Make your voice heard

The Farm and Food Policy Project (FFPP) has a new website where you can sign an online letter to Congress to show your support for policies which advance fresh, local, and healthy foods in the 2007 Farm Bill. The letters are sent to your Representatives and Senators based on where you live. Written to encompass a broad spectrum of ideas supported by the FFPP, the letter contains the following priorities:
 
-Expand initiatives to increase access to healthy affordable food, such as farmers markets and farm-to-school programs
-Help build a new generation of entrepreneurial farmers serving local and regional markets
-Ensure fair access to agriculture programs for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers
-Expand conservation and farmland protection programs to help farmers meet consumer demand for healthier, sustainably produced foods
 
Check out Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer website www.FoodAndFarmBillOfRights.com to read the Food & Farm Bill of Rights and many resources about the farm bill, including a blog written by the Congressman.
 
Want to know more about the Farm Bill and the reauthorization process?  The Ag House Committee will finish mark up of the farm bill by June 30, so time is precious.  In the May Food Chain, we let you know about “marker bills,” and how you can mention specific marker bills to your legislators in order to call their attention to the aspects of food and agriculture policy that concern you most.  To read more find out what you can do in these remaining weeks to make your voice heard, visit Slow Food's Farm Bill Resource Website and the Slow Food Forum.