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| Final farm bill decisions are being made this week! Keep the pressure on Congress to pass a farm bill with important new programs and increased funding. |
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Over the weekend there was a promising breakthrough in the farm bill conference—House and Senate leadership and the agriculture and finance committees came to a tentative agreement on a 10-year farm bill that includes $10.4 billion in additional funding.
Lawmakers have this week to finalize major policy details.
It’s now or never to get a 2008 Farm Bill—take action to help get it passed with critical funding and improvements to conservation, local foods and nutrition along with landmark reforms to subsidy programs.
New funding in the bill comes primarily from the extension of customs user fees paid by importers as well as cuts from direct payments. The funding will boost nutrition spending to support families struggling with rising food costs and provide much needed increases for conservation and working lands programs.
CONSERVATION:
A $4 billion over baseline funding increase included in the House-Senate package will help expand efforts to protect our water, air and soil quality. Tell your legislators to:
SUBSIDY REFORM:
The House-Senate agreement includes the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program which provides revenue based, market oriented protection to farmers instead of payments based on politically set target prices. This is a positive step for reform and helps lay the groundwork for future success.
You’ve helped us advocate for this program, and we’re close to getting it passed! If passed, nearly 1/4 of American farmers would enroll, moving farm policy in a new direction by using a market-based safety net. We must continue to fight for this significant progress. ACRE, coupled with other changes in the bill, holds the hope of some of the most significant reforms in farm policy history.
However forces in Washington are working to squeeze the ACRE program to make it unattractive for farmers to participate. Ask your legislators make ACRE a true, viable option for farmers:
- Keep ACRE in the farm bill;
- Ensure reform by moving away from government set targets and towards a system that moves with the market; and,
- Make ACRE available sooner rather than later. Many farmers want a change in subsidy policy, and they should not have to wait until the 2010 crop year. Make it available in 2009.
LOCAL FOODS:
Supporting local food helps keep your local farmland viable and your local economy thriving. Many new programs and funding sources in the farm bill will help enhance local food systems, but they’re discretionary and would need new funding every year. Push your legislators to:
- Make funding mandatory for critical local food programs such as the Farmers Market Promotion Program, Community Food Project grants and the Healthy Food Enterprise Development Center. These programs are needed to support new and expanded farmers markets, access to healthy food in underserved communities, and loans to rebuild local and regional food systems; and,
- Demand strong geographic preference language in the final bill that will allow schools and other institutions to purchase food from local farms and ranches.
Help us keep the pressure on Congress this week. Take action now!
Thank you for your support. As progress continues over the next few dates, stay up-to-date by subscribing to our RSS feed or visiting our website.
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