2007 Farm Bill

Congress will soon be deliberating on the farm bill which will set the direction of our food system for the next five years. This will have an affect on all Americans, not just the farmers. The subsidies that are passed out will decide what we will be eating and ultimately our nutritional health.

I am currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which presents a good look at how actions of the Dept. of Agriculture affect our food system. Corn, the most subsidized crop, shows up at our table in most of our processed food, in the beef and chicken that were raised on corn and in our drinks sweetened with fructose. The industrialization of our food system has led to a few large corporations benefiting the most from our agricultural programs.

The United Methodist Church is one of more than a dozen Churches and faith-based organizations that have come together as the Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill. Their goal is to urge for major changes in the U.S. agricultural policy aimed at reducing hunger and poverty, and promoting the livelihood of farmers and rural communities, in the U.S. and around the world.