Farm Bill
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
The House and Senate finally reached agreement this week on the almost $300 billion five-year farm bill last week. Word is that President Bush is going to veto the bill, but work is already being done to override the veto.
Some of the people who will benefit are the millions of low-income Americans who are hungry and don't have healthy food due to rising food prices.
Here are some highlights:
- A food stamp pilot program that utilizes incentives to encourage healthy food choices
- An expanded fruit and vegetable snack program in elementary schools
- Reauthorization of the nutrition monitoring system
- Better coordination of research activities
Unfortunately, only a very small amount of money has been allocated for research of organic and specialty crop research.
The bill also includes subsidies for farmers, and the amounts depend on the income of the farmers. Money has been set aside for conservation with assistance for farmers to make environmental improvements on their land.
For more information on the Farm Bill, visit www.farmland.org
Photo courtesy of heatedgroundphotography
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