Northwest Farm Bill Action Group

This action alert comes from the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network

The House is debating the Farm Bill TODAY and are voting for or against amendments right now. Watch them live.

Last night the House Rules Committee severely restricted which amendments can be heard. Many of our amendments were not allowed and there are some really bad amendments that were allowed (ie eliminates Farmers Market Funding).

Please call your Representative NOW and ask them to:

1. Protect Funding for Farmers Markets:

OPPOSE #92 McClintock Amendment # 92 – which completely eliminates funding for Farmers Market Promotion Program Grants
SUPPORT #20 Kaptur Amendment #20 which ensures continued support for the Senior Farm Market Nutrition Program

2. Support a Fair Farm Bill:

SUPPORT Fortenberry Payment Limit Reform Amendment #93 which closes loopholes and caps commodity payments at $250,000 per year for any one farm. This amendment would be consistent with Senate’s version.
OPPOSE Schweikert Amendment #198 which eliminates all funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative – a public-private partnership using public dollars to attract private investment in underserved communities.

3. Protect the Environment:

SUPPORT Blumenauer Amendment #73 which strengthens the Conservation Reserve Program to help farmers protect wildlife hapbitat buffers, and wetland bufferes.

4. Prevent Cuts to Food Assistance:

SUPPORT McGovern Amendment #146 which restores $21B Cuts to SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka Food Stamps).

PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

District 1 Rep Suzan DelBene 202 225 6311

District 2 Rep Rick Larsen 202 225 2605

District 3 Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler 202 225 3536

District 4 Rep Doc Hastings 202-225-5816

District 5 Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers 202 225 2006

District 6 Rep Derek Kilmer 202 225 5916

District 7 Rep Jim McDermott 202 225 3106 (North Seattle)

District 8 Rep David Reichert 202 225 7761

District 9 Rep Adam Smith 202 225 8901 (South Seattle)

District 10 Rep Denny Heck 202 225 9740

Don’t Know Who Your Congressional Representative is? Click here.

THANK YOU

RSVP or any questions to farmbill@seattleglobaljustice.org

The Senate is debating a new 2013 Farm Bill this week, and we need YOU to call Senators Murray and Cantwell and leave a message asking them to advocate for a better Farm Bill which:

• supports resilient local food systems

• makes long-overdue subsidy reforms

• puts control of plant seeds back into our hands, not Monsanto’s

• protects our natural resources, and

• helps new farmers get started

It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Call a Senator:

Senator Patty Murray: 866-481-9186

Senator Maria Cantwell: 202-224-3441

Step 2: Leave a message with the person who answers the phone asking the Senator to:

(share all of these issues, or pick your top priorities)

1. Help develop resilient local food systems: Support the Brown Amendment to encourage food and agriculture market development, entrepreneurship, and education.

2. Help reform our broken subsidy system: Support the Coburn-Durbin Amendment to make long-overdue common sense reforms to crop insurance subsidies and save taxpayers over $1.3 billion dollars while still maintaining our farmers’ safety net.

3. Help protect our seed supply: Support the Tester Amendment which put seeds back in the public domain, and out of Monsanto’s control.

4. Help support sustainable agriculture: Support the Leahy-Cowan Amendment to even the playing field for organic farmers using conservation practices.

5. Help new farmers get started: Support the Casey-Harkin Amendment authorizing a loan program for beginning and military veteran farmers.

Step 3: Call the other Senator. Then, pass it on!

Tell your friends to call and let us know how your call went by emailing Ariana at farmbill@seattleglobaljustice.org!