Earl Blumenauer: “Congress is in the process of updating the Nation's agricultural policy for the first time since 2002 to see if it can…”

“Congress is in the process of updating the Nation's agricultural policy for the first time since 2002 to see if it can serve the interests of all America's farmers and ranchers. This is more than a farm bill, it is a food bill as well. Everyone who eats is affected by our food and farm policy. Michael Pollan explained how the farm bill is the reason that a package of Twinkies, which contains 39 complex ingredients, costs less than a bunch of carrots straight from the farm. The farm bill should serve all Americans, not just a few special interests. Today, 70 percent of the payments go to the richest 10 percent of the farmers, while 60 percent of America's farmers and ranchers get no support whatsoever. It is time for a food and farm bill of rights that provides a comprehensive guide to reform the farm bill. We must move beyond the policies that were written for the Depression or the 1950s to one designed for the world we live in today; and, more important, the world we want to live in tomorrow.”