The latest hot topic affecting the future of farming is the U.S. Farm Bill.
Negotiations for a new U.S. Farm Bill are in the final stretch. House and Senate conferees resolved key funding issues over the April 26, 2008 weekend. A vote by the full Congress is expected soon.
The proposed measure supports many of the priorities advocated by PCC Natural Markets (see our Farm Bill campaign letter), including record investments in conservation, specialty crops, and nutrition programs — but all in a significantly reduced budget.
Also included are a strong competition title, a permanent disaster program, country of origin labeling, and a measure to allow interstate shipments of state-inspected meat.
The following two articles provide a broader understanding of the issues behind the U.S. Farm Bill.
The U.S. Farm Bill: What we need and why
by George Naylor, President of the National Family Coalition
(Sound Consumer, April 2007) — Can you imagine a world without the U.S. Constitution, the United Nations Charter, or the Geneva Accords?
Consider that the United States farm bills are of equal importance to our food system, yet most people don't have a clue what they cover or why there is one, let alone realize that the farm bill should be a farmer-consumer-environment bill of rights ... (continued)
Earth Day, farm policy, and what consumers need to know
by A.V. Krebs, Editor/Publisher, Agribusiness Examiner
(Sound Consumer, April 2004) — The family farmer's problems all boil down to just one issue — price. The overwhelming consensus is that other concerns — overproduction, soil and water conservation, high interest rates, lack of credit, entry by young farmers, the depressed farm service industry, and the high cost of our farm program — could and would be solved when farmers received a fair price for their products.
Yet these two key issues likely will be ignored ... (continued)
