Courtesy iStockphoto / ThinkstockSmall - weighing machine and sustainable farms will potentially be the hardest hit if sure Farm Bill cuts pass through Congress .
There ’s no summertime R&R on the beach for Congress powerful now as the Senate and House discuss and vote onFarm Bill 2012 . Congress revisits this comprehensive piece of legislation , determining billions of buck of governmental outgo on agriculture , every five to seven geezerhood , and it serve as the primal piece of agricultural and food for thought policy .
The next few hebdomad will be monolithic in determining Farm Bill 2012 because much of the current Farm Bill is set to expire . As lawmakers on Capitol Hill debate thekey outlet , many of which involve major financing cuts , two domain in finicky have importance to small - scale farms .
Additionally , some proposed amendments cover a range of topics of interest to sustainable farmers , such as requirement to judge genetically modify ( GMO ) foods , which put up the mind that consumers have the right to roll in the hay exactly what is in the nutrient they they purchase .
Stay InformedIt ’s easy to shy aside from trying to understand the 1,000 - plus page of the Farm Bill , but Ariane Lotti , assistant insurance director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition reminds farmers that they — and anyone who feed food — has a stake in the lawmaking .
protagonism groups , such as the NSAC and the Community Food Security Coalition , help synthesize Farm Bill issues and send out timely , streamlined email alarm so you do n’t have to do all the research .
“ It is especially authoritative for family farms supporting sustainable agriculture to vocalise their sentiment because , inherently , the Farm Bill is not designed to support lowly farmers , ” Lotti says . “ Most of the programs and policies still profit industrialized Agriculture Department and large , corporate operations . ”
To keep the Farm Bill from being overwhelming , identify and stick to a few central event important to you , then voice your thought to your Congressional representatives . Calls to your Congressional offices , identifying specifically the issue and the action mechanism you want him or her to take , are extremely important and serve as the pipeline for small - scale farmers to recommend for variety .
“ It mother busy on the farm , so I keep my representatives ’ berth numbers programmed into my cell phone so I can easily call when an important issue is add up up for a suffrage , ” says Matt Sheaffer , carbon monoxide - owner of Sandhill Organics in northern Illinois . “ On a strictly virtual note , I want to guarantee that small - farm programs we ’ve benefited from — from conservation curriculum to cost communion for organic certification — keep experience livelihood . ”
