Family farmers deserve better
Feeding our nation, supporting farmers, and protecting the environment are goals that can readily go hand in hand. But in order for that to happen, our federal government needs to support sustainable, responsible farming methods, and stop giving handouts to corporate polluters.
Unfortunately, it is still unclear which path Congress will take when it comes to the 2018 Farm Bill. Call your Members of Congress and remind them that our farmers, communities, and waterways deserve a bill that responsibly supports sustainable farming and family farms.
[CongressLookup]
On September 30, 2018, the 2014 Farm Bill expired without Congress passing a new version in its place. While both houses of Congress have passed their own Farm Bills, they differ greatly. The version passed by the House of Representatives is riddled with polluting riders, cuts to nutritional assistance such as food stamps, and decreased funding for sustainable farming practices.
The biggest victims of Congress’ failure to pass a fair, responsible Farm Bill are the small family farms that need our support in order to reliably provide our nation with safe, sustainably grown food. The Farm Bill should help prepare family farmers for our increasingly chaotic climate, and incentivize farming practices that conserve water and soil.
Instead, many Members of Congress are holding up passage of the Farm Bill by supporting handouts to giant corporations and polluters and insisting on keeping dangerous riders in the bill. This includes a provision that would allow the unimpeded, unpermitted release of pesticides into our waterways. Our nation’s family farmers deserve better than this—and the Senate version of the Farm Bill is far more along the lines of what is needed.
Please call your Members of Congress and tell them we do not need to sacrifice environmental health to feed the nation and support farmers. Here are some talking points to get you started:
- My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of ZIP code [ZIP CODE].
- I am calling because I support a 2018 Farm Bill that helps sustainable and responsible family farmers and protects our resources.
- A fair, responsible Farm Bill should protect family farmers from price fluctuations, support sustainable farming practices, and help farmers prepare for the impacts of climate change.
- I am opposed to Farm Bill provisions that give handouts to corporate polluters.
- For example, I urge you to oppose a provision in the House bill that would amend the Clean Water Act to allow unregulated discharges of pesticides into our nation’s waterways and prevent states from making their own rules to protect waterways from pesticides.
- Please do the right thing for our nation’s farmers, our rural communities, and our waterways and support a Farm Bill free from riders, cuts to nutritional assistance, and irresponsible subsidies.
Dive Into Democracy is Waterkeeper Alliance’s weekly roundup of current attacks on America’s clean water protections and how to take action. Want to get them in your email? Sign up here.