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Top Ten Reasons to Reject the House Farm Bill

Thursday, July 12, 2012

The budget-busting farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee late Wednesday night is quite simply the worst piece of farm and food legislation in decades. The bill will feed fewer people, help fewer farmers, do less to promote healthy diets and weaken environmental protections – and it will cost far more than congressional bean counters say.

Key Issues:

Local & Sustainable

Policy Plate: Crop Insurance Reform Would Save Tens of Billions

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

As the House Agriculture Committee considered a proposal by Reps. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) to expand crop insurance subsidies by more than $9 billion, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation to instead roll back crop insurance subsidy rates.

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Policy Plate: Insurance for Corn, Not Kids?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

An Environmental Working Group AgMag post calls out the members of Congress who are expected to support unlimited insurance subsidies for corn and cotton farmers during the House Agriculture Committee mark up (that begins tomorrow) but voted against health insurance subsidies for low income Americans in 2009.

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Insurance for Corn, Not Kids?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

On the same day that the House will vote to end health insurance subsidies for low income Americans, the House Agriculture Committee will vote to increase crop insurance subsidies for the largest and most profitable mega farms – and will cut nutrition assistance programs to pay for it.

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Policy Plate: House Democrats Stand Up For Hungry Children

Monday, July 9, 2012

Eight members of Congress plan to hold a press conference with anti-hunger groups tomorrow (Tuesday) to protest the $16 billion in cuts to nutrition assistance programs proposed by the leaders of the House Agriculture Committee in their farm bill draft. Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Joe Baca (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) will take part.

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Policy Plate: Six reasons to reject House committee leader’s farm bill

Friday, July 6, 2012

The farm bill proposed yesterday by House agriculture committee leaders would cut funds for nutrition programs and the environment to help finance new price and revenue guarantees and unlimited insurance subsidies for the largest and most successful farm businesses.

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Really?

Friday, July 6, 2012

The farm bill proposed yesterday by House Agriculture Committee leaders would cut funds for nutrition programs and the environment to help finance new price and revenue guarantees and increase insurance subsidies for the largest and most successful farm businesses.

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Policy Plate: “Farmers' safety net is now a money bag”

Thursday, July 5, 2012

A story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune documents the ways that unlimited crop insurance subsidies are driving up the costs of farming and contributing to the loss of wetlands and grasslands.

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Farm Bill Pickpockets

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Earlier this summer, advocates for the fruit and vegetable industry touted their “commitment to increasing fresh fruit and vegetable consumption for tens of thousands of students.”

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Local & Sustainable

Policy Plate: "Oversight of Direct Payments is Weak"

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A new Government Accountability Office report released today finds a host of major problems with federal direct payment farm subsidies.

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Policy Plate: Push for House to End Direct Payments

Monday, July 2, 2012

Now that the Senate has passed a farm bill that ends direct payments to farmers, the pressure is on for the House to do the same. Trish Choate of the San Angelo Standard-Times uses the 2012 EWG Farm Subsidy Database to explain the federal handout system in Texas, the state that receives the most farm subsidies.

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Policy Plate: Iowa: Second in the Nation

Friday, June 29, 2012

Environmental Working Group’s latest update of the farm subsidy database shows that Iowa grain producers are still reaping big benefits from taxpayers. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the Hawkeye State “ranks second in the nation in terms of farm subsidies, with 8.7 percent of the total in 2011.”

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Policy Plate: Farm Subsidies Go To Most Successful

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Environmental Working Group’s latest update of the EWG farm subsidy database shows that farm subsidies continue to benefit the largest and most successful farm businesses and a handful of states and congressional districts.

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Policy Plate: Farm Subsidies Still Concentrated in the Hands of the Most Successful

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Environmental Working Group’s latest update of the EWG farm subsidy database shows that farm subsidies continue to benefit the largest and most successful farm businesses and a handful of states and congressional districts.

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Policy Plate: $6.2 million to Members of Congress or Their Family Members

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Environmental Working Group’s latest update of the EWG farm subsidy database shows that 23 members of Congress, or their family members, benefitted from $6,199,807 in taxpayer-funded farm subsidy payments between 1995 and 2011.

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Policy Plate: EWG to Release 2012 Farm Subsidy Database

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Environmental Working Group will host a press briefing tomorrow in Room 304 in the Cannon House Office Building at 1:00 p.m. (EST) for accredited journalists and congressional staffers to release its latest edition of its highly referenced farm subsidy database. The 2012 database tracks $277.3 billion in commodity, crop insurance, conservation, and disaster subsidies paid between 1995 and 2011.

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Policy Plate: Howard Buffett Among Farm Subsidy Recipients

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

A 60 Minutes profile of Howard Buffett, who will succeed his father, Warren, as a non-executive chairman of a multibillion dollar holding company, reports that he has received $300,000 in farm subsidies over 13 years.

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Policy Plate: Editorials Praise Chambliss’ Conservation Amendment

Monday, June 25, 2012

Two newspaper editorials have applauded Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., for his successful efforts to add a conservation compliance amendment to the recently passed Senate farm bill. The proposal simply restores the conservation quid pro quo between taxpayers and farmers as crop insurance subsidies replace traditional farm payments.

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Policy Plate: Farm Bill Reform Champions

Friday, June 22, 2012

Today, the Environmental Working Group thanked 11 senators for leading the fight for true food and farm policy reform in the 2012 farm bill that passed in the Senate. These Senate champions displayed their leadership on issues that will impact consumers, improve the environment and reduce hunger.

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11 Champions

Friday, June 22, 2012

Everyone who eats should take a moment to thank 11 senators who proposed farm bill amendments designed to ensure that our farm and food policies help more farmers, the environment and the hungry at less cost to the taxpayer.

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