Today, the House of Representatives voted 318-106 to pass a $300 billion, 5 year Farm Bill. While the bill funds some domestic conservation and nutrition programs and food aid, it also includes agricultural subsidies that have a tangible impact on global poverty. Agricultural subsidies, which Japan and other rich countries in Europe use as well, have historically been used to help farmers earn a living when world prices for commodity crops such as wheat, corn, and rice are low and farmers lose revenue. However, these payments can also cause subsidized crops to flood overseas global markets, making it difficult for farmers in poor countries to sell agricultural products in their own markets.
Farm incomes are higher than ever, the US Department of Agriculture reports that net farm income will top $92 billion in 2008, far exceeding the 10-year average of $61 billion. These agricultural subsidies often go to the wealthiest farmers in the country. Even under the new legislation only individual farmers who make $750,000 or more in farm income would be ineligible for direct subsidy payments. The legislation that the House approved today essentially continues subsidy programs that disadvantage the poor. During this time of high food prices, when U.S. farmers are earning at record levels and poor people in developing countries are struggling to feed their families, it makes little sense for the US Congress to pass a program that can have such a damaging impact on farmers in poor countries.
Next the legislation moves to the Senate, where it is likely to pass easily as well. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation when it comes to the President, but House and Senate leaders are saying that they will vote to override a veto, which requires a 2/3 vote in both houses.
To read more on the Farm Bill see the articles below AP article
December 13th, 2007 at 10:31 am | posted by Erin Erlenborn, ONE Policy Staff
The Dorgan-Grassley Amendment to the Farm Bill just missed having enough votes to pass the Senate. It needed 60 votes and fell short by just 4 votes. So close.
December 12th, 2007 at 4:02 pm | posted by Erin Erlenborn, ONE Policy Staff
There has been a threat to filibuster the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment to the Farm Bill. Now the amendment needs 60 votes instead of 50, which will make it much harder to pass.
Currently the vote is scheduled for 9:15 AM tomorrow. Please take a moment to call your senator now.
Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Sample phone script:
I am from [location]. I support farm bill reform. As a voter and member of the ONE Campaign, I urge Senator [name] to vote ‘YES’ on the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limits Amendment. This amendments provide real reform that will help struggling farmers in America and around the world.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:07 pm | posted by Erin Erlenborn, ONE Policy Staff
Today or tomoorrow, the Senate is expected to vote on the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limits Amendment to the Farm Bill. If passed, the amendment would help create a level playing field for small, family farmers by closing loopholes that in the past have skewed funding to the largest producers.
Please take a moment to call your senator and ask him or her to support the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment.
Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Sample phone script:
I am from [location]. I support Farm Bill reform. As a voter and member of the ONE Campaign, I urge Senator [name] to vote ‘YES’ on the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limits Amendment. This amendment would provide real reform that will help struggling farmers in America and around the world.
Thank you.
Also, just as an update, the Lugar-Lautenberg Farm Ranch Equity Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Amendment failed to pass the Senate yesterday. (Vote was 37 to 58.) We knew the FRESH Act was a long shot, but it was worth fighting for because it would have provided real reform and helped millions of people living in extreme poverty.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:23 pm | posted by ONE.Partners
About a month ago, we asked you to take action on the farm bill. Thousands of you made phone calls to your senators urging broad reform of the farm bill. Yet, the senate was delayed in taking action. After many false starts, the senate is likely to begin voting on amendments to the farm bill on Tuesday, December 11.
Even if you’ve called before, please take the time to call again. This may be our last chance to impact our senators.
I had the extreme personal honor this month of being invited to a morning with Dr. David Beckmann, the President of Bread for the World. It was unexpected and I was delighted: I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. The big issue up for discussion was the Farm Bill. It’s time to raise awareness and mobilize for real change.
Before we got started, I asked Dr. Beckman’s assistant if I could pass around the ONE petition, and thank the good Lord, before I left I stuffed a fistful of ONE bands in my bag, too. After we circled the room with introductions, I was asked by Dr. Beckmann to please pass ONE bands around the room, and the a sign-up form for ONE. I’m so glad I didn’t have the embarrassment of not having any on me! Well, this is interesting: all but one person in the room was already signed up and getting the action items and emails. That is so cool!
Bread for the World is an original ONE partner. The early ONE volunteers in our regions are indebted to their offices for taking our calls during 2004 and 2005 prior to an interactive yahoo site with groups and regional leadership, training, and toolkits.
I was anticipating a large sanctuary-full of people. Instead, I found myself in a comfortable setting with about one dozen other active members of the anti-poverty movement. The interaction with Dr. Beckmann and among the local activists proved invaluable. The partnership with ONE was commended often for our participation in hunger and extreme poverty and campaigns, such as ONE Vote ’08.
The Farm Bill is anticipated to hit the floor of the Senate later this week or the beginning of next week. We have been encouraged to contact our senators and ask them to support the “FRESH” amendments to the Grassley/Dorgan amendment, that would cap commodity payments to $250,000 per household, and the Lugar/Lautenberg Amendment that broaden the agricultural safety net by making a free revenue insurance program available to all farmers, saving billions of dollars to be used for nutrition, conservation, the McGovern-Dole international school meals program and more.
As noted in a previous blog, we either need to act now or we will have to wait five more years until the Farm Bill is revisited again. This Bill also addresses non-domestic agricultural trade issues, and as we enter the holiday season, we indeed can use our voice on behalf of the extreme hunger, to truly “feed the world, let them know its Christmastime.”
November 13th, 2007 at 11:06 am | posted by Weldon Kennedy
Today (and maybe tomorrow) the Senate will be voting on amendments to the Farm Bill, which includes subsidies to American farmers both large and small.
