The National Grange has joined forces with more than 40 other agricultural organizations as part of the Farm Bill Now coalition, and plans to rally with coalition members on Capitol Hill in September to raise public awareness about the importance of passing the 2012 Farm Bill. Provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill are set to expire on Sept. 30.
The coalition brings together groups from all sectors of agriculture, including dairy, livestock, energy, commodity crops, specialty crops, farm cooperatives, financial groups, non-profits and more. ”I’m so glad that despite differing opinions and legislative priorities, all of these groups could join together to fight for our much-needed Farm Bill,” said National Grange President Ed Luttrell. “Everyone in the agricultural community has been frustrated by the lack of action in Congress to get American agriculture the resources it needs to keep operating, and it’s time we voice that frustration.”
The rally on Capitol Hill is set for Sept. 12. ”Calling the Farm Bill the ‘farm bill’ suggests its impact is limited only to farms and to the rural areas to which they are so closely tied,” said the National Grange. “It’s really a jobs bill. A food bill. A conservation bill. A research bill. An energy bill. A trade bill. In other words, it’s a bill that affects every American.”