Dear Agriculture, Tuesday, as a nation we witnessed a historic moment. President Barack Obama, setting a tone for change, asked us to take a more active role in shaping the nation’s path forward.
American Farmland Trust stood with over one million other Americans with a shared sense of hope for the future. Watch our Inaugural Farmland Message on YouTube, which was inspired by the events of the day.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote for your farm and food priorities in 2009, we have already taken the first step. Since November, we have been compiling your votes and recording your hopes for better farm and food policy. Today, we will issue the 9 in ’09, a set of nine policy recommendations for the Obama administration to help shape a better, brighter, and more secure future for American farms, farmers and consumers. To President Barack Obama and his administration we recommend the following: 1. Recognize that agriculture can play a critical role in reducing greenhouse gases. 2. Engage agricultural producers in their efforts to improve water quality. 3. Mitigate against the loss of strategic agricultural resources and stimulate the development of green infrastructure to support the local agricultural economy with any new transportation-related legislation. 4. Support proper implementation of the Farmland Protection Program and its full funding. 5. Protect and promote farm bill regional food system programs. 6. Reduce, even mitigate, the federal government’s role in farmland conversion. 7. Provide timely research to policymakers about impacts of current and projected land use trends on national food and energy security. 8. Create a Farmer Corps to stimulate green jobs in the agricultural economy and encourage a new generation to enter agriculture. 9. Support local food in school cafeterias and provide access to it for low income consumers through Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Acts. You have helped us take the first steps. Now we need your help in spreading the word about the 9 in ’09. Get the word out by sending a message to nine friends asking them to support change and help us achieve the 9 in ’09. Please send an e-card to nine friends right now. Thank you again for your continued support. | Sincerely,
American Farmland Trust | |  | 
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