The Farm Bill: Better Food Starts Here
Watch our video to meet the contestants of The Biggest Farm Bill Loser: the American consumer, the independent farmer, and the corporate fat cat.
Update
The Senate Agriculture Committee passed its version of the 2012 farm bill. The next step in the process is for the bill to go to the Senate floor. We do not know when that will happen, although the Chair of the committee, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), says it will be in “a few weeks.” Read more.
About the Farm Bill
Our current food system is broken, and it didn’t happen by accident. Decades of bad food policy designed to benefit agribusinesses and mega-farms, combined with unchecked corporate mergers, have wreaked havoc on family farmers, public health and rural communities.
The Farm Bill is up for reauthorization in 2012, and if we can implement certain changes, we can create a healthy food system for everyone.
Act to improve our food.
Visit the Fair Farm Bill Action Center.
What a Fair Farm Bill Means for You
- Better choices: Breaking up the agribusiness monopolies will bring a more vibrant marketplace.
- Stable prices: Restoring common-sense practices like agricultural reserves can prevent speculation from driving up food prices.
- Increased access to healthy food: More families will have easy access to healthy foods they can afford.
- Stronger local infrastructure: Reversing the consolidation in the food system would allow for more local businesses.
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What a Fair Farm Bill Means for Farmers
- A level playing field: A fair marketplace for small farmers cannot exist without breaking up the agribusiness monopolies.
- Fair markets: Farm pricing and contract policies can ensure that all producers receive enough from their sales or services to provide a fair return.
What a Fair Farm Bill Means for the Environment
- Environmental stewardship: Conservation programs can improve biodiversity, minimize pollution, and conserve essential resources.
- Sustainable farming: Independent farmers will receive support to help them shift to more diversified operations.
Read more about fair farm rules.
Take Action
We can achieve a healthy food system if enough people demand change in the next Farm Bill.
Act now: Sign the petition.
Tell others: 
Spread the word with our printable flyer.
Learn More
How did we get here? Get the basics of agricultural policy.
Read the complete fact sheet: Better Food Starts with the Farm Bill
Read more in other related publications:
- Meatpacker Concentration Harms Farmers, Workers and Consumers
- Do Farm Subsidies Cause Obesity?
- Don’t Bank on It: Farmers Face Significant Barriers to Credit Access During Economic Downturn
- Good Food for All
- Farm Subsidies 101
- Consolidation and Buying Power in the Grocery Industry
- Taking on Corporate Power in the Food Supply
- Horizontal Consolidation and Buyer Power in the Beef Industry
- Consolidation and Price Manipulation in the Dairy Industry
- Abusive Poultry Contracts Require Government Action
- Why Antitrust Laws Matter for Agriculture and Food