National Family Farm Coalition Farm Bill Policy Statement

Public policy must be fashioned to protect and strengthen the future of our food supply, environment, public health, and rural communities. A new U.S. farm bill and international trade agreements must reverse the current policy that uses taxpayer dollars as a substitute for income not provided to farmers through the low prices paid by multinational corporations for products from our nation’s farms and ranches. Family farms must help prevent global warming and be an essential source of renewable energy with respect for local control. Low commodity prices and high taxpayer expenses combine to exacerbate the nation’s budget and trade deficit, create cheap feed that encourages destructive industrial production of livestock, and spread the curses of unhealthy diet and low farm income abroad while destroying economic opportunity on family farms and in rural communities here at home.

Our nation’s food security and food sovereignty require in the new farm bill:

* Establishment of food security reserves, commodity price floors, fair wages and working conditions for all workers in the food system.
* Support for new generations of diversified, sustainable family farmers.
* Encouragement of fair and open competition and enforcement of existing rules pertaining to competition and anti-trust to address the rampant concentration in the food industry.
* All farm and food policies to fully serve the diversity of our nation’s family farmers through accessible USDA programs.
* Stewardship of land and water through improved conservation programs.
* Encouraged economic development through new markets for healthy, sustainably produced food.
* A democratic policy making process that protects the future of our environment and encourages healthy rural communities.

To sign on to this statement send an e-mail to deschmeyer [at] nffc.net