The Farm Bill comes to the Senate floor today. Debate is scheduled for two weeks.
However, important reform amendments to Title 1, home of subsidies to farmers
of the “big five” commodities (corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and cotton) are
expected to be voted on Tuesday, November 6.
The 2007 Farm Bill reauthorization must enact meaningful reform of this
broken system that fails those people who need the most support, both at home
and abroad. An important first step would be to enact meaningful “payment
limits,” such as those proposed by Senators Dorgan (D-ND) and Grassley
(R-IA). Currently, large industrial farms can receive commodity farm subsidies,
mounting in the millions of dollars. The Dorgan-Grassley proposal would limit
the annual amount of commodity payments to $250,000 per farm. This payment
limit would promote equity and work toward leveling the playing field among
farms of all sizes.
Your voice is needed to compel the Senate to make meaningful changes in
current farm policies. Over the summer, the House of Representatives passed a
bill that largely continues the current system and fails to enact payment limit
reform that is strong enough to be effective. The burden for passing fair farm
policies falls now to the Senate.
Join other people of faith in advocating for a Farm Bill that is fair to
small and mid-sized farmers in the US, enacts meaningful payment limits,
redefines U.S. agricultural priorities to put emphases on supporting nutrition,
conservation, rural development and food aid programs, and does not hurt poor
farmers struggling to make a living around the world.
Go to http://capwiz.com/pcusa/issues/alert/?alertid=10510651
and urge your Senators to vote YES on the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment.
Wait, you’re not done! Go to http://capwiz.com/pcusa/issues/alert/?alertid=10511626
and urge your Senators to combat hunger in the U.S. and around the world by
voting YES on amendments increase funding to vital nutrition programs *and*
to protect a pilot program for international food aid to be purchased locally.
Keep coming back to foodandfaithblog.org, we plan another alert or two as the debate
shifts to other titles and issues in this $286 billion piece of legislation.