Collaboration Defined: Over 500 Orgs Unite for New Farm Bill

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, and 529 other organizations have now joined together to tell lawmakers that programs that benefit every family in American are too important to put off any longer. Joe Gilson, director of congressional relations for AFBF says the letter is urging Congress to pass a modernized farm bill…

“If we do not pass a new farm bill and push it to the next Congress there are significant legislative and administrative duties in a new Congress, and it's just going to be pushed down the road even further.”

Gilson says every American is impacted by the farm bill…

“There are so many parts of the farm bill that touch Americans, from growing food to nutrition for low income families, to making sure we have the resources to properly take care of the environment.”

The fact that more than 500 groups signed on to the letter should tell Congress how important this is…

“I think it tells Congress that there is still a need to pass a bill this year, and I know that this whole Congress, people have been telling them that. And I think we just wanted to make the point that we haven’t given up yet. We still think, with the right leadership, they can advance this bill and get something done.”

He says you help the process by calling your elected officials and asking them to finish.