Support Regenerative Agriculture in the 2023 US Farm Bill

TAKE ACTION: Support Regenerative Agriculture in the 2023 US Farm Bill

The Farm Bill is an omnibus bill (meaning it covers many different areas of legislation) that governs much of the US food and agriculture system. With provisions for nutrition, crop insurance, conservation, rural investment, land access and more, the Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of US legislation, and has considerable ramifications for farmer livelihoods, the environment, and national food security and access. Renewed every 5-7 years, the 2023 Farm Bill will last through at least 2028.

The Farm Bill is developed and written by the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, and is voted upon by both Chambers of Congress. However, all members of Congress vote to pass the Farm Bill, and they all have the opportunity to influence the development of the Farm Bill by signaling their support for key issues through marker bills.

How does the Farm Bill impact farmers?

The Farm Bill impacts nearly every aspect of farmers' lives and work, influencing what they produce, in what quantities, and the practices that they are able to implement on their lands.

The Farm Bill sets the priorities of the U.S. agriculture system, often encouraging certain crops and production systems over others - for example, after Nutrition, the Crop Insurance and Commodities titles receive the next largest amounts of funding. Soil health-focused programs that help rebuild soils currently receive less than 1% of overall funding in the Farm Bill, which means that regenerative agriculture systems are currently not supported to the same extent that conventional agriculture is. In turn, the farmers and ranchers that are making the effort to build healthy soils are not supported in their work, and in fact can be discouraged from it.

How does the Farm Bill impact consumers?

The Farm Bill affects our entire food system--from how food is grown, what types of food is available, and who has access to it. For example, the current Farm Bill subsidized commodity crops like corn and wheat which are often used in heavily processed food, while fruits and vegetable production does not receive subsidies--making produce comparatively more expensive than processed foods. But the Farm Bill also helps 42 million Americans put food on the table through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), providing essential nutrition to families in need. In fact, over 75% of all Farm Bill funding goes toward SNAP and other critical nutrition programs like WIC.

How is Regenerate America™ changing the Farm Bill?
Regenerate America™ aims to ensure support for regenerative agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill. By applying pressure to key leverage points within the agriculture system - education, infrastructure, and crop insurance, to name a few - we can create a system that works for farmers of all scales, but that rewards those that are doing better for the planet, the land, and the people.

What are the main areas covered by the Farm Bill?

The Farm Bill covers 12 areas (12 “titles”), ranging from crop insurance to federal nutrition assistance programs. Per the Congressional Research Service, the full list is as follows:

Title I, Commodity Programs: Provides support for major commodity crops, including wheat, corn, soybeans, peanuts, rice, dairy, and sugar, as well as disaster assistance.

Title II, Conservation: Encourages environmental stewardship of farmlands and improved management through land retirement and/or working lands programs.

Title III, Trade: Supports U.S. agricultural export programs and international food assistance programs.

Title IV, Nutrition: Provides nutrition assistance for low income households through programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Title V, Credit: Offers direct government loans to farmers/ranchers and guarantees on private lenders’ loans.

Title VI, Rural Development: Supports rural business and community development programs.

Title VII, Research, Extension, and Related Matters: Supports agricultural research and extension programs.

Title VIII, Forestry: Supports forestry management programs run by USDA’s Forest Service.

Title IX, Energy: Encourages the development of farm and community renewable energy systems through various programs, including grants and loan guarantees.

Title X, Horticulture: Supports the production of specialty crops, USDA-certified organic foods, and locally produced foods and authorizes establishing a regulatory framework for the cultivation of industrial hemp.

Title XI, Crop Insurance: Enhances risk management through the permanently authorized federal crop insurance program.

Title XII, Miscellaneous: Covers other programs and assistance, including livestock and poultry production and support for beginning farmers and ranchers.

From https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11126

TAKE ACTION:

https://regenerateamerica.com/take-action/

Tell your Members of Congress to make nutrition a priority in any farm bill deal!

