Farmers Union Members Push for a Farm Bill

National Farmers Union members from across the country gathered in Washington, DC, recently for their annual legislative fly-in. A top concern that members raised was the continued lack of a Farm Bill. Mike Stranz, vice president of advocacy for the National Farmers Union,

“Farmers Union members from across the country shared their stories about how the farm economy is. If it isn't in a crisis, it's well on its way to one. Right now, the economic indicators are not looking good, their alarm bells sounding and lights flashing on the dashboard, so to speak. When it comes to the farm economy, we shared a lot of stories and statistics about how that is shaping up and how that is impacting farmers' union members at their farm and their communities around the country.”

Stranz says that they are pushing for local food procurement agreements in a farm bill,

"Earlier this year, we spent a lot of time talking about the funding freezes and program cuts that happened right at the beginning of the Trump administration.

“There was, for instance, a very popular program that we heard a lot about from farmers across the country, that helped local farmers connect with institutions and community organizations and schools to sell produce and farm products locally, that was cut and eliminated at the beginning of the this administration.”

There are now bills in both the Senate and the House aimed at ensuring farmers receive a larger share of the retail dollar by channeling more of their food directly into local communities and institutions.