turn. North Dakota receives 23 cents per dollar of

turn. North Dakota receives 23 cents per dollar of production.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte is the only Virginia congressmen that serves on an agriculture committee. Pennsylvania has one house member and one senator on the committees.

“They’re not reformers on the House and Senate , ag committees,” Siglin said. “And that’s why we’ve got the same policies we’ve had for 70 years.”

Siglin says that means members of the House . and Senate that represent the 16 million people that live in the bay’s watershed need to raise their voices.

“The farm bill needs to be reformed and pragmatically the only way the farm bill is going to get reformed is if congressmen who don't serve on the ag committees get involved,” he said. “In the end, policy is made by committees. ... If they don’t get involved we’re gonna get the same dam thing that we’ve got now.”

Libby Norris, a watershed restoration scientist for the foundation’s Virginia chapter, says the commonwealth has plenty of farmers that are willing to take steps with their properties to help the health of the bay. But they need financial assistance to do that, she said, and sufficient funding, is not • available. :v ■

“We are having to turn away as a state... about half the farmers that want to participate,” Norris said. “That’s not enough funds coming into the bay watershed through the farm bill programs.”

The problems facing the bay as well as the measures needed to improve its environmental health have been well known for several years, but the foundation’s representatives said politicians have always lacked the will to effect a change. Siglin said he thinks this year might be different.

This is the first year in my experience where bay advocates have made a commitment to go out to talk directly and indirectly to members of Congress,” he said. This is not what happened in 2002 - the last time we had a farm bill.”

E-mail the reporter at haUenlddmespapers.com

I