The farm bill expired more than two months ago, and Congress still has not worked out a deal on a new one.

Please take 30 seconds and tell your Members of Congress to make nutrition a priority in any farm bill deal!

For months, the farm bill has been in conference with little noticeable progress, until recently. While rumors of a farm bill deal have surfaced, few specifics have been shared publicly. Millions of America’s most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, are unsure of what changes may come of programs they need to put food on the table, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

For decades, these programs have played a vital role in providing food security for millions of vulnerable and underemployed individuals. They are proven to positively impact health and economic self-sufficiency, as well as add much needed fruit and vegetables to American diets.

The U.S. House and Senate have passed vastly different versions of the bill and will now come together as a conference to try to come to an agreement. We need to make sure that Representatives and Senators make nutrition a priority in these discussions and that they don’t restrict access to vital programs that help feed millions of Americans.

Please help protect access to vital government nutrition programs by contacting your elected officials today!

(Consider including a personal comment for more impact.) 

- AHA’s Advocacy program

Tell your Senators a pesticide executive has no business as Chief Scientist of the USDA

Now that Democrats have gained control of the House, major polluters are pushing for everything they can get away with in the time they have left. With this administration's attempts to sweep away ecological and public health protections, we need to be prepared for quick, sneaky moves to install environmental de-regulators like Scott Hutchins. Hutchins’ history indicates an agenda of intensive, toxic petrochemical agriculture with high external inputs rather than more sustainable, ecological, and non-toxic methods of growing food.

Stop industry attempts to install another toxic leader and take action now to tell the Senate: Absolutely no to Scott Hutchins being confirmed as Chief Scientist of the USDA.

Scott Hutchins is the third big pesticide player from Dow Chemical that Trump has nominated to the USDA.1 His career efforts to deregulate pesticides have left women, children, and farmworkers especially vulnerable to the impacts of his company’s products -- while exposing our food supply to even more toxins.

Dow even donated $1 million to Donald Trump's inaugural committee upon his election and then held a secretive meeting with Scott Pruitt. Shortly after, Trump's EPA reversed plans to ban Dow's neurotoxic pesticide, chlorpyrifos, despite the EPA's own scientists having concluded that "ingesting even minuscule amounts of the chemical can interfere with the brain development of fetuses and infants." 2

A hearing for his confirmation has just been announced for November 28, so we need all hands on deck.

Make it clear to your Senators: We will not let yet another major chemical company player be installed in a critical federal regulatory agency to the detriment of our food supply, public health, and the environment we share.

Tell your U.S. Senators to deny Trump's efforts to appoint the head of Dow’s pesticide division as Chief Scientist of the USDA. Scott Hutchins’ career advocacy for dangerous pesticides has left women, children, and farmworkers especially vulnerable to the impacts of his company’s products -- while exposing our food supply to even more harmful chemicals.

Pesticide pollution of our water, soil, and air is unacceptable and a toxic agrichemical executive is deeply inappropriate for a Chief Scientist role at our federal agricultural regulatory agency that is supposed to protect the public. This is Trump's third Dow Chemical nomination to the USDA and it must be stopped before the hearing on November 28!

- Nomi Carmona, National Online Organizer, Pollinators & Ethanol, Sierra Club

1. Mother Jones, July 18, 2018. Trump Just Nominated a Pesticide Exec to Oversee Science at the USDA.
2. The Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2017. EPA chief met with Dow Chemical before Deciding not to ban toxic pesticide.

**Add a personal message in your own words to strengthen your signature and show your Senators you are paying very close attention**

Here is my personal comment to be used as an example only:

It has been proven that Monsanto covered up data showing that Roundup causes cancer. Then the House passed a farm bill that allows companies to dump pesticides in our waterways without abiding by the endangered species laws. One amendment even dismantles the Clean Water Rule. It is obvious that the pesticide industry already has too much influence on our so-call representatives. There are other organic ways to grow crops. As more of our water is depleted from mining, droughts and contamination from storms, we need to do everything we can to safeguard the water we still have. We can't live without water. Please, don't give more power to an industry that is willing to poison us for profit.

