WHEATON--FAIRNESS IN FARM: Reforms introduced by U.S. Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., in the proposed “Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment” failed to stir up the pot in the U.S. House; the bill failed July 26 by a vote of 117-309. Introduced on the floor only days before the schedule month-long Congressional recess in August, Kind and Flake together with a bipartisan crop of co-sponsors--including Paul Ryan, R-Wis, Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Dave Reichert, R-Wash., Rush Holt, D-N.J.., Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Jim Moran, D-Va.--were determined to move the debate toward authentic restructuring.

However, the traditional model of providing subsidies for large agri-business won out in the end. A bill called the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act, HR 2419, passed July 27 by a vote of 231-191. In its current state, the bill “does not help most family farmers, and harms farmers in developing countries,” surmised Jean Sammon, a lobbyist at Network, a Catholic social justice lobby organization in Washington, D.C. Commodities farming methods tend to lead to the demise of rural communities already marked by an economically devastated citizenry of bankrupt family farmers.

In a July 27 e-mail, Sammon noted that she was disappointed with the final vote, adding that “it is very hard to change entrenched systems based largely on money and politics.” However, she lauded the efforts of supporters of the Fairness in Farm and Food Policy who moved for ethical reform of the system. She vowed to continue to advocate for reform as the bill moves to the Senate.

To voice concern about the House’s failure to pass a just farm bill, send an e-mail to your Representative about the matter. Go to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=10115286  – enter your zip code and an appropriate message will come up, based on your Representative’s vote.