Farm Bill - Call your Representatives

"Last week the Agriculture Committee leadership proposed to rewrite the food and farm bill by November 1st – yes you heard that right, 2 weeks from when they declared their intention. This is usually a year plus process and they want to do it in 2 weeks?! This would be the fastest food and farm bill decision-making process in history...and the least responsible.

If you care about the health of America’s soil, water, and land; promoting organic practices and conservation; helping a new generation of struggling small and mid-sized farmers get their start; rebuilding local and regional food systems; or developing new markets and healthy food access – now is the time to speak up. If you want to see a healthier, more secure, environmentally sustainable, and prosperous America– now is the time to speak up.

This proposal [i] would wipe out over 40 percent of the funding increases for conservation and environmental initiatives achieved in the 2002 and 2008 food and farm bills, setting the clock back and “un-greening” the farm bill.   Moreover, it is unclear what the proposal would do to the fair and healthy farm and food system programs won in 2008 with your help, but in need of being renewed in the new farm bill.  It could potentially wipe out all of those gains as well.

Contact your representatives, find their information here:

http://www.senate.gov/
http://www.house.gov/


Also, call Wisconsin Congressman Reid Ribble who is on the Agriculture Committee. Please call his office at (202) 225-5665.   If the line is busy, please leave a brief voicemail message:

The Message:  I want Representative (your representative) to know that:
 
The proposed farm conservation cuts are too big and should be reduced. In particular, the Conservation Stewardship Program funding should be retained and Wetlands Reserve Program funding should be restored.
Farm commodity program reform should include caps on the amount of subsidy any one farm can receive.  Loopholes allowing multiple subsidy payments to single farms should be closed. Conservation requirements should be attached to all forms of revenue and crop insurance subsidies.
The farm bill must reinvest at least $1 billion a year in innovative, job-creating programs for rural economic development, local and regional food systems, renewable energy, organic farming, and young and beginning farmers.


Thank you for taking action!


[i]According to published accounts, the leaders of the Agriculture Committees are proposing cuts of $6.5 billion to conservation programs, $5 billion to nutrition programs, and $15 billion to commodity subsidy programs.  The conservation cuts would be on top of the $2 billion already made by Congress in the appropriations process."

Re-printed: Copyright (C) 2011 The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute All rights reserved.