Support Sustainable Farming Practices

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June 26, 2007

Take Action: Support Sustainable Farming

by Alison Rogers

Of the many issues facing Americans today, few are more important

than the quality and safety of our food. Every day, many eat more and

more processed, high-calorie foods with little nutritive value,

trucked to us from thousands of miles away.

Why? Because those foods are more affordable. And why are they more

affordable, considering all the processing, packaging and

transportation? Because the companies that produce them receive

financial assistance from us in the form of subsidies authorized by

the U.S. farm bill. Over the past decade, U.S. citizens paid more

than $165 billion in tax dollars to the largest 20 percent of farms,

according to the Environmental Working Group ( http://www.ewg.org/ ).

These farms operate on such a massive scale that limited attention

can be focused on maximizing the health benefits of their product,

and contamination is often unavoidable. (Learn more about subsidies

and the unhealthy effects of current U.S. farm policy in How Farm

Policy Affects Us All

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Livestock-and-Farming/2007-06-01/How-Farm-Policy-Affects-Us-All.aspx

The results are clear--those on low and middle income budgets have

little choice but to stock up on foods that are typically full of

preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup and sodium

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2007-06-01/Avoid-Salt-Reduce-Blood-Pressure.aspx

An obesity epidemic is well underway, and food-borne illness

outbreaks make frequent headlines. The U.S. Department of

Agriculture ( http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome ) is funding the

foods they advise us to use sparingly (oils and sweets), while

leaving fruits and vegetables out even though they recommend five to

nine daily servings of those two items combined.

Support for local organic family farms is the key to reversing these

unhealthy trends. You'll benefit from fresh, preservative- and

chemical-free products, and by shopping close to home, you'll do your

part to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide generated by transporting

food across the country. (More on the advantages of local food can be

found in Growing Trust

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Livestock-and-Farming/2007-06-01/Growing-Trust.aspx

and How to Find the Best Food

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Whole-Foods-and-Cooking/2006-08-01/How-to-Find-the-Best-Food.aspx

As you read this, the House of Representatives

http://www.house.gov/ is crafting the 2007 farm bill, which will

replace the 2002 bill that is set to expire September 30. They are

allocating funds and determining how your taxes will be spent, and

they need to know that although less than 2 percent of the U.S.

population now farms, we all eat and we want healthy food. You can

keep an eye on the latest farm bill developments at www.farmpolicy.com

( http://www.farmpolicy.com/ ).

Already, funding has been slashed for valuable programs such as the

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

http://attra.ncat.org/

Better known as ATTRA, this is an excellent

resource that provides sustainable agriculture and organic farming

news; events and funding opportunities; and publications on

production practices, innovative marketing and organic certification.

On June 4, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), chairman of the House

Committee on Agriculture

http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/2007FarmBill.html gave his

opinion of the 255,000 farmers with 10 acres or less: "They're not

real farmers. They're city people."

Want to help? Talk to your representatives. You can find their

contact info at www.house.gov ( http://www.house.gov/ ). Let us know

how they respond by posting a comment below.

http://www.motherearthliving.com/issues/motherearthliving/livestock/support-sustainable-farming_459-1.html

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