How're ya gonna keep 'em up on the farm bill?

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How're ya gonna keep 'em up on the farm bill?

How're ya gonna keep 'em up on the farm bill?
Farmers across the country will turn their attention to Washington this summer as legislators debate the 2007 Farm Bill, which is up once again for its five-year renewal. But the Farm Bill is not just important for farmers. The bill affects food stamps, conservation, rural development, energy, global hunger relief, nutrition programs-and, of course, what we Americans eat every day.

With such a wide variety of issues, organizations from the American Heart Association to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are wading in on the Farm Bill, which has its roots in New Deal policies aimed at helping farmers recover from the Great Depression and "Dust Bowl" era droughts but has over time evolved into one of the costliest federal intervention programs. Farm subsidies cost tax payers $22 billion in 2006 alone. A USCCB position paper on the 2007 bill urges a re-evaluation of this subsidy program and calls for stronger conservation measures, a stepped-up food stamp program, and greater attention to overseas hunger.

Justice-oriented groups have united to promote the strengthening of many of the programs authorized by the bill as well as the reform of one of its most complicated components: farm subsidies. Oxfam, religious organizations, and many farmers argue that subsidies benefit large corporate farms that produce certain commodities (primarily wheat, corn, rice, cotton, and soybeans) and not small family farms or the small rural communities they support. The current structure encourages overproduction, which is bad for the environment and lowers prices so that small farmers in the United States and developing nations cannot compete, critics charge.

The various provisions of the farm bill are currently in agriculture committees in both the House of Representatives and Senate, with sub-committees discussing specific sections. Congress members are also offering "marker bills," which gauge support for a particular issue that legislators think should be part of the official legislation. The official bill will be presented on the House and Senate floors in July, when more debate and amendments are likely. The complete bill should be presented to the president by the end of September when the 2002 Farm Bill expires.

The organizations concerned with the Farm Bill are encouraging people to contact their Congress people, especially if they are on an agriculture committee, with their concerns now. But because the Farm Bill is so complicated, these organizations are making a tremendous effort to educate the public about the issues. Here is a guide to these resources and how you can help spread the information:

Oxfam America's Farm Bill 101 explains the programs covered, the cost, who benefits, and why Oxfam cares. A more comprehensive explanation of Oxfam's positions on the Farm Bill along with helpful "myths and facts" can be found in Fairness in the Fields. To see the faces and hear the voices of some of the farmers in the United States and in developing countries affected by the Farm Bill, view Oxfam's slideshow or read profiles.

Oxfam also offers resources on to take action and educate others. Besides e-mailing your congress people their website, Oxfam's action guide explains how to talk to people about the Farm Bill and provides directions for effectively writing and visiting your legislators, hosting a call-in, writing a letter to the editor, and confronting the legislator at public appearances. Oxfam also suggests religious groups host a hunger banquet and will provide the script for it. Finally, individuals can join Oxfam's Farm Bill Action Team and get resources to host discussions and encourage others to take action.

The National Catholic Rural Life Conference encourages churches to join the Green Ribbon campaign. Churches distribute green ribbons for people to wear in solidarity with family farmers, and host discussions and plan liturgies with the focus on farm life. Their website includes petitions and prayers for farm life.

Most lobbying groups are pushing the principles they believe in rather than specific policy recommendations. Numerous Christian groups have signed onto the Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill, a one page sheet that outlines basic principles. The USCCB's principles are outlined in their hill notes from their lobby day in February. Network, the Catholic social justice lobby, is new to the Farm Bill but has outlined 4 key principles. "What's in the Farm Bill?" and "What's in play for 2007?" are good, quick resources to learn more, and you can send messages to your elected officials through their site as well.

The Farm and Food Project outlines more specific suggestions for the Farm Bill in its report Seeking Balance. It is also asking organization across the country to endorse the document to show legislators how broad support for reform is, and as of April, they had gathered almost six full pages of endorsements. Individuals can take action through their Healthy Farm Bill site.

The first section of Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's Farm Bill Basics offers a good explanation of how the bill is developed, including the differences between policy and spending, discretionary and mandatory spending. To learn more about marker bills, visit Om Organic's Farm Bill Action guide, which includes a list of the various marker bills currently being offered.

For the most detailed information on actual policy, visit the Senate and House agriculture committee sites or the USDA site .—Megan Sweas

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