Policy Plate: Farm Bill Markup Set
Senate Agriculture Committee leaders are planning to draft their version of a 2012 farm bill by the end of April, a legislative aide told The Hagstrom Report. We hope they produce a proposal that produces a fair, equitable and fiscally responsible safety net for working farms and ranches, protects clean water and the environment, and increases affordability of and access to healthy food.
Meanwhile, House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said on Agri-Talk that there’s a “strong” chance that Congress will just extend the 2008 farm bill. That would keep the discredited direct payments to farmers around for at least another year.
Table Scraps:
OxFam America published new research that estimates that farm bill reforms could allow U.S. food aid programs to reach an additional 17 million people – by, for instance, allowing them to buy local and regional food.
Annie’s, the organic maker of mac and cheese, went public yesterday, spurring author and healthy food activist Robyn O’Brien to offer her take on Wall Street investors joining the food revolution.
And supermarket retail chain Hy-Vee says it will offer its customers hamburger with or without “pink slime,” clearly identified so customers can choose. So labeling isn’t that hard after all.
Tweet of the day:
Chris Clayton @ChrisClaytonDTN Signs of life for Farm Bill: Senate Ag Committee Could Markup by End of April. http://t.co/lx4X4h9a
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