One Last Chance To Fix the Farm Bill

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One Last Chance to Fix the Farm Bill! Amendments introduced in Senate would put a stop to unhealthy farmsubsidies by Craig Weatherby and Randy Hartnell As we reported in our June 4, 2007 article on the US Farm Bill, manyfarmers and health experts seek serious change to what has become an $8billion annual welfare check for big agribusinesses that produce ourleast healthful foods.(See "Farm Bill Sets Americans' Tables for Ill Health<http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article000830265.cfm?x=b11,0,w> ".)The House passed its version of the Farm Bill in July, and it containedno substantive changes to the current system.Thanks to the powerful agribusiness lobby, the Senate could rubber stampthe House bill. It's moving fast, but there is still hope, if people ask their Senatorsand Representatives to support a Senate amendment called the FRESH Act(S. 2228), which we describe below. You will also find information below on how to contact your Senators tourge their support for this worthy amendment.The centerpiece of the new Farm Bill is the same old system of payments,structured to subsidize affluent corporate growers of corn, wheat, rice,soybeans and cotton.The Farm Bill, which is undergoing re-authorization in Congress as wewrite, does little or nothing to support production of far healthierfare like fruits, vegetables, and fish.UC Berkeley journalism professor Michael Pollan, author of TheOmnivore's Dilemma, described the situation in his essay, titled "Weedit and Reap<http://www.vitalchoice.com/uploads/MichaelPollan.NYT.Essay.doc> " inyesterday's New York Times: "Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidizinghigh-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils at a time when rates ofdiabetes and obesity among children are soaring, or why the farm bill isunderwriting factory farming (with subsidized grain) when feedlot wastesare polluting the countryside and, all too often, the meat supply.""For the first time, the public health community has raised its voice insupport of overturning farm policies that subsidize precisely the wrongkind of calories (added fat and added sugar), helping to make Twinkiescheaper than carrots and Coca-Cola competitive with water." (Pollan M2007)Senators' FRESH Act offers best hope of real reformReform efforts failed in the House of Representatives, so the last, besthope for a better Farm Bill lies in an amendment introduced in theSenate by Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana, and Democrat FrankLautenberg of New Jersey.The key part of Lugar and Lautenberg's amendment - called the FRESH Act- is that growers of corn, soy, wheat, cotton would receive a paymentonly when their income dropped more than 15 percent as the result of badweather or price collapse. (FRESH is an acronym that stands for Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardshipand Health.)The $20 billion this change would save would instead go to producesupports, conservation efforts, nutrition programs, and deficitreduction. Here's how the Senators described the current situation and theiramendment's purpose, in a press release (we underlined the key points):"Over the past ten years, farm subsidies have gone to just one out ofthree farmers with only six percent of farms receiving more than 70percent of that money - namely $120 billion. Subsidy programs havespurred farm consolidation, violated international trade agreements andstill left most farmers heavily exposed to risk," said Lugar, a familyfarmer and member and former chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee."The current farm bill is an antiquated system of giant payments to ahandful of farms, while ignoring the needs of most American farmers,"said Lautenberg. "Our bill provides a safety net to farmers ...regardless of what they grow or where they farm. It ensures stableincomes, even in bad years, reduces our deficit and frees up money forconservation, nutrition and harvesting local crops like fruits andvegetables."You can read the FRESH Act Farm Bill amendment here<http://www.lugar.senate.gov/farmbill/pdf/FRESHAct.pdf> and asection-by-section analysis is found here<http://www.lugar.senate.gov/farmbill/pdf/section.pdf> .Fresh Act: The key funding prioritiesIn addition to any emergency income-support payments to farmers, theFRESH Act would provide $18.6 billion for the following programs overthe next five years:* Fruit and vegetable support - $1.5 billion. FRESH Act providesnew support for produce farmers, via transportation grants, blockgrants, research funding, pest detection and response, and otherprograms. * Diet and health support - $2.0 billion. The FRESH Act makeshealthy, local foods, especially for children, a centerpiece of U.S.farm policy with new investments in fruit and vegetable snacks,nutrition education, expansion of farmers markets and organic farming,and provision of more nutritious local foods in schools and on militarybases across the nation. * Conservation programs - $6.2 billion. To expand farmland andgrassland protection, EQIP, CSP and other critical conservationprograms. * Food Stamp Expansion - $4.3 billion. Some 35 million Americans,including 12 million children, face hunger. FRESH Act will bring FoodStamp benefits more in line with real food prices, updating asset rulesto keep pace with inflation and other adjustments. FRESH also supportsTEFAP, the summer feeding program, and combat pay exclusion andexemption of child care expenses. * Deficit Reduction - $3.0 billion over 5 years. Whilewell-intentioned, Congress is good at playing shell games with money"dedicated" to deficit reduction. * Renewable Energy - $1.6 billion. The Senators cite grants,loans, and loan guarantees for "farm- and ranch-based energyproduction", which may include wind turbines, crop-derived ethanol, andexpanded energy conservation efforts. We wish they'd drop the ethanolpart, but it is probably an inevitable compromise to mollify cornfarmers.Contact your Congresspersons!The 2007 Farm Bill will set policy through 2012, so it is critical toimprove it radically.Contacted your US Senators and US Representative to tell them you want a2007 Farm Bill that does four key things:1. Makes fruits and vegetables much more affordable for consumersof all income levels. 2. Eliminates or sharply reduces subsidies for corn, soy, andwheat. 3. Makes the school lunch program a subsidized market for the mosthealthful foods. 4. Rewards soil conservation and sustainable farming (organic andmixed-use). For more on our reasons for supporting these positions, see "Farm BillSets Americans' Tables for Ill Health<http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article000830265.cfm?x=b11,0,w> ".)The Farm Bill is now going through the Senate.To find contact information for your Senators, go to http://www.senate.gov And it is important to keep pressure on the House, as well, since theSenate and House will have to negotiate a compromise between the twobills. To find contact information for your Representatives, go to http://www.house.gov You will lend your letter or email more impact if you do four things:* Include your full name and address. * State your purpose for writing or e-mailing in the firstparagraph, and include the number of the bill (S. 2228 for Senator Lugarand Lautenberg's FRESH Act). * Address only one issue and keep the letter to one page. * Ask for a response to your letter, so you know where they stand.Address your letters as follows:The Honorable (Senator's full name) United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable (Representative's full name) House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 You can also call your Congresspersons by calling the Capitol HillSwitchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking to be connected to theiroffices.Sources* Pollan M. Weed It and Reap. The New York Times. Accessed onlineNovember 4, 2007 athttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/opinion/04pollan.html * Lugar, Lautenberg offer FRESH reform of farm programs. Accessedonline November 4, 2007 at http://lugar.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=285881 & * Lugar amendment challenges priorities. Accessed online November4, 2007 at http://www.lugar.senate.gov/farmbill/ Erika SotirakosScience Applications International CorpEVMS AnalystP 443-402-9038 See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.