Why You Should Care About the Farm Bill (video)

Do you ever wonder why highly processed foods are so profitable for the food industry? The Farm Bill makes their primary ingredients cheaper, and favors industrial producers over small farmers. Fresh fruits and vegetables don’t offer the same opportunities for making money.

Parent Earth and Community Food Security Coalition launched the “Parents Stand Up for Food” campaign to educate families about the Farm Bill with 3 new compelling short videos.

The U.S. adopts a new Farm Bill every 5-7 years, and the new one is being decided over the next few months. This massive piece of legislation sets the framework for what we eat, whether our food is nourishing and affordable, what assistance our society provides to feeding hungry people, what crops farmers grow, and how rural land is used.

Most parents don’t know that the Farm Bill is the most important bill that affects what our children eat. Our nation’s children are under-nourished and overfed. Not only is this devastating for families, but we have an obesity epidemic that costs our nation over $147 billion a year! It is time for the 150 million parents in this country to pay attention to the Farm Bill.

Parent Earth is giving away free DVD’s and Toolkits to anyone interested in organizing a screening and discussion about the Farm Bill. It includes 3 short videos.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

JL A.

12:35PM PDT on May 12, 2013

important reminders--too many don't think about all the impacts from various proposals and policies

May 12
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Bill and Katie D.

10:49PM PDT on May 11, 2013

Yes raise your own and buy local! We always gave something to everybody that visited us!
We would even get the shovel and go get "starts" for them! Walk all over the garden and ask if they could use this?? We had a 1/2 acre and raised so much, canned it and froze it! Watched it all grow!
Thank you

May 11
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Hartson D.

10:19AM PST on Mar 9, 2013

There is only one way to go back to the small family farm, buy from those that have with drawn from the Agra biz trap. Buy from the farmers market. Buy from your local natural foods health food store. I had a small, 20 X 40 foot organic garden. I would have massive amounts of surplus. I would take what I had and give it away to the neighbors. I would take it to the health food store and sell it to them. My brother cans his surplus still. I now live in a condo complex with no community garden, So, now I have to buy instead of grow most of what I eat. I do have a small aquaponics system set up with tilapia feeding my tomatoes and green onions.

March 9
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Danuta W.

2:04AM PDT on Jun 22, 2012

Great article thanks for sharing

June 22
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Jennifer C.

7:45PM PDT on Apr 4, 2012

Thanks.

April 4
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Strawberry H.

8:46AM PST on Feb 5, 2012

It's a shame when a farmer can't run his own farm and grow what is needed by the consumer and what grows well in his climate and ground! My greatgrand parents had a farm with animals too and the food was so good and healthy. When we had breakfast, they went to the barn and got eggs, they had smoked bacon from killing a hog, and fresh milk and butter from their cow. The vegetables they grew were harvested and canned in mason jars and put in a root cellar and they had enough to last until next harvest. Man, what a way to live..those were really the good old days. Sometimes modern is not the best way.

February 5
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Kimberlee W.

7:30AM PST on Nov 14, 2011

Breaking News!!!!
Okay, not breaking if you've been paying attention (and I don't fault anyone who doesn't know about these things, I simply read an AWFUL LOT, LOL)
The Ag bill is being debated by - GET THIS - 4 - that's only FOUR of the Supercommittee! They are planning on getting their version in by SNEAKING it into this Budget Bill! In Closed Committees, no less! Big breaks for Big Ag! Screw you and they're going to get theirs!! This is an ABOMINATION! Mostly because they DO NOT have your best interests at heart.
WRITE YOUR CONGRESS NOW ABOUT THIS!!
And most of you have seen how food prices are skyrocketing. What many don't know is that food is the new oil in the stock market We just had record crop reports, but you wouldn't know it from prices at the store. That's because, just like oil prices were hijacked by a few speculators on Wall St., food staples are being subjected to being the next big betting pool. One more thing that the rich will deny the poor in their neverending quest for wealth!
SUPPORT THE SPECULATION TAX!! CALL YOUR CONRESS NOW!!
This tax is all of one quarter of one percent on speculation, the same kind that brought down the banks. AND THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY IT! Conservatives say it's counter-productive, but if you invest $5000, it only amounts to ten bucks. But for speculators that want to raise your food $$$, it would be tens of thousands. And keep them in check.