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.

5 Harmful Anti-conservation Bills in Congress

Anti-conservationists in Congress are at it again.

Not content with President Trump’s slashing of national monuments, or the opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, they now want to gut protections for wild places all across our country. It seems like they won’t be happy until they’ve exploited every last acre of public wild lands for private gain.

Now they are proposing more legislation to desecrate our wilderness. Here are 5 of the worst bills working their way through Congress:

1. Senator Steve Daines and Representative Greg Gianforte have proposed bills that would slash protections for 29 wildlands in Montana that total around 700,000 acres.
2. Representative Rob Bishop has added an unrelated provision to the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill that funds our military, to block protections for the greater sage grouse and undermine conservation of 63 million acres of habitat across the West.
3. The House just narrowly passed a controversial Farm Bill that overrides the roadless rule, putting millions of acres of protected forest land at risk for logging.
4. Representative John Curtis has proposed legislation attempting to codify Trump’s cuts to Bears Ears National Monument.
5. Representative Tom Emmer has pushed to open the headwaters of the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to polluting sulfide-ore mining, and he may again try to attach this issue as a unrelated language to “must-pass” appropriations legislation.

More information: 

National Environmental Score Card  

Vote accordingly.

Deeply flawed, partisan farm bill fails in the House, but we still need to stay on top of it.

Rep. McSally, explain why taking healthy food away from children is good.

We did it! The deeply flawed, partisan farm bill failed in the House!  Last week, in a 213-198 vote, the House of Representatives voted down a partisan farm bill that rejected the evidence on critical programs and failed to push our food system in the right direction. We still have the chance to build a food system that makes healthy food available to everyone.

The farm bill is our biggest legislative opportunity to build a food system, from farm to fork, that we can be proud of. But the House version would have made it harder for millions to feed their families by imposing misguided work requirements on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps). The bill also failed to support farmers working to protect our water, improve soil health, and build healthy local and regional food systems.

I'm sad to say that Representative McSally voted for this failed bill, rejecting all the evidence that, by lifting millions out of poverty in both rural and urban communities around the country, SNAP works.

Unfortunately, House Speaker Paul Ryan is not giving up yet. With some in Congress threatening to hold a revote on this partisan farm bill by Tuesday, we can't back down. Members of Congress must recommit to writing a better, bipartisan bill—one that makes healthy food available to everyone, gives farmers the tools they need, and protects public health and the environment.

Call Representative McSally today and urge them to send the farm bill back to the drawing board and craft a bipartisan bill that works for farmers, eaters, and all communities.

Call her Tucson office: (520) 881-3588

Or dial (202) 224-3121, and a switchboard operator will connect you directly to your representative’s office. You can use the talking points below.

Defeating this House farm bill is a major victory—and it’s thanks to you. But we have to keep pushing to get a smart, science-based farm bill that works for everyone. Call Representative McSally today!

-Tali Robbins, Union of Concerned Scientists

TALKING POINTS TO GUIDE YOUR CALL

• Hello, my name is [YOUR FULL NAME] and I live in [CITY, STATE]. My zip code is [ZIP CODE].
• I’m calling about the farm bill, H.R. 2. I’m disappointed that Representative McSally voted for this deeply flawed bill, which would have hurt families in our district trying to put food on the table.
• Farmers, eaters, and communities across the country need a smart, science-based farm bill that works for everyone. I urge Representative McSally to go back to the drawing board and write a better, bipartisan farm bill.
• Thanks for your time.

TAKE ACTION! Demand a Farm Bill that protects our food, environment, and workers

Every five years since the 1930s, Congress grants funding for our nation’s food security, nutrition and conservation programs in a package called the Farm Bill. But every time, big agriculture lobbys to taint the bill with language that degrades our land, exposes our farmworkers to toxic chemicals and strips protections for endangered species.

