Humane Issues in the News: Farm Bill

Every five years an issue comes around that affects not only every child, woman, and man in the U.S., but also nonhuman animals, our environment, and people around the world. The Farm Bill.

Currently Congress is struggling to cobble together a Farm Bill that can pass through both houses. But because the Farm Bill is so large (the current Senate version has more than 1,010 pages) and complex -- involving legislation not for just food, but issues such as conservation, trade, nutrition, forestry, and even energy policy -- that it has a significant impact on our food system, and thus the health and well-being of people, animals, the natural world, and others around the globe. It's an important piece of legislation that concerned citizens should be informed about. Here are a few resources that can help.

1. GOOD offers a brief infographic overview called "Making Sense of the Farm Bill," and is also running a series, called "Forked Up," which tracks current news and issues related to the U.S. food system, including several stories about the Farm Bill.
   
2. Grist is also running a series of blog posts keeping up with the Farm Bill process and issues citizens should know about.
3. NPR ran a recent story about "Why the Farm Bill's Provisions Will Matter to You."
4. A coalition of organizations and people concerned about food policy and the U.S. food system have created a primer, Food Fight: A Citizens' Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill, which offers helpful information about the issues involved.
5. The Senate has recently released a version of the Farm Bill (technically titled the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act 2012). You can get an overview and follow updates here.  

~ Marsha

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