Page 81 - Summer2018

The House Farm Bill would eliminate CSP baby food containers, perishable food The provision
and replace it with vague “stewardship con- labeling, and labeling of consumer
tracts” inside the EQIP. But these “stewardship chemicals known to cause birth defects. would
contracts” retain very little of the important core prohibit any
elements of the CSP, such as comprehensive PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT state or
whole farm conservation approaches and the LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION
eligibility requirement to reach certain envi- Farmers and consumers across the country local
ronmental stewardship levels before enrolling. have taken the farm-to-table movement from an government
The bill also allows “stewardship contracts” for unknown concept to a vibrant, growing move- from
use by CAFOs. At the same time, the bill cuts ment that generated almost nine billion dollars adopting any
total conservation funding by nearly one billion in revenue in 2015, according to the USDA.
dollars. Bottom line: less funding overall for This rapid growth is primarily driven by the standard or
conservation, no funding at all for many im- farmers’ own hard work and by groups like the condition
portant projects and the funding that is provided Weston A. Price Foundation, which have edu-
will more often go to factory farms. cated consumers on why they should seek out on the
this food―but the connection between farmers production or
LOCAL CONTROL and consumers has been helped in many cases manufacture
OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD with two government programs funded under
Representative King (R-IA) has been trying the last farm bill. of any
for several years to strip local control of food and One is the Farmers Market and Local Food agricultural
agriculture. While his provision was blocked in Promotion Program, which provides important product
the last Farm Bill, this time it made it into the support for farmers’ markets as well as local that is sold
House’s version of the Farm Bill. The provision food hubs.
would prohibit any state or local government The other is the Value-Added Producer in interstate
from adopting any standard or condition on the Grant Program, which helps farmers increase commerce.
production or manufacture of any agricultural the size of their businesses and bring in new
product that is sold in interstate commerce. sources of income. The House bill leaves the
The bill mandates a one-size-fits-all ap- programs in place, but removes what is known
proach that would eliminate laws adopted by as mandatory funding―leaving the funding
local communities to address problems like up to Congress each year. In practical terms,
Dicamba pesticide drift, to set standards for this most likely means no funding for these
food quality and animal welfare (such as cage- programs for the next five years.
free eggs or crate-free veal), and even laws that
simply allow consumers to know whether their GIVEAWAYS TO LARGE AGRIBUSINESSES
purchases support their local farming communi- One of the best-known problems with the
ties. State and local laws that would be negated Farm Bill is its subsidy system for commod-
include: ity crops. The House version of the Farm Bill
amplifies the problem by abolishing a thirty-
• Labeling and sale criteria for maple year-old rule that prevents corporations from
syrup, farm-raised fish and many more. receiving unlimited commodity payments.
• Farm production standards related Lucrative loopholes in the bill for the largest,
to the transport of commodities and wealthiest agribusiness operations would al-
livestock, farm labor safeguards and low most corporate farms to receive multiple
agriculture chemical use standards. payments, rather than being limited to a single
• Farmer and rural community protec- payment under a single payment cap, which
tions like bans on importing diseased is currently the case. And corporate entities
products (firewood, bee colonies, etc.), would be exempt from the current limitation
fertilizer application standards and that no person or legal entity with an adjusted
fencing requirements. gross income exceeding nine hundred thousand
• Consumer protection such as BPA-free dollars (effectively almost two million dollars

SUMMER 2018 Wise Traditions 79