“Farm Bill Now” Rally

The current Farm Bill is due to expire September 30. The future of federal food, agriculture, and nutrition programs is awaiting Congressional action. The Senate has passed its version, and the House Agriculture Committee has completed work on its version. With only eight legislative days scheduled for this month, will the House leadership bring the bill to the floor?

On August 22, a coalition of 39 of the nation’s foremost agricultural organizations announced its formation in an effort to raise public awareness of the need for Congress to pass a new, comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire in September. The coalition, called Farm Bill Now, includes associations and coalitions representing commodity crops, livestock, dairy, specialty crops, state and local governments, minor crops, energy and biobased product groups, farm cooperatives and financial groups, as well as the nation’s two largest farm groups, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union. Each organization has strong and distinct policy priorities, yet all 39 are committed to passing a new, comprehensive bill this year.

The coalition will be holding a rally in Washington, D.C., at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 12, at the Capitol Reflecting Pool's Union Square (located between the Botanic Garden and the U.S. Capitol). The rally will feature speakers from various agricultural organizations who will address the crowd of family farmers and ranchers with a singular, unified policy message that a farm bill must be passed into law before September 30.

If you live outside the Washington, D.C., area, you could contact your representative and senators and encourage them to attend.

For more information, contact Dan McEvily, National Farmers Union communications coordinator, at [email protected] or 202-314-3104.