The problem with these subsidies is that when big-business farmers receive millions of dollars in subsidies they end up driving down prices of these crops around the world. As a result, small farmers around the world can’t compete. For small farmers in the developing world, this means they stay trapped in poverty, unable to compete because their government can’t afford to underwrite their production.
The Farm Bill only comes up for renewal every 5 years, so if we don’t change it now, we won’t get another shot until 2012. The status quo is a promise of 4 more years of extreme poverty to millions of people, so we are asking our Senators to vote YES on two amendments that put a limit on the cash handouts given to big-agribusiness.
You can reach your Senators by calling the capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121
When you get through, let them know you are a constituent and ask them to support:
1. The Lugar-Lautenberg Farm Ranch Equity Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Amendment.
The FRESH Amendment will provide a more effective safety net for all farmers regardless of what they grow or where they farm. The amendment reinvests $16 billion in savings over five years into several programs: $1.5 billion will go to new support for specialty crop farmers; $2.0 billion will go to improve diet and health; $6.2 billion will go to invest in popular conservation programs; $4.3 billion will go to help more hungry Americans; $3.0 billion will go to reduce the federal deficit; and $1.6 billion will go to support investments in renewable energy. The amendment will also bring our farm policy into compliance with international trade rules-removing the threat of real threat of retaliation.
2. The Grassley-Dorgan Payment Limits Amendment.
The Grassley-Dorgan Payment Limits Amendment will place a real limit on the amount of money any one entity can receive, and it will close loopholes that allow some producers to evade limits altogether. This amendment will level the playing field for family farms and rural communities by producing budget savings that can be reinvested into programs such as nutrition, conservation, and rural development-that deliver enhanced social benefits.
September 20th, 2007 at 4:29 pm | posted by Katie Andrews, ONE Regional Field Organizer
Yesterday, members of the Farm Bill Working Group of Ohio went on a mission in downtown Columbus to deliver a faith-based sign-on letter to the offices of Senators Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich.
As seen in the pictures, our team includes: Jerry Freewalt (Columbus Catholic Diocese), Mark Diemer (Grace of God Lutheran Church), Gini Lohmann Bauman (Sojourners), Larry Hollar (Bread for the World). Being the group photographer that day, I was included in spirit.
The sign-on letter included faith leaders from Central and Southern Ohio representing over 2,000 congregations and over 650,000 people of faith.
There are two purposes for this sign-on letter:
1. To show the Ohio senators that the faith community cares about these issues; and
2. To urge the Senate to push for a better and stronger Farm Bill that helps farmers domestically while keeping in mind farmers globally.
Beth Thames, the Deputy State Director for Senator Brown, and Lynn Stevens, the Community Relations Coordinator for Senator Voinovich, gladly accepted the letters and took the time to hear our concerns. Our mission is over but the mission for the Senate is just beginning. Hopefully we will have some good news this Fall.
August 24th, 2007 at 4:41 pm | posted by Erin Erlenborn, ONE Policy Staff
This is an abridge legislative update — it is August recess after all.
The Farm Bill - The U.S. Congress has an unique moment to reform the Farm Bill this year to help small farmers in America and in developing countries.
Updates:
- Last week, Speaker Pelosi said on camera that she has “always wanted” a tougher limit on farm subsidies (a payment limit so wealthy farmers don’t continue to receive a government check) than the one included in the House-passed farm bill.
- The Senate Farm Bill will likely to be marked-up in committee during the third week of September and the Senate’s support for a tougher payment limit is growing - Obama, Durbin, Brown, Dorgan, Grassley have all come out publicly supporting a stronger cap.
The Millennium Challenge Account - A U.S. government program that rewards countries that do right by their citizens through long-term, larger than typical grants. Beyond working as an incentive against corruption, the process is additionally unique because it is transparent and citizen led.
Update:
-The list of signatories is growing. Republicans: Senators John Sununu, Norm Coleman, Johnny Isakson, Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar, Gordon Smith, Richard Burr, John Warner and David Vitter. Democrats: Senators Christopher Dodd, Russ Feingold, Joe Lieberman and Sheldon Whitehouse
August 14th, 2007 at 1:57 pm | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
Sen. Obama was in Nashua yesterday to talk with New Hampshire voters about why he wants to be the next president of the United States. In his speech, he spoke about the need to fight AIDS and poverty in places like Africa and his plan to double US aid in these areas.
He also spoke about reforming the Farm Bill in the Senate and said how important it was for the Senate to shift farming payments. He even noted how many of these payments have been wasted and been given to deceased people and fortune 500 companies. By reforming the Farm Bill, we have a chance to help small US farms at the same time we allow poor African farmers to trade their way out of poverty.
After the event, Sen. Obama went around and shook hands with people and met some ONE members in the crowd. The Kinney’s were there and their daughter Carly and her friend Chandler, in ONE shirts, were able to thank Senator Obama for remembering the poorest people in the world. I was able to snap a quick photo as Sen. Obama thanked us and he moved down the line…only to find more ONE members thanking him for talking about AIDS and poverty in Africa.
Across the nation, ONE members are using their voice on behalf of the poorest of the poor, and the over 2.4 million Americans that know our country can beat global AIDS and end extreme global poverty when we act as ONE. ONE Vote ‘08 is making sure the next president of the United States - Republican or Democrat, man or woman - will be a leader in this global emergency!
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The content of each post and each comment represent the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ONE Campaign or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any posts expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
Yesterday, members of the Farm Bill Working Group of Ohio went on a mission in downtown Columbus to deliver a faith-based sign-on letter to the offices of Senators Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich. 
The sign-on letter included faith leaders from Central and Southern Ohio representing over 2,000 congregations and over 650,000 people of faith. 
