This Article From Our Friends at Local Harvest Nearly a decade ago, an idea was born in a field outside of Decorah, Iowa. After a field day at Sunflower Fields Farm, several farmers wondered if they could band together, coordinate their marketing efforts, and sell their products to local institutions under a single name. They [...]
Edible Portland Magazine: Winter 2008 Issue by Kevin Allman In 2007, Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski and several members of Congress took the “food stamp challenge”: shopping and eating on a $21 per week budget that represented the average American’s food-stamp allotment. Kulongoski and his fellow politicians met with limited success; some managed the challenge, while [...]
In part 6, Dan Imhoff offers suggestions for what citizens can do to help influence the outcome of of the 2007 Farm Bill that is still relevant today.
Part 5; Originally posted April 6, 2007. Politics can often seem far removed from present day reality; sometimes, far removed from reality itself. How many of us know much about the Farm Bill, or realize how much over the decades it has shaped agriculture production in this country? For those inclined towards disinterest, or for [...]
Cooking Up a Story: Food News Furthering the conversation, Dan Imhoff explains how there are cracks appearing in the alliance. A number of opposing interest groups may be coming together to push the Farm Bill toward rewarding better farming practices: encouraging farmers to grow nutritious foods, and employ farming methods that preserve the land for [...]
In Part 3, Dan Imhoff explains the inequities of the Farm Bill, and offers some suggestions to help remedy these problems.
The Farm Bill comes up for renewal every 5 to 7 years. But upon passage, that is just the beginning of a yearly battle for allocation of those funds. Part 2 reveals the surprising truth about what the Farm Bill really offers, and how it has evolved from its original purpose. For more information
In part 1, Daniel Imhoff explains the historical roots of the federal Farm Bill, arguably the single, biggest piece of legislation that effects land use in the U.S., and as he himself notes, most average citizens know little about this important bill. The current farm bill is a 90 billion dollar federal program that supports [...]