Hot Off The Press:  A Northeast Farm Bill Agenda: Priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill

As Congress considers the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, the New England Farmers Union is playing an important role in educating our Congressional delegation about the importance of this legislation to our region.

In collaboration with other farm policy leaders, NEFU helped shape the A Northeast Farm Bill Agenda: Priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill. Developed with the input of more than 300 diverse, food and farm groups in the Northeast, the Agenda provides a comprehensive and concrete set of policy options to support local and regional food systems, conservation, food security and economic development.

The farm bill sets the framework for what crops farmers grow, what food we eat, and how rural land is used. The Northeast Farm Bill Agenda articulates a set of priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill that address the opportunities and specific challenges facing agriculture from Maine to Delaware. A copy of the Northeast Farm Bill Agenda has been delivered to the offices of every Member of the Northeast Congressional delegation.

Members of Congress are in the process of making key decisions about the farm bill and NEFU will continue to weigh in in support of a farm bill that creates new markets and new opportunities for family farms in New England.

The Agenda was a product of a collaborative process facilitated by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, the New England Farmers Union, and Wholesome Wave.