President Bush vetoed the Farm Bill on May 21st, 2008. Fortunately, Congress had enough votes to over ride that veto. Unfortunately, bills in Congress—including the critical Farm Bill—have lost their meaning. They are simply words on a paper for many young people.
This isn’t because young people are lazy or apathetic. Nor is it because they don’t believe in the power and good of government’s role in our lives and communities. Bills in Congress have lost their meaning due to a more simple fact—young people have lost faith in politicians to get things done.
The Farm Bill, otherwise known as H.R. 2419, the "Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008,” covers programs from 2008 through 2012 and is more than just about farms. In fact, farming is only one part of the bill.
Areas the Farm Bill Covers: It’s More than Farms
The Farm Bill helps ranchers with weather-related assistance like when a drought hits and ranchers need more water for their cattle. The Farm Bill helps schools provide meals to kids who families can’t afford lunch through the Free and Reduced Lunch program. The Farm Bill helps conserve land with programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, known as CRP, which gives resources to farmers and ranchers to set aside parts of their land for things like wildlife refuge.
The Farm Bill gives resources to countries with emergency food needs like China and Ethiopia. The Farm Bill helps rural communities with micro-business loans to help redevelop small towns. The Farm Bill provides research funds for renewable fuels and funds for existing ethanol plants to update their infrastructure and facilities to be more “green” and to produce a diversity of biofuels rather than rely solely on corn-based ethanol. The Farm Bill also introduces new programs like a pilot project to help first time ranchers and farmers which is desperately needed in order to sustain the growing need and demand for more locally grown food.
The Opposition to the Farm Bill
With all of the good in the bill, the Farm Bill isn’t perfect. Which is why politicians who didn’t vote for it, President Bush and groups lobbying against the bill would say they thought we needed to go back to the drawing board instead of passing the bill. Sure, too many big agriculture companies, otherwise known as “agribusiness,” still get lots of subsidies when perhaps those should be directed to areas that need the help more and to family run farms and ranches. Sure, we shouldn’t be giving money to produce more high-fructose corn syrup which is contributing to numerous Americans being overweight. But the alternative of not passing the bill is much worse.
To get the Farm Bill passed, it took a nationwide coalition of groups, led by the Farmers Union. A few of the groups in Nebraska included the YWCA, Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska and the Center for People in Need. Organizations with interest in conservation, farming, ranching, rural economies, feeding the poor, healthy eating and healthy bodies all came together to use their lobbying power to ensure that not only was the bill passed, but that it passed with veto-proof power.
Nebraskan’s representatives in the House of Representativesvoted to pass the Farm Bill except for Representative Lee Terry. In the Senate, Democrat Ben Nelson voted for the bill and Republican Senator Chuck Hagel voted against the bill.
What the Farm Bills Means Locally
Nebraska is known for our corn and cows. The number one industry in Nebraska is agriculture and the number one segment of the agriculture industry is beef. Over 20% of all Nebraskans are employed with farm related jobs. So it is pretty clear that the Farm Bill is a critical part of the lives of Nebraskans. The Farm Bill is connected not only to our state’s economy, but also as our state’s identity.
As a young rancher, Matt McGinn knew the passing of the Farm Bill was critical. However, he is frustrated that it has taken as long as it has to pass the 2008 Farm Bill. It’s almost June and farmers began planting in May without any sense as to where guidelines would be for CRP programs for example. Matt, like many young people, believe lots of politicians give lots of promises but yet don’t understand what it is like to ranch on a daily basis and don’t understand the true sense of community folks in the Sandhills have in order to get things done. Matt simply