URBANDALE, Iowa - The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) today urged the entire Iowa delegation to support the “Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.”

The Farm Bill Conference Committee completed work on the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 last week. Both the House and Senate are expected to vote on final passage of the bill later this week.

 “This bill has many provisions that have been sought by Iowa soybean producers,” said ISA President Curt Sindergard in a letter to Iowa’s senators and congressmen. “It enhances the soybean safety net and the competitiveness of the U.S. biodiesel industry.”

Sindergard applauded the Bill’s inclusion of an increased soybean target price, funding for the CCC Bioenergy Program, the Biodiesel Education Program and the Quality Incentive Program for specialty soybeans with high-stability oil.

“We also support important conservation provisions within the bill. The conservation section of the bill offers ISA many opportunities to strengthen watershed programming that involves an ever increasing number of farmers.”

ISA joins a broad range of organizations representing production agriculture as well as the nutrition and environmental communities in a coordinated effort to obtain passage of the bill.

“We know our Iowa Congressional delegation and their staffs have put in thousands of hours on this bill,” Sindergard said. “The Iowa farm community has spent much time and effort providing members of Congress with scenarios and provisions that will meet the needs of farmers. We believe it is time to finish the Farm Bill and get on with the 2008 cropping year.”