It will affect what you eat, how much you pay for your food, how much food is available to you and your family, your health, climate change, how our children do in school, the economy, the safety of our food supply, and water and land rights. I'm talking about the 2012 Farm Bill (pdf). The Farm Bill comes up for negotiation every five years and is due to be renegotiated in 2012. It will likely be the only large legislation coming out of congress before the 2012 election.
It is a behemoth of a bill currently funded at 283 billion (pdf) and is already in hearings in The Senate Agriculture Committee chaired by Debbie Stabenow, D.Michigan. The lobbyists representing the same interests who have been so successful in influencing for our present system are back at the table lobbying for big agriculture subsidies, fast food, factory farms, deregulation and all the policies that have given us an agriculture system that contributes to a massive health care crisis and is responsible for a chronic disease epidemic. It also contributes to Earth killing policies that make our system a major player in contributing to climate change.
What is most important to you? Is it the safety of the food available for purchase? The price of that food? How food production affects climate change? How much food will be available for you and your family? Continuation of food programs including food stamps and community assisted programs? The food available in public schools? In your neighborhood? You're going to want a piece of the pie.
We have an opportunity to influence the discussion and it's not too early to start. I wrote about some of my ideas here. I would like to hear some of yours. I'll write about this again and perhaps once we clarify our positions we can begin to lobby for those positions and identify 2012 candidates who will support them. Let's vote with our forks and our votes!