Photo Credit: NRCS

Working together, we have achieved important successes for sustainable agriculture through our advocacy on past food and farm bills.

Much could be lost, or gained, now that Congress has established the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the “Super Committee.” The Super Committee is tasked with cutting at least $1.2 trillion from the federal budget over the next decade.  Budget cuts could reinforce the status quo in agriculture and deepen negative trends while starving out positive programs.  Or, they could be could be fashioned to make our nation’s agriculture policy better.

The Super Committee’s decisions on agricultural funding may preempt funding decisions normally left to the food and farm bill.  The budget cuts could determine the future of food, farming, and the environment for a decade or more!

It just takes a minute:

• First check if your Senator or Representative sits on the Super Committee here!
• ALSO check if your Senator or Representative sits on the Senate Agriculture or House Agriculture Committee, as they will be advising the Super Committee.
• If your Senator or Representative sits on any of these three committees: call the Capitol Switchboard and ask to be directly connected to your Senators’ and Member of Congress’s office: 202-224-3121. Or go to Congress.org and type in your zip code, then click on your Senators and Member of Congress’s name and the contact tab for their phone number.
• If the line is busy, please leave a brief message on the voicemail.

The Message is Simple: I am a constituent, calling to urge Senator/Congress(wo)man _________________to support a fair and balanced approach to food and agricultural spending in the deficit reduction bill.

• Farm conservation and environmental programs have already been cut deeply and should not be cut any further. 
• Farm commodity, insurance, and disaster program reform is long overdue.  Reform should be done in a way that reduces spending, maintains a smaller more targeted farm safety net, and reinvests in job-creating rural economic development, local and regional food systems, and young and beginning farmers. 

Thank you for calling today. The Super Committee has unprecedented power, and it’s crucial that your voice is heard immediately.