Farm Bill: "Half a Loaf" Better Than None

The Farm Bill is in the final stretch, as the House is poised to vote on a compromise bill that President Bush threatens to veto. Now is the time to contact your House member and urge them to vote "yes" to assure that any veto can be overridden. While certainly not perfect, the bill contains a number of measures to improve nutritional and conservation programs, as well as to support small-scale, sustainable farming. What is most encouraging is the unprecedented interest that ordinary citizens have taken in this important piece of legislation that until recently had been largely ignored. Efforts to reform our industrialized, globalized food system must continue, as David Beckmann of Bread for the World points out:

"Our stand on the 2008 Farm Bill comes from a Biblical imperative that calls for a 'harvest of righteousness' (James 3:18). We will keep on working to reform the farm bill until it truly serves the needs of poor farm and rural families and all people around the world who struggle to feed themselves and their children."