So… you think you’re a foodie, do ya? Well, why not test yourself? We invite you to take our Fair Farm Quiz and determine your Fair Food IQ.
What is a farm exactly? Is it that picturesque locale on the label of a supermarket brand of cheese or is it more like an industrial production scene, complete with conveyor belts and widgets?
Did you know? Read the full article…
By Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch
Every good foodie knows that farm subsidies are the root of all evil and a big reason why obesity rates continue to rise, right? This thinking has become so commonplace among the good food movement that we’ve stopped questioning this assumption and pretty much take it as gospel.
But now is a critical time to start asking questions about what the consequences would be – intended or otherwise – if subsidies go away. This week, Congressional agriculture committees proposed cutting $23 billion out of Farm Bill programs over the next 10 years, and by most reports, one type of farm subsidies called direct payments are the first thing on the chopping block. Even the corn and soybean lobbies seem resigned to the end of direct payments to growers of commodity crops.
So if the most often-cited example of farm subsidies is about to end, does that mean we’re on our way to a food system that makes broccoli more affordable than fast food burgers? It’s not quite that simple. As we describe in a new report, released this week with the Public Health Institute, subsidies are not making junk food cheaper and more abundant than healthy food – the real culprit is the deregulation of agriculture markets, the failure to enforce anti-trust law and the millions spent on marketing junk food. Read the full article…
By Genna Reed
Recent lawsuits against the approval of Roundup ready alfalfa and Roundup ready sugar beets have spurred considerable dialogue about the lack of protection for farmers against genetically engineered (GE) contamination. When an organic or non-GE crop is contaminated with GE genetic material, the affected farmer bears the financial burden of possibly losing their market to sell their crop and could face prosecution for patent infringement. This significant economic harm, and the expense farmers go to trying to avoid contamination, is an unacceptable burden put on farmers, and should be the responsibility of the exceedingly wealthy patent-owning biotechnology companies.
On August 30-31, I attended the first meeting of The Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21stCentury Agriculture (AC21), which has been re-chartered by the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. The committee is comprised of group of experts, ranging from organic farmers to biotech and seed industry representatives. The purpose of the committee is to participate in important dialogue about “coexistence.” This term was defined by a prior AC21 committee as, “the concurrent cultivation of conventional, organic, and genetically engineered (GE) crops consistent with underlying consumer preferences and ethics.”
At the start of the meeting, Secretary Vilsack charged the committee with three tasks: Read the full article…
My my, hey hey… Neil Young has something to say to Congress about having a Fair Farm Bill.
By Rich Bindell
He came dancing across the water (actually, it was more like across the Homegrown Village area of the 2011 Farm Aid Concert). Regardless, singer-songwriter, rock music legend and friend-to-the-farmer Neil Young did something that proves he has a heart of gold: he signed our petition to Congress for a Fair Farm Bill.
The Godfather of Grunge knows it’s gonna take a lotta love to fix the food system and make improvements to the Farm Bill to make it happen. But don’t let it bring you down because, while participating in the 2011 Farm Aid Concert in Kansas City, the musician took a minute of his time to give his “Neil Young” to our campaign, as well as a little message for Congress: “Real money should go to real farmers.”
Lots of people have already signed our petition for a Fair Farm Bill, demonstrating that fixing our broken food system is a priority for them. But, having Neil Young’s signature is a nice boost. Maybe you’re not easily impressed. Me? I am a child… I’m freaking out about the fact that Neil Young is just as passionate as we are about the Farm Bill. But this story isn’t mine to tell. I’m just here to remind you to stay tuned for a special blog from Midwest Organizer Matt Ohloff, who’s going to tell you everything from Hank to Hendrix about his moment with Neil Young, along with the rest of his stories from the Fair Farm Bill Road Trip.
Comes a time when we need a Fair Farm Bill and Neil Young is definitely on board. It feels good to have someone this big in our corner. Who knows, maybe Neil Young is a huge fan of Food & Water Watch. Maybe he shares quotes from our fact sheets.
Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter
Sometimes the hypocrisy is stunning. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because the presidential campaign season is well underway. Yes, it’s time for the candidates to trot around rural America lying about all the wonderful things they will do for farmers. Or in the case of the President, issue a feeble excuse for helping rural America—an Executive Order to establish the White House Rural Council. This chutzpah really takes the cake!
