation, and American Farmland Trust – called for full funding for farm bill conservation programs, including the Conservation Stewardship Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

“Funding for conservation support is more important now than ever, as farmers, ranchers, and rural communities continue to endure a multi-year slump in the farm economy,” the groups wrote. “Any further cuts to voluntary conservation programs would severely limit the ability of farmers to protect water quality, build soil health, create and maintain habitat for threatened, endangered, or economically important fish and wildlife, and prepare for and manage drought and flooding.”