Action Alert: Tell Congress to Support Sustainable Agriculture in the Farm Bill

From the Environmental Working Group:

Every five years, the federal farm bill sets our nation's food policies - it's the single biggest factor in determining what ends up on your plate.

But right now Congress is only providing minimal support for healthy, local and organic foods while expanding wasteful subsidies and giveaways that support the wealthiest agribusinesses - at the expense of family farmers.

Next week, the Senate Agriculture Committee will start writing its version of the 2012 farm bill. It's incredibly important that Congress get this right - so at EWG we're teaming up with our friends at CREDO Action to stop the giveaway to Big Ag and support food and farm policies that protect our environment and expand access to healthy food.

Tell your senators: Stop the giveaway to Big Ag. Pass a farm bill that supports local, healthy and organic food.

The farm bill affects everything from the food you eat to conservation and nutrition programs. And right now, vital nutrition programs that help feed low-income children and decades-old conservation programs that protect wetlands, grasslands and soil health are rumored to be on the chopping block already.

Meanwhile, Big Ag is working hard to keep open the spigot that sends billions of dollars a year in subsidies to growers of commodity crops like corn, soy and cotton. More than 74 percent of that money goes to wealthy agribusinesses, not to small-scale family farmers who need them.

The bill that emerges from the Senate Agriculture Committee will likely be the best version we can hope for right now - as it will only get more unbalanced in negotiations with the House. It's vital that the committee members hear from you now.

Tell your senators: Stop the giveaway to Big Ag. Pass a farm bill that supports local, healthy and organic food.

Thanks for supporting a healthy food system.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group