Last week the Agriculture committees proposed to expedite the writing of the farm bill to have it ready for introduction on November 1st – an unheard of amount of time for a process that usually takes a year and allows enough time for proper input from farmers and other stake-holders.

This accelerated process is troubling not only for all those with an interest in food production in America, but especially for young farmers, who need support from the farm bill in the forms of better loan and credit programs, better access to markets regional food systems, and conservation and development aid.

The proposal includes cutting over 40% of the funding increases for conservation and environmental initiatives achieved in the 2002 and 2008 food and farm bills and threatens to wipe out many other gains as well.  Act now to make sure the farm bill is rushed through without input and without support for young farmers!

It just takes a minute to call:

•  First check if your Senator and/or Representative sits on the Senate Agriculture or House Agriculture Committee
•    If your Senator or Representative sits on either of these three committees: call the Capitol Switchboard and ask to be directly connected to your Senators’ and Member of Congress’s office: 202-224-3121. Or go to Congress.org and type in your zip code, then click on your Senators and Member of Congress’s name and the contact tab for their phone number.
•    If the line is busy, please leave a brief message on the voicemail.

The Message: 

I am a constituent, calling Senator/Representative _____ to deliver this message (use one or more of these talking points):

•    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.

*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.