5/31/17 – 5:10 A.M.

Senator Rob Portman toured an area farm Tuesday to learn more about conservation efforts. The Courier reports Portman called on the federal government to continue funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative while at Kurt Farms south of Dunkirk. The farm is part of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network. The restoration initiative funds the network.

Farm owner Chris Kurt says he uses a two-stage ditch and phosphorus removal beds to reduce runoff into area streams. He adds the demonstration farm network offers testing on the effectiveness of the phosphorus removal process. Kurt says that’s a big incentive to take part in it.

President Trump’s budget would reduce funding for the initiative from $300 million to $10 million. Portman opposes the move. He says it’s not a huge part of the federal budget, but is a necessary part.

President Obama also proposed cuts to the program’s budget while he was in office. However, Congress elected to keep funding the initiative at $300 million per year.

MORE: The Courier