Guest article by Katie Andrews

For those that are not familiar with the Farm Bill, it doesn’t seem like it should be such an important issue to the majority of Americans.  Although farmers are important to our country’s economy and to our hard-working, rural roots, many of us don’t see the impacts of the Farm Bill day-to-day—or so we think.  Until I became involved with the ONE Campaign, I didn’t think much of it.  Now, I think about it on a daily basis along with my fellow members of the Farm Bill Working Group of Ohio which is a coalition of NGOs (Oxfam America, Sojourners, Bread for the World), local faith groups and individuals in Ohio that are working towards reform in the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill is a very robust piece of legislation.  In fact, many people would be surprised that it deals with 14 different subjects including subsidies, food stamps and conservation.  Every five years the Farm Bill goes through a reauthorization process so if we don’t take action now we have to wait another five years for the process to start again.  During September, the Senate will be discussing the Farm Bill and we know that by building momentum in the blogosphere and throughout Ohio, the Senate will listen and take action for a better Farm Bill.

Although there are some great aspects of the Farm Bill, there are also many concerns.  The Food Stamp Program, Rural Development and subsidies are just a few of the major concerns.  For instance, many people have known for years that $3/Day in food stamps is not enough to provide healthy meals to those in need.  In the case of rural development, a program which is drastically needed—it is also drastically under funded.  The Farm Bill should work for more farmers that need the most help in the U.S.  The current subsidies program not only benefits a very small portion of farmers (often big corporate farmers) but they also drive down the international price of many crops which forces many farmers around the world to sell their crop for less than it cost to produce it.  The U.S. can and should develop alternative ways to support our farmers in ways that will not ruin the livelihood of international farmers trying to provide for their families and community. 

You can help.  The Farm Bill is not a conservative or liberal issue.  It has an impact on everyone and our state should have a voice in the reform process.  If you’re a blogger, blog.  If you are a teacher, teach.  Use your talents and your connections to talk and write about the Farm Bill as much as you can so that others are educated and informed about the Farm Bill.  Calling, writing and meeting with Senators Brown and Voinovich is also a great step in making sure our voices are heard in September.  Take care and stay active!

• Share This Article!
Listen to this article

del.icio.us

Furl It

Anonymous comments are allowed, but you can log in above to stamp your name and to avoid typing the anti-spam code.