2012 Farm Bill Update by Melinda Hemmelgarn T
he single piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill currently contains $90 billion in taxpayer funding and significantly affects farming, con- servation, energy and the quality and price of the food on our plates.
When the bill comes up for renewal every five years, the public has a chance to voice support for a greener, healthier, more sustainable food and farm- ing system. Sign up for Farm Bill updates and action alerts from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (website below), and talk with members of Congress about concerns. Marydale DeBor, who works to improve food quality in Connecticut, rec-
ommends that citizens align with farm advocacy organizations. “Advocacy is the single most important need now, around the Farm Bill and state policies,” she says.
Did you know? n Most Farm Bill dollars support food assistance programs, namely food
stamps or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s largest safety net against hunger. In 2012, SNAP is projected to consume 75 percent of the total Farm Bill budget.
n Most SNAP benefits are spent in supermarkets and convenience stores. SNAP can be used at farmers’ markets, but only by those that accept electron- ic benefits transfer (EBT) cards. In 2011, SNAP’s $11 million of the program’s total $71 billion benefits were redeemed at farmers’ markets nationwide, directly benefiting local farmers.
n Crop insurance is the second-largest Farm Bill budget item.
n The majority of subsidy payments go to large farms producing corn, cot- ton, wheat, rice and soybeans, which helps explain why soda is cheaper than 100 percent fruit juice, and corn-fed feedlot beef costs less than or- ganic, grass-fed beef.
n An improved Farm Bill would provide participation incentives for conserva- tion, beginning farmers, local food economies and organic agriculture, and better align agriculture with public health.
Learn more about the 2012 Farm Bill at: Environmental Working Group and EWG Action Fund
ewg.org
Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill, by Daniel Imhoff
WatershedMedia.org/foodfight_overview.html
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
iatp.org
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
SustainableAgriculture.net
“We need to support beginning farmers, and more food hubs and new distribu- tion systems to facilitate access,” she says. “Consumers need to let their hospitals know they should focus on good food and nutrition.” Farm to Restaurant: Leigh Lock-
hart, owner of Main Squeeze Natural Foods Café and Juice Bar, in Columbia, Missouri, buys supplies directly from local organic farmers and never quibbles about price. She composts any food waste in her garden, where she grows some of the produce used in her restau- rant. Rather than large plates of cheap food, Lockhart serves portions within U.S. Dietary Guidelines, comprising higher quality, more satisfying meals. Relationships with chefs are impor-
tant to farmers, advises Carol Ann Sayle, owner of Boggy Creek Organic Farm, in Austin, Texas. Farmers can rely on a sure buyer; chefs appreciate dependable and high quality food; and customers return because of the great taste. Farm to School: Organic farmer
Don Bustos, program director for the American Friends Service Committee of New Mexico, trains beginning farmers and ranchers in ways to provide food to the Albuquerque Public School Dis- trict and beyond. For example, farmers grow crops during the winter in solar- powered greenhouses, and aggregate their products to meet school needs. Mobile meat processing and distribu- tion networks also create jobs while keeping small farmers economically and environmentally viable, explains Bustos. Local agriculture fuels strong communities and fresh local foods help children thrive. In the Pacific Northwest, Ameri-
Corps volunteer Emma Brewster works with the Real Food Challenge, a national youth-based program that encourages colleges and universities to shift 20 per- cent of their food budgets to farm-fresh, locally sourced foods. Brewster works with Lucy Norris, project manager for the Puget Sound Food Network, which creates opportunities beyond farmers’ markets for local area farmers to connect
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Rockland & Orange Counties
naturalawakeningsro.com
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