Check out our Path to the 2012 Farm Bill blog series for updates on the 2012 Farm Bill process – and be sure to sign up for NSAC Action Alerts to stay in the loop on speaking out and taking action!

The summer’s bounty may feel far away, but even in January, farmers and ranchers are busy – unloading hay for cattle on the snowy range, selecting next summer’s most-delicious tomato seeds, or harvesting fresh grapefruit for your breakfast table.  Here in Washington, DC, we’re busy too:  members of Congress will return in just a few days, and they’ll debate the farm bill this year.

This opportunity to transform federal food and farm policy comes only once every five years.

We’ll need every voice – including yours – to achieve what we want: farm policy that helps family farmers produce healthy food, builds vibrant communities, and sustains the environment.

Our 2012 Farm Bill campaign calls for reforms that will:

• Ensure a sustainable future for American agriculture
• Create jobs and spur economic opportunities
• Equip rural communities for the 21st century
• Level the playing field for producers
• Support innovation for tomorrow’s farmers
• Protect our natural resources

We’ve made great progress already – both our Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act and our Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act are gaining momentum in Congress, and we want the contents of both of these crucial bills included in the 2012 Farm Bill.

What’s next?

Join us! Over the next year, we’ll ask you to speak up and help us fight for family farmers and ensure the future of sustainable agriculture.  You can help us keep the momentum into 2012 – share this alert with your friends and family and ask them to join our campaign for a Farm Bill that supports health, prosperity, and equity for family farmers and for our nation!

Thank you for all that you do,

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Grassroots Team