This is brief resource list which grows out of the April 2013 Ecumenical Advocacy Days
The 2013 Farm Bill
Historically, the Farm Bill has been renewed about every five years since 1933. The 2008 Farm Bill, which expired Sept. 30, 2012, was extended in part for one year, by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) enacted on Janary 2, 2013. The Farm Bill covers a wide range of farm and agriculture policies, including SNAP (food stamps), international food assistance, farm subisidies for commodities (such as corn, wheat, soy beans, cotton, and sugar), supportive services for new farmers and community farm markets, and conservation. The following resources provide more details about the Farm Bill and current issues.
Resources on the 2013 Farm Bill from a Faith Perspective
Ecumenical Advocacy Days – April 5-8, 2013
- Farm Bill 2013 – Legislative Ask (Overview)
Other Farm Bill Resources
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
- Budget Blueprints Outline Radically Different Paths for New Farm Bill (3/14/2013)
- Is There a Mega Budget Deal Coming? (March 22, 2013)
- Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill (online version – continually updated)
- Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill (pdf version – February 2009)
Food Research and Action Center
- Farm Bill 2013
- Farm Bill Legislative Action
- “The Ryan Budget and SNAP” – Statement of U.S. Representative James P. McGovern (March 14, 2013)
- McGovern SNAP “Dear Colleague” letter
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
- Farm Bill free fall (Jan. 9, 2013) links to other resources
- Beyond the Farm Bill (Jan. 9, 2013)
- Farm Bill 101 (January 2012) 20pp.
- A Political War Brews Over ‘Food For Peace’ Aid Program (April 4, 2013)
Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First)
- Farm Bill Fiasco: What Next for the Food Movement? (Spring 2013)
- The US Food Aid Industry: Food for Peace or Food for Profit? (March 26, 2013)
- Farm Bill cliff: A more trade-distorting farm policy (Dec. 12, 2012)
The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) and the Congressional Research Service (CRS) have many documents which relate to the Farm Bill, including:
National Agricultural Law Center
- Farm Bill resources
current and past Farm Bill legislation - Congressional Research Service Reports – many reports related to agriculture and farming
- American Farmland Trust has extensive farmland information
state by state:
Agribusiness
Agribusiness Giants Dominate Grain Trade*
The same three grain giants — Cargill-Continental Grain, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Zen Noh (a Japanese company) — control 81% of the corn exports and 65% of the soybean exports. ADM and Cargill are also among the top four in terminal grain handling, flour milling, soybean crushing and ethanol production.
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top four firms in specific food industries include: |
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*Study commissioned by National Farmers Union and conducted by Mary Hendrickson and William Heffernan from the University of Missouri (March 2002).
Food & Nutrition: Pennsylvania Resources
Other faith-based resources on Agricultural Policy
- National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program
Environment, Food, and Farming resources
Note: You must register to download resources from this website. - Presbyterian resources: Food and Faith and Farming
www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/hunger/food-and-faith/ - Bread for the World has resources related to some Farm Bill issues such as SNAP and Poverty Focused Development Assistance. (For current information, search the Bread web site for “Farm Bill” or other specific topics.)
Last updated May 30th, 2013.
