Growers and Grocers

The House Committee on Agriculture is preparing to draft parts of the Food and Farm Bill next week in the various subcommittee. A post at Gristmill explores the schedule for the bill, explains how citizens can influence Congress, and reveals that four titles will be worked on next week: Conservation (Title II), Credit […]

Before I get into the update, a note on terminology. The traditional term for the omnibus piece of legislation that authorizes agriculture and nutrition programs is the “Farm Bill.” But that term is far too limiting. The “Farm Bill” is one of the most far-reaching pieces of legislation to be considered by […]

This week’s episode of the PBS program NOW is looking at cotton. Specifically, are government subsidies to U.S. cotton farmers causing starvation in Africa? Activists are concerned that government subsidies artificially lower the market price for cotton, thus undercutting small producers in Africa.
It is an interesting question to consider, but why on a […]

On February 2nd, forty farming, environmental and other groups sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) requesting that the Budget Committee authorize sufficient funds to create a Farm Bill that will “provide a safety net for our agricultural producers, expand production of renewable energy, protect our natural resources, […]

On Wednesday morning, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns released the USDA’s proposals for the farm bill.
USDA began preparations for the 2007 farm bill in 2005 by conducting 52 Farm Bill Forums across the country. More than 4,000 comments were recorded or collected during forums and via electronic and standard mail. These comments are summarized in […]

The House Committee on Agriculture will take the lead in drafting the next Farm Bill, with the House Committee on the Budget and the House Committee on Appropriations also playing important roles in determining how much can be spent and allocating the funds. The new members of the Agriculture Committee for the 110th Congress […]

The 110th United States Congress started work on January 2, 2007, and committee assignments in the Senate were recently finalized. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee will have a significant impact on the shape of the next Farm Bill, as will the Senate Budget Committee and the House counterparts. The overall shape […]

If you have been reading Growers and Grocers for a while, you will know that sometime next year the U.S. Congress will consider an overhaul of agricultural policy in the form of the “2007 Farm Bill” (previous G & G coverage is here). As the debate ramps up in 2007, you won’t be able to […]

Elections are right around the corner in the United States, and candidates in agricultural regions have used their Farm Bill plans to woo voters. This set of legislators will be the ones who make or break next year’s new Farm Bill, and rural communities want to know what to expect from their representatives. While the […]

Michael Pollan spoke about the U.S. Farm Bill as he promoted his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. He urged Americans to talk to their representatives about their stance on the Farm Bill, which is due for renewal in 2007. “It should be called the Food Bill,” he said. The Farm Bill sets the policy that controls […]