This is the same president that has broken the solemn promise that he made during his campaign [PDF; page 2 under header, “Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms”] to issue fair farm rules. If he were really serious about helping address the economic crisis in rural America, he would stop kowtowing to the meat industry and let the Department of Agriculture write and enforce the rules that would protect farmers against abuses by the consolidated meat industry.
Obama acknowledged during the election that the 1921 Packers and Stockyards Act that prohibits price discrimination by meatpackers against small and mid-sized farmers has not been enforced. He said that his Administration would issue the regulations to protect farmers against discrimination by the giant, consolidated meat industry. He promised to strengthen anti-monopoly laws and to protect farmers from fraud, abuse, and market manipulation. Read the full article…
Washington Post Live assembled an all-star conference entitled “The Future of Food” Wednesday at Georgetown University. Speakers included Macarthur Fellow and urban farmer Will Allen, poet/farmer Wendell Barry, professor Marion Nestle and other advocates, government officials and industry representatives. Highlights included a keynote by none other than Prince Charles of Wales (House of Windsor), a passionate advocate of organic farming, who argued that farming systems should mirror “the miraculous ingenuity of nature.”
Not to be outdone by a representative of the British monarchy, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made a surprise visit and enthusiastically covered many positive topics in agriculture including supporting local food systems, feeding hungry children, and ensuring small and mid-scale farmers can make a living from farming. In the question and answer period, however, conference participants unleashed criticisms that USDA does too little to address industrial agriculture. Read the full article…
Large agricultural firms have enough influence in the food industry to squeeze out smaller farmers by not offering fair prices for their products.
Over the past few weeks, as we’ve been preparing for our Sowing the Seeds events, some interesting discussions have been brewing about city mice vs. country mice and how they relate to agricultural subsidies. We think this issue will be a hot topic in the months to come and understanding it is critical to the success of the next Farm Bill, so we wanted to add our two cents to the discussion, as well.
It began with Washington Post writer Ezra Klein’s blog post, “Why We Still Need Cities,” which included a brash comment about subsidies. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack wasn’t happy with Klein’s comments about rural life, so he requested a chance to respond. A second post followed in the form of a Klein interview with Vilsack where the Ag chief defends the culture of rural life and its denizens’ contributions to the nation. Our thoughts on their exchange? Klein: wrong; Vilsack: wrong. They both seemed to talk around the real issue. Monica Potts from American Prospect and Grist’s Tom Philpott both have a similar opinion. Read the full article…
Sowing the Seeds events will be kicking off throughout the country. It's time to get involved in shaping food policy because it's not enough to try to change our food system with our dollars.
As more and more people are making better and more informed food choices, the realization sets in that there is only so much we can do with our purchasing power to fix our broken food system. We need to focus on the policies that shape the way our food is planted, grown and distributed. This is why this weekend, and throughout the spring, volunteers, activists and anyone who cares about healthful food will be Sowing the Seeds.
What is Sowing the Seeds?
Sowing the Seeds is a series of events that bring communities together to celebrate good food and empower people to take action in large numbers. Many participants get together to plant food in local gardens and collect petitions from members of their communities. There are currently events scheduled to take place all across the nation: From Baltimore to Bismark, from Brooklyn to Seattle, and from Providence to St. Cloud, people who want to make positive changes to our food system are getting ready. Read the full article…
We need a Farm Bill that is as good for farmers and the land as it is for eaters.
[Originally posted on Civil Eats]
Over the last decade, the sustainable food movement has brought much needed attention to U.S. agricultural policy and how it influences which foods Americans grow, buy, and consume. From chefs and policy wonks to teachers and bloggers, everyone interested in food has an opinion on subsidies and how to craft the 2012 Farm Bill. One of the most common focuses is moving subsidies away from commodities like corn and soy, which are used to make junk food and factory farmed meat, to fruit and vegetable production. This simple fix misses the bigger picture—the consolidation and the inability of diversified farms to compete in our industrialized food system. Read the full article…
On April 16, communities across the country will show support for a better food system. Will you join them?
We know that good, healthy, and sustainably-produced food is possible, and that it’s going to start with you and communities like yours.
This April 16, join communities across the country coming together to show support for:
