farm bill
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Theft in progress: Big Ag raids the treasury — with help from Congress
If the straight-up taxpayer swindle taking place in the supercommittee isn’t making you angry, you’re probably not paying attention. I’m talking about the attempt by agribusiness and a group of willing farm-state representatives to put billions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of industrial farmers during the ongoing super committee Farm Bill negotiations. According to […]
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The Farm Bill: The view from the grassroots
The odds that most of us laypeople will have any opportunity to influence this year’s Farm Bill process are looking awfully slim. Sure, there’s still a chance the current, nearly opaque supercommittee process, and the piece of it now known as “the Secret Farm Bill,” could break down. If that happens, the National Sustainable Agriculture […]
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Will a ‘Secret Farm Bill’ be passed this week?
Photo: Jeff Cushner Update (Nov. 4, 2011): According to this SFGate article, the new bill is expected to be submitted to the congressional supercommittee as early as today (Friday). Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) (the same Kind who put forth the Kind-Flake amendment during the 2007-2008 Farm Bill process) has stepped up at the 11th hour […]
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Farming with a smaller footprint: Why it matters
Conservation is an important part of federal farm funding — the laws that shape what, where, and how we grow our food. And yet, if the negotiations around the 2012 Farm Bill go as predicted, funding for conservation is in grave danger. Why does conservation on farms matter? Well, for starters, most large-scale agriculture is […]
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Environmental leaders to Congress: Don't stop funding conservation on farms
A coalition of 56 influential policy organizations are working to ensure that clean air and water remain at the center of the Farm Bill discussion.
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Food fighters: Don't give up on the farm bill
The upcoming farm bill won't be the watershed moment we've been waiting for. But it still provides an opportunity for food reformers to become sophisticated policy players.
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Politics, farmers, and change: The end of rural America
Big Ag-friendly policy has put family farms in crisis, but Obama can reverse the trend if he delivers on campaign promises.
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Why laying off ag reporter Philip Brasher is bad for food
Reporter Philip Brasher was recently let go by the Des Moines Register. Here's why you should be concerned about the future of food in this country.
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House Republicans aim pitchfork at food-system reform
U.S. ag policy isn't totally geared to Big Ag -- but it will be if the House gets its way, writes Tom Philpott.