National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

Farm Bill in the Home Stretch…

The Farm Bill is finally coming up for a full vote, and it is time for you to let your Congressmember know to

VOTE YES ON THE 2008
FARM BILL!

The House and Senate Agriculture Conferees announced last week that they had reached agreement on the 2008 Farm Bill. The bill may come to a vote on the House Floor as soon as Wednesday of this week and could reach the Senate floor on Thursday. While expected to pass, we need a two-thirds margin to fend off a veto threat from President Bush.

The hard work of all of us in the Sustainable Agriculture movement has had significant impact. This bill includes substantive and far reaching gains for sustainable agriculture. It includes gains for the Conservation Security Program, beginning farmers, local food systems, organic agriculture, sustainable biomass production, and rural development.

But the Congressmembers listed at conf_comm.php are wavering, and it’s crucial that they receive calls encouraging support for the Farm Bill

All of these Representatives can be reached by calling the US Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or find their number or fax at www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb. When you call, ask to speak with the legislative aide responsible for agriculture. Leave a message if the aide is not available.

The message is simple: My name is __ and I am calling to encourage Representative ___ to vote YES on the 2008 Farm Bill and stand up for family farms, conservation, and healthy food.

An explanation of Farm Bill gains and losses can be found at farm_bill_digest12.php