On the recordFebruary 14, 2011
I rise today to introduce the Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act. In the last few months, our nation has engaged in a discourse about responsibility. No one can deny that our job is to promote the protection of American interests and investment in our future. I am introducing this bill today, because we have a responsibility to protect one of our country's most precious resources: our land. When I visit with ranchers and farmers across my home state of Montana, it's clear to me they want to preserve open space on their land for their kids and grandkids. Together with Montana farmers and ranchers and the Montana Land Reliance, which is dedicated to protecting agricultural production, we've come up with a commonsense proposal. This is a plan we developed together based on teamwork and our common goal to leave our land in better shape than we found it for future generations. As we all know, we are losing precious agricultural and ranch lands at a record pace. But our soil is worth more more than just the nutritious foods and natural resources it produces. When we lose our land, we lose the natural habitat of our wildlife and open spaces for our communities. It is our job to protect the land for future generations and to support the farmers, ranchers and other landowners who rely on it to make a living. Many Montana farmers and ranchers are land rich, but cash poor.
