By Dan Nagengast

Most small horticultural producers view much of U.S. agricultural policy from a distance.  That policy is generally summed up in a sprawling patchwork of legislation known as “The Farm Bill” and dealt with about every five years.  2007 is one of those years, and many people hope to change the focus and nature of agriculture this time around.
    The Farm Bill is dealt with mostly in the agriculture and appropriations committees of Congress.  To gain some enlightenment about who the deciders are, you could map the legislative districts of committee members from both parties.  You would find an amazing congruence with a map of growing areas for the federally supported commodity crops, things like corn, sorghum, cotton, rice, peanuts, wheat, etc.  This is partly an historical artifact from the depression-era 1930s when those commodities were very important and farming occupied many more of us.
    Some argue that the focus on those commodities has skewed not only production and the structure of agriculture, but also the American diet, in unhealthy ways.  At a time when everyone agrees we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, the Farm Bill gives the most support to corn, rice and cotton.  For low-income people, fresh fruits and vegetables are vastly more expensive than macaroni and cheese.  And yet for farmers like us, prices are so low that we barely squeeze by.
    What to do?   Well first of all, let’s remember that our work offers some fundamental solutions to many of the problems that ail this country.  We provide healthier foods.  The best of us farm in ecologically sound ways with landscape goals that make room for wildlife and have cleaner water leaving our farms than that flowing in.  We provide more jobs for rural areas per farm, and our dollars circulate locally.   Our local food is delivered with less energy cost and pleases our customers more.  By focusing on feeding ourselves, we don’t endanger our colleagues overseas with underpriced exports.
    These are all positive reasons for reforming commodity supports and encouraging a new kind of agriculture.  But let’s not forget the others who also look to the Farm Bill.  More than 50% of last year’s USDA spending was on programs such as food stamps, supplemental foods for low-income Women with Infants and Children (WIC), the commodity distribution to food banks, and school lunch programs.  There are stake holders here who need more of a say concerning farm policy.  And I’ve barely touched on the conservation programs which preserve and protect environmentally sensitive lands, bodies of water and critical wildlife habitat.  Some of these programs, like the Conservation Security Program (CSP) preserve working farm lands, assisting farmers and ranchers to become better stewards. 
    Issues needing our direct support include marketing and rural development granting programs like the Farmers Market Promotion Program, the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program and the Value Added Producer Grant Program.  The research and educational assistance we need, (perenially on the chopping block), comes through the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, and offices like the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, including ATTRA.  Larger appropriations to programs supporting specialty crop research will help our academic colleagues respond to the needs of our farming systems.  Risk Management Association funding can provide us with the tools we need to mitigate or avoid crop loss.
    We all need to get involved.  One place to start is the Kansas Rural Center web page: www.kansasruralcenter.org.  Look at our policy and advocacy pages and read some of the documents like Seeking Balance in U.S. Farm and Food Policy.  You can sign up for our Action Alerts, applicable to farmers in any state, which will guide you in contacting your federal representatives on the issues that matter to you.
    This Farm Bill has a chance to finally be your Farm Bill.  But only if you act on it.

Dan Nagengast is the executive director of the Kansas Rural Center and the associate editor of Growing for Market. He can be reached at nagengast@earthlink.net.