Friday, November 16, 2018

Tell Congress to Pass a Strong, Science-Based Farm Bill in 2018



We need a farm bill ASAP. It expired on September 30th. Unfortunately the House passed a their version of the farm bill that includes disastrous riders including one that allows pesticides to be dumped without adhering to endangered species protections or the Clean Water Act. (In fact, it dismantles the Clean Water Act.) It also includes an amendment that adds work requirements to qualify for SNAP.  Now it goes to the Senate.

Urge your members of Congress to pass a strong, science-based farm bill that will provide reliable support to farmers, eaters, and local food economies.

Here is their current bill. 

Election season brought Congress to a standstill, but now the midterms are finally behind us, and our elected leaders still have important work to do this year. Among the critical items awaiting action is the farm bill, which Congress allowed to expire earlier this fall.

As members of Congress return to work this week, they still have an opportunity to pass a farm bill before the end of 2018. Urge Congress to pass a strong, science-based farm bill now!

The five-year farm bill shapes everything about our food system—what farmers grow and how they grow it, the price of food and who can afford it, and more—with huge implications for our health, our economy, and the environment. For the last year, we've been working to make sure the next farm bill offers smart, evidence-based tools and incentives to help farmers be profitable and sustainable, strengthens proven programs that reduce hunger, increases access to nutritious foods, and improves local economies.

Because Congress failed to pass a new farm bill by September 30, dozens of effective food and farm programs have had to shut down their operations. Conservation programs that protect our soil and water must turn eager farmers away. Proven initiatives that help connect food producers with local consumers no longer exist. But, it's not too late to get a strong new farm bill in place this year.

It's hard to overstate the impact that the farm bill has on all of our lives. Its programs address major challenges facing our nation, and they empower farmers, businesses, and communities to build food and farm solutions that work today and for future generations.

Urge your members of Congress to pass a farm bill that provides strong, reliable support to farmers, eaters, and local economies before the end of 2018.

- Liz Whiteman, Union of Concerned Scientists

More Information:

Stung by Trade Wars, U.S. Farmers Hope for Quick Progress on Farm Bill -New York Times

What’s in the House Ag Committee’s 2018 Farm Bill proposal?
The House's farm bill draft consolidates conservation, raises SNAP work requirement.Apr 16, 2018 American Agriculturist.

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