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Message Received: Growing organics in the Fairness Amendment
Remember the petition we asked (and asked, and asked) you to sign to tell Congress to Grow Organics?
Yesterday a team of EWG staffers descended on the Hill to deliver the petition -- 75 feet long -- to Representative Kind. When the Farm Bill comes to the floor of the House at the end of this week, Reps. Kind (D-WI) and Flake (R-AZ) will present the Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment -- a bi-partisan amendment that will reduce direct payments to the largest landowners and agribusinesses and use those savings to bolster programs in nutrition, conservation, and rural development, as well as provide more support to socially disadvantaged farmers.
And, as Ken Cook pointed out, the amendment also provides "the most significant increase we've ever seen proposed for organic food and farming."
According to Rep. Kind, "This is about choice. This is giving farmers the options and the tools on how they want to work their own land -- and sustainable agriculture is the way they want to go."
So we here in the office are having a round of applause for all of you who signed the petition. But it's not over yet -- we've got an amendment headed to the floor, but the only way to make it a reality is to make sure your Representatives know that you expect them to support it.
Call your Representative and ask him or her to support the Fairness Amendment. You can find your Rep's phone number at Project Vote-Smart by entering his or her name or your 9-digit zipcode (don't know it? Find it here).