This year, with Big Ag. pulling nearly every lever of power in Washington, the attacks on these crucial farm, food and conservation programs are more blatant and reckless than ever before.

But your congressperson’s job is to represent you, not Big Ag. Tell them that any Farm Bill passed needs to protect our food, farmworkers and environment.

This year’s particularly pernicious bill lets Big Ag poison our water supplies and species on the brink of extinction, and ignore health and safety of the farmers and farmworkers who grow our food. Pesticides threaten our waterways, pollinators, salmon, whooping cranes, California condors and other species. New pesticides could go to market without any safeguards for the farmworkers exposed to them. They could be applied directly into our water supplies without meaningful oversight. And if your state wants to protect you from pesticide exposure, it would be prevented from doing so.

The alarming pesticide provisions alone should make this bill dead-on-arrival, but it attacks our National Forests and strips conservation programs of nearly $1 billion, too.

These programs are essential for soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on farm land. National forest stakeholders will lose out to the logging industry through waivers of the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and Roadless Rule.

Finally, our own democracy takes a hit by restricting our right to enforce agricultural law through the courts while expanding judicial access for industry.

Tell your representative that you demand a Farm Bill that protects our food, environment, and workers.

Republicans Are Trying to Sneak Through Cuts to Food Assistance on Farm Bill

The farm bill is a legislative package that covers many issues related to food and agriculture (including farm subsidies, rural development, and bioenergy). It’s usually authorized every five years, and it is set to expire this year.

Why is this important? The farm bill includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or “food stamps”)—and Republicans want to make massive cuts to it. SNAP is the country’s most effective anti-hunger program, and helps 1 in 8 Americans, especially children, seniors, and people with disabilities, put food on the table. Despite providing modest benefits—the average SNAP benefit is about $1.40 per person per meal—SNAP is incredibly successful at fighting food insecurity and reducing poverty.

It’s likely that this bill will clear the House, but it faces a much tougher road in the Senate—which is likely to scrap the House effort and start over. You can help make sure that happens: Call your Representative and tell them to oppose H.R. 2, the House farm bill.

• To find out who your Representatives are, first find your district

• Use that district to find your Reps.

WHAT IS THE FARM BILL?

The farm bill is an “omnibus” piece of legislation that combines funding for a lot of different programs into one piece of legislation. The first farm bill was passed in response to the dust bowl in the 1930s, and was meant to increase farm incomes and encourage conservation.

Since then, the farm bill has grown in scope to include other programs—including food assistance. Historically, the farm bill has passed with considerable bipartisan support, but in recent years it has become more contentious as Republicans have ramped up their attempts to enact sweeping changes to SNAP that would make it harder for people struggling to make ends meet to get food assistance.

WHAT ARE THE REPUBLICANS TRYING TO DO TO SNAP?

House Republicans are trying to cut or take away food assistance from more than 2 million people struggling to make ends meet, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Republicans, led by Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11), want to impose even stricter work requirements on SNAP recipients. Right now, SNAP recipients between the ages of 18 and 49 already have to work at least 20 hours a week to receive their benefits after a three-month grace period. States are able to waive these requirements during economic downturns to ensure that people can still have access to food.

Under the new Republican bill, these requirements would be tightened considerably. Beginning in 2021, SNAP recipients between the ages of 18 and 59 would be required prove, every month, that they had worked at least 20 hours per week. If a person fails to do so, they can lose their SNAP benefits for a year—and each subsequent infraction would cause them to be locked out of receiving benefits for three years. The bill also takes away state flexibility to make the program easier for participants to use.

This is part of a larger push to radically transform federal assistance programs. Since Trump took office, Republicans in Congress and in the administration have been adding or tightening work requirements for programs like SNAP and Medicaid. These restrictions don’t do anything to help the people served by these programs, but they do result in more people falling into poverty as the protections they rely on are stripped away.

HOW WOULD THESE CHANGES AFFECT PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE SNAP BENEFITS?

If the House Republican farm bill is signed into law, up to 2 million people could lose some or all of their benefits. These cuts would be particularly acute for:

People in rural areas, since these areas tend to have more SNAP participants, food deserts, and poverty rates than metro areas and small towns.

Low-income women and working women, since the enhanced work requirement would punish people whose work schedules are inconsistent by barring them from receiving benefits if they don’t work at least 20 hours every week of the month. Work requirements do not count much of the informal labor that women disproportionately take on (such as being a caretaker for a family member) as “work.” The additional documentation requirements would also make it much easier for a busy person, such as a working mom, to accidentally lose her benefits because of a clerical error.

People with disabilities, who would have to deal with difficult exemption requirements in order to receive SNAP despite the new work requirements. It would also put their caretakers (whose labor would not meet the definition of “work” under these requirements) at risk of losing their benefits.

Children, whose parents could more easily lose benefits for all of the reasons above—and who are at risk of a wide variety of negative effects from food insecurity, such as behavioral and physical health problems.

This would have devastating effects for many households that rely on SNAP to supplement their food budget. Receiving SNAP reduces the rate of food insecurity, poor general health status, and obesity among recipients, and improves academic learning among school children. Taking away food stamps does more than put people at risk of not having enough to eat; that food insecurity then feeds into a host of other problems that conspire to keep families in poverty.

For the 42 million Americans who depend on SNAP, these changes would be devastating. SNAP is already highly efficient, both in the sense that it has very little waste or fraud and in the sense that it delivers critical support to vulnerable families to ensure that they can put food on the table. Cutting it has nothing to do with wanting to pull families up out of poverty; it’s just another way for Republicans to try to slash the safety net.

BUT WAIT, MY REPUBLICAN MOC SAID THIS BILL HAS NO CUTS TO SNAP!

Republicans have been playing a cynical game in selling their partisan farm bill. They say it has no SNAP cuts. Don’t be fooled: the House Agriculture Committee farm bill would cut or take away SNAP benefits from at least 2 million people and we expect that amount will be much higher if it became law.

That’s because the SNAP proposal takes the “savings” from cutting SNAP benefits by $17 billion, and instead uses that funding to create giant new state bureaucracies to track compliance with the harsh new work requirements, and to fund unproven, unscalable job training programs that are unlikely to help people find work—and certainly won’t do anything to replace their lost food assistance.

- Indivisible 

CALL SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVES

Caller: Hi! My name is <NAME> and I’m from <part of state>. I am calling to urge <MoC> to vote No on H.R. 2, the House farm bill, which would make it harder for struggling Americans to put food on the table. This bill would take food assistance from millions of people, including seniors, children, and people with disabilities; <MoC> should reject it.

IF MOC SUPPORTS FARM BILL

Staffer: Thanks for calling. <MoC> supports the farm bill; <he/she> believes it is critical that we provide people with a pathway to find work so they can break the cycle of poverty and dependency that welfare creates.

Caller: This bill won’t do anything to help lift people out of poverty; for millions of Americans, it will only make things worse. The work requirements in this bill will add billions of dollars in new administrative costs, which are paid for by causing at least 2 million people to lose some or all of their food assistance.

Staffer: I’ll pass your thoughts along to <MoC>.

Caller: Please do, and please take down my name and contact information so you can follow up with me after the vote.

IF MOC OPPOSES FARM BILL

Staffer: Thanks for calling. <MoC> opposes the farm bill; <he/she> believes that we should not kick people off of SNAP by adding draconian new work requirements to this critical program.

Caller: I’m glad to hear it. SNAP is the country’s most effective anti-hunger program, and I appreciate that <MoC> is taking this stand to protect it.

Staffer: I’ll pass your thoughts along to <MoC>.

Caller: Please do, and please take down my name and contact information so you can follow up with me after the vote.

Defeat the anti-organic farm bill

This year's farm bill is the most hostile to organic consumers ever! The House is undermining organic food standards, exempting pesticides from our laws, and promoting genetically engineered food. Tell your representative to OPPOSE the farm bill!​

The House's farm bill is terrible. Here's a quick summary of its lowlights:

1. Undermines the national organic standard by making it easier to weaken
2. Creates a new office to promote genetically engineered organisms around the globe
3. Cuts programs to offset organic certification costs for farmers
4. Prevents cities and counties from setting their own pesticide restrictions
5. Exempts pesticides from endangered species and clean water protections.

The farm bill is a direct assault on the booming organic sector! It's likely to come up for a full House vote this month. Please help defeat this awful legislation: sc.org/farmbill

-The SierraRise Team

References: 1. Conaway, Michael. (12 April 2018). "Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018." House of Representatives.https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/agriculture_and_nutrition_act_of_2018.pdf 2. Brasher, Philip. (18 April 2018). "Farm bill amendments address crop insurance, biotech, broadband." Agri-Pulse Communications. https://www.agweek.com/business/agriculture/4433669-farm-bill-amendments-address-crop-insurance-biotech-broadband 3. O'Neil, Colin. (17 April 2018). "5 Ways House Farm Bill Would Roll Back Protections from Pesticides." Environmental Working Group.https://www.ewg.org/agmag/2018/04/5-ways-house-farm-bill-would-roll-back-protections-pesticides#.WuI4eG4vyUk 4. (14 April 2018). "Draft House Farm Bill: Organic Agriculture." National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/chairmans-mark-organic/ --- Republicans Are Trying to Sneak Through Cuts to Food Assistance on Farm Bill.

Support the Farm Bill: for a food system that is healthy, fair, affordable, and sustainable

When you walk through a grocery store or sit down at a restaurant, you’re probably not thinking about the Farm Bill. Yet this massive piece of legislation has a huge impact on what kind of food is available, how much it costs, and how it’s grown. Congress votes on the Farm Bill every five years and the most recent version is set to expire later this year—so this is a rare opportunity for us to push for smart, science-based solutions that will help farmers, eaters, and communities. In fact a first draft of the bill is expected to be unveiled any day now. From farm to fork, we need to fight for a food system that supports farmers, makes healthy food available for everyone, and protects the environment we all depend on.

There are a lot of exciting Farm Bill proposals on the table this year, including one that would make healthy foods affordable for more consumers and deliver greater profits for farmers who grow those foods. But a first draft of the bill could come out any day and we're hearing it will likely include shortsighted and devastating cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), which helps families put food on their tables and has lifted millions out of poverty. Write your legislators today and demand a Farm Bill and a food system that helps farmers succeed and makes nutritious food available to everyone.

Read Article: Trump’s EPA Chief is Reshaping Food and Farming: What You Need to Know

- Union of Concerned Scientists 

For even more impact, feel free to personalize the letter posted below:

Dear (Member of Congress)

As your constituent, I’m writing to ask you to support policies in the 2018 Farm Bill that will help provide healthy food access for everyone.  

Specifically, I urge you to strongly support:

1. Provisions from the bipartisan Local FARMS Act, which would expand markets for small and mid-size farmers and make healthy food more affordable and accessible.  With new investments to connect producers and consumers, this proposal would help all families—including seniors, veterans, and those in low-income communities—to put fresh, healthy food on their tables.

2. No cuts or changes that would decrease access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),  a smart long-term investment with an excellent track record of alleviating hunger and poverty. Cuts to SNAP will increase hunger for tens of millions of Americans, including children and the elderly, in rural and urban communities nationwide.

I believe in supporting farmers and ensuring that everyone has access to fresh and healthy food. The Local FARMS Act and SNAP provide immense health and economic benefits to my community.