DC Talking Points September, 2007 Farm Bill Update The House Agriculture Committee 2007 Farm Bill was posted on July 27, 2007. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2419 by a vote of 231-191. The language is available at http://thomas.loc.gov/ by typing HR2419 in the “Search Bill Text”, selecting Bill Number, and pressing search.  Three versions of the bill will be listed, select the third version (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House). The Senate is expected to begin working on their version of the bill in September. Both the Senate and House of Representatives are on recess until Tuesday, September 4, 2007. Clean Water Indiana Update The State Soil Conservation Board (SSCB) met August 14 and discussed Clean Water Indiana (CWI) funding.  Official meeting minutes are available at http://www.in.gov/isda/soil/sscb/index.html.The following decisions were made: 1)The SSCB supports the Supervisor Leadership Institute proposal.  The Division of Soil Conservation is charged with the coordinator responsibility.  The SSCB approved $20,000 to be allocated from CWI in a revolving fund to help support costs of the Institute such as printing, speaker fees, room rental fees, etc. 2)  The SSCB approved increasing the training incentive grants to SWCDs from $750 to $1,500 per year, with $750 specifically directed towards Supervisor training. 3)  The SSCB reaffirms their commitment to the current Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and any future expansion of CREP. 4)  All other decisions on CWI funding will be on hold at least until the October 9 SSCB meeting.  In the meantime, SSCB will gather information needed to help make a decision on a specific focus for Clean Water Indiana. They will look at SWCD business plans, solicit further input from Districts, gather data from agencies and partners, continue to review comments received to date, etc.    Conservation Security Program All 2007 CSP contracts will receive their final payment in a few weeks. There will be a national CSP workshop held in Indianapolis in September to prepare for the 2008 program, which may involve the watersheds that were approved in 2007.  Indiana’s approved 2007 watershed is the Upper East Fork of the White River in southeast Indiana. National Agriculture Air Quality Task Force Meeting (AAQTF) Indiana will be hosting a National Ag Air Quality Task Force meeting October 2-5 in Indianapolis, with a tour in the Lafayette area October 2.  Chief Lancaster serves as the chair of the AAQTF, and the team oversees and reviews research in ag air quality issues.  Members represent agencies, companies, producers and universities from across the nation.  The meeting is open to the public, and an agenda will be available shortly. Personnel Updates The following recent selections have been made: District Conservationist in Brookville:  Clint Harrison           District Conservationist in Brownstown:  Chris Downing          District Conservationist in Monticello:  Daniel Davis              District Conservationist in Washington:  Joe Williams              District Conservationist in Franklin:  Tony Branam           Resource Management Specialist at the Southeast Area Office:  Brian Ingmire           Ag Engineer at the Southeast Area Office:  Tyler Martindale