Farm Bill update - sort of

I keep getting distracted by more information about the Farm Bill and failing to make contact with my congressmember's office about it. Turns out tomorrow is the deadline to get urban and suburban representatives to sign on to a "dear colleague" letter urging an emphasis on programs that meet the needs of folks for local fresh healthful food.

Last year, for example, I noticed that there were programs in place so that older persons with low incomes, and folks with food stamps could shop at the farmers' market in Crescent City. But I've not seen that sort of thing around here. (I'm gradually touring the farmers' markets.)

Today's alert on the Bill from the California Coalition for Food and Farming also directed me to the web site of Earl Blumenauer, of Oregon's Third District. His Food and Farm Bill of Rights (link posted on the right) blends economic justice and sustainability values nicely. If he had his way, availability of fresh local produce to the poor would increase.

And Earl's site led me to the Farm Subsidy Database of the Environmental Working Group. If you like wallowing in statistics and seeing what you can learn, you might spend almost as much time there as I did. No surprise that cotton and rice are the biggies in California - but I was interested to see that some grains other than rice are grown here - much more wheat than I would have guessed if the subsidies are any clue - and of course they are. But where does it go? Is any of it milled here?

I've added "Call Woolsey's office" to my list of things to do tomorrow. Finally.