Day Two: The House Farm Bill

Well, of the three amendments we asked you to call Rep. Daines about yesterday, only one of them made it into the floor debate.  So we’re shifting gears!

Please give Rep. Daines a call today (202-225-3211) and ask him to support/oppose the following key amendments:

• Support #93 – Fortenberry – Commodity Payment Subsidy Reform. This amendment would cap commodity subsidy payments and closes loopholes that allow mega-farms to collect unlimited payments.  This is a huge first step towards reforming the bad farm subsidies that bring us cheap, unhealthy commodity foods!
• Oppose #92 – McClintock – Eliminate Farmers Market and Local Food Program. This amendment would eliminate funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, a program that boosts farmer income and improves access to healthy food.  Several Montana entities have received funding under this program to enhance our food system!
• Support #214 – Benishek – Economic Study of Cost of Farm Safety Regulations. The FDA recently released new proposed food safety regs. This amendment would require more complete scientific and economic analyses of the impacts of the rules on ag businesses.
• Support #56 – Titus – Increasing SNAP Access to Local Foods. This amendment would provide $100 million over five years for incentive programs for food stamp participants to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.

Let Steve Daines know that we want a farm bill that provides for Montana’s local food economy and increases access for all!

Your call will make a difference!  Thank you!

And many thanks to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, the Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance, the Rural Coalition and others for their great work pushing these amendments in the Capitol!

The Senate did it. The House can, too – with your help!

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Pass a draft of the Farm Bill, that is! Scroll to the bottom for an easy way to help move a better farm bill forward…

When you think about the future of food, what do you want to see? If you’re like us, you want to see thriving family farms across the countryside and your choice of fresh, healthy, affordable food in your community.

Unfortunately, the House of Representatives is poised to take a giant step backwards this week – away from the kind of future we want and towards unlimited subsidies for mega-farms and corporate agribusiness and reduced investments in organic and sustainable farming.

The American people didn’t ask for this – we expect better. Help us tell Congress today.

With your help last month we made some big progress in getting farm policy back on track in the Senate and now it’s time to ensure the House of Representatives does the same.

This is our chance to reform unlimited subsidies and invest in a better future today!

Here’s what you need to know: To get a farm bill, it goes through the process below:

Courtesy of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Today and tomorrow, the House of Representatives will be debating which amendments they want to make it into the bill they move forward.  We need your help getting some key ones included.

• Rep. Fortenberry’s (R-NE) amendment #93 puts a cap on commodity subsidy payments and closes loopholes that allow mega-farms to collect unlimited payments.  This is a huge first step towards reforming the bad farm subsidies that bring us cheap, unhealthy commodity foods!
• Rep. Pingree’s (D-ME) amendment #176 will spur small business development and job creation by strengthening existing credit, rural development, and research and extension programs – and costs nothing!
• Rep. Ribble’s (R-WI) amendment #63 will restore funding for two key programs that keep the organic sector running smoothly for farmers and consumers.

This week, with these amendments, we may finally have a shot at getting a better farm bill in the House – one that supports good food and ensures real subsidy reform.

Will you call Steve Daines and ask him to support these amendments?

Call 202-225-3211 – here’s a sample statement you can make:

“Hello, my name is                 and I’m a constituent and a voter (and tell them if you’re a farmer!).  I would like to leave a message for Representative Daines’ agricultural staffer. Can you take a message for me please? I would like to ask the Representative to support three key amendments during floor debate this week:

• Fortenberry #93 for subsidy reform,
• Pingree #176 for local food and economic development, and
• Ribble #63 for organics.

Congress needs to get our farm policy back on track by reforming subsidies and investing in Montana’s food and farm economy. Thank you.”

If you give them a call, let us know what you hear back!  Email us!

THANKS! Your call makes a difference for our food future!

And many thanks to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition for their help with this e-alert!

Summer is Just Around the Corner!

As we near the official start of summer, we’re jumping into a perfect time to be thinking about both our health and the health of our local food system!

As the growing season gets underway we can start taking full advantage of all the great produce, meats, and dairy that comes right from our own backyards in Missoula.  We all have different calorie and nutrient requirements based on our gender, age, physical activity, and genetics.  However, a diet based on balance will serve to help lower the risk for chronic illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes.

And what better way to achieve a balanced diet than to stop by your local farmers’ market for some of your shopping needs?  Foods ranging across all the main food groups can be found right here in Missoula.  Adding fresh, whole foods to your diet can greatly improve the quality of your nutritional intake, even by only adding one additional serving of fruits or veggies each day!

So stop by your local market and see what Missoula could be growing for you.  CFAC loves supporting our local farmers and plans on spending some time with everyone at the Clark Fork River Market on Saturdays, 8 AM – 1 PM.  Our first visit will be Saturday, July 13^th.  So if you get a chance, stop by and talk with some fellow CFAC friends about ways to eat and live well this summer and ways to enjoy all the wonderful foods growing right here in town!

Missoula Farmers Dodge a Bullet!

This month, Missoula County farmers and ranchers dodged a major bullet when the County decided to keep their Building Department’s permit exemption for ag structures.

Photo by Jacqueline Corday

The current exemption allows farmers and ranchers to be exempted from the building permit process – which requires building plans, inspections, and permitting fees – when building simple agricultural structures.  Think of greenhouses, hay barns, or lambing sheds.

Unfortunately, the exemption has been abused by people looking to build barns built for RVs instead of horses and sheds built for storage instead of tools.  And one building, near Seeley Lake, collapsed.  Seeking to address these abuses and the problems that go along with avoiding permitting, the County developed new language to do away with the ag exemption.

Luckily, we at CFAC were alerted to these changes and quickly rallied folks from around the county to contact their Commissioners to ask them to keep the ag exemption.  The Open Lands Committee quickly had a presentation from the Building Department added to their scheduled meeting for last week and as of this week, the ag exemption is off the table!

Way to go Missoulians!  Now if we could just get those RVs out of barns…..

Farm Bill Time Again!

Whelp, it’s that time of year… again!  Farm Bill Time!  Confused about this process?  Check out the great infographic from the National Sustainable Ag Coalition:

The Senate is reviewing the Farm Bill today and if you have a minute to call our Montana Senators to let them know which amendments you want them to vote for, that would be AWESOME!

Sen. Max Baucus: (202) 224-2651

Sen. Jon Tester: (202) 224-2644

Ask them to support the following amendments:

• [Senators Coburn (D-IL) and Durbin (R-OK)] An amendment that takes a bold first step towards reforming ballooning crop insurance subsidies for wealthy mega-farms.  It’s long past time to rein in these subsidies – this common-sense amendment will save taxpayers over $1.3 billion dollars and ensure maximum support goes only to those who need it, not a handful of mega-farms.

• [Senators Casey (D-PA) and Harkin (D-IA)] An amendment that authorizes a microloan program tailored for the needs of beginning and military veteran farmers and ranchers.  New farmers need access to land, credit, and capital to get their hands in the dirt, and this amendment will help them better access their #1 biggest need – financial capital to launch and sustain their farm businesses.

• [Senator Grassley (R-IA)] An amendment that will help level the playing field between independent livestock producers and the large corporate packers and processors who have been trying to change the rules in favor of corporate interests at the expense of family farmers. The meat industry giants – just 4 corporations control over 80% of our nation’s beef, for example – have successfully blocked common-sense rules to give farmers a fair shake in the marketplace and are now moving to strip farmers of even the most basic legal protection against abuse at the hands of the large processors who dominate the industry.  This amendment establishes a special counsel office at USDA dedicated to making sure that fair competition rules are enforced.

Our senators could make the difference on these votes – give them a call today!