---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Elijah Zarlin, CREDO Action<act@credoaction.com> Date: Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 10:53 AM Subject: Stop the Farm Bill giveaway to Big Ag To: melissa seaver <landrightsnfarming.seamom89@gmail.com>
Every five years, the federal farm bill sets our nation's food policies — it's the single biggest factor in determining what ends up on your plate.
Right now Congress is only providing minimal support for healthy, local and organic foods while expanding wasteful subsidies and giveaways that support the wealthiest agribusinesses — at the expense of family farmers. This year's bill could be even worse.
The Senate Agriculture Committee just released a draft version of the 2012 Farm Bill which preserves these handouts while cutting vital conservation programs.2
We need a better Farm Bill. So we're we're standing with Environmental Working Group to stop the giveaway to Big Ag and support food and farm policies that protect our environment and expand access to healthy food.
The Farm Bill affects everything from the food you eat to conservation and nutrition programs. And right now, vital nutrition programs that help feed low-income children and decades-old conservation programs that protect wetlands, grasslands and soil health could be on the chopping block.2
Meanwhile, Big Ag is working hard to keep open the spigot that sends billions of dollars a year in subsidies to growers of commodity crops like corn, soy and cotton. More than 74 percent of that money goes to wealthy agribusinesses, not to small-scale family farmers who need them.
The bill that emerges from the Senate Agriculture Committee will likely be the best version we can hope for right now — as it will only get more unbalanced in negotiations with the House. It's vital that the committee members hear from you now.