| SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 -- The National Grange joined forces with more than 40 other agricultural organizations as part of the Farm Bill Now coalition, and promised to rally with coalition members on Capital Hill next month.
The coalition’s objective is to raise public awareness about the importance of passing the 2012 Farm Bill. Provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill are set to expire on Sept. 30.
The coalition brings together groups from all sectors of agriculture, including dairy, livestock, energy, commodity crops, specialty crops, farm cooperatives, financial groups, non---profits and more.
“I’m so glad that despite differing opinions and legislative priorities, all of these groups could join together to fight for our much---needed Farm Bill. Everyone in the agricultural community has been frustrated by the lack of action in Congress to get American agriculture the resources it needs to keep operating, and it’s time we voice that frustration,” National Grange President Ed Luttrell said Thursday.
Farm Bill Now is set to hold two major events in coming weeks, including a rally on Capitol Hill at which several Grange representatives from all levels of the organization will be represented.
“This rally, and other advocacy events, are a key part of our organization’s mission,” National Grange Legislative Director Grace Boatright said Thursday. “It’s important for our members’ voices to be heard by their representatives, for those elected to see the faces of those effected by their decisions, or indecision.”
The rally, set for the U.S. Capitol grounds on Wednesday, Sept. 12 will allow members of the coalition groups to encourage lawmakers to pass the Farm Bill before programs expire at the end of September.
Prior to this event, Farm Bill Now will be represented at the annual Farm Progress Show, the nation’s largest outdoor farm show, in Boone, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 28. Farmers and other agriculture activists will be there to discuss the Farm Bill Now effort and how others can get involved as well.
The group issued a statement on the importance of new farm legislation for America’s farmers recently, in which it noted jobs as a key factor in the Farm Bill along with food, research and nutrition.
“Calling the farm bill the ‘farm bill’ suggests its impact is limited only to farms and to the rural areas to which they are so closely tied. It’s really a jobs bill. A food bill. A conservation bill. A research bill. An energy bill. A trade bill. In other words, it’s a bill that affects every American.” |
