If only we called this the Food Bill, everyone would be paying attention. This only comes up for review every 5 years folks — so if you care about local food, organic food, GMOs, environmental conservation and how to help our veterans become the next generation of farmers and ranchers, get your phone finger poised to call your Congressional reps.
Feel like you don’t want to say? Here’s the short list from our friends at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (and others), so you can quote chapter and verse:
Ask them to co-sponsor the:
- Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act (S.837, HR1727)
- Local Farms, Food & Jobs Act (S.6479, HR 1414)
Ask them to fund the:
- Farmers Market & Local Food Promotion Program
- Outreach & Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged & Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
- Value Added Producer Grants
And for those who like a script to read from:
“Hello, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent and a voter (and tell ‘em if you’re a farmer!). I would like to leave a message for Senator ___’s agriculture staffer. Can you take a message for me, please? The message is: I urge the Senator to support Senator Brown’s local food and market development amendment during floor debate this week. This amendment is critical to building a better future for food and farms in our state. Thank you.”
Time to practice democracy again … if you care about our food. Democracy only happens when folks make their voices heard. And for the cynics out there who think it doesn’t matter, I can’t tell you how well received I was in the halls of Congress when I went with the film in hand to talk about veterans becoming farmers and ranchers. Doors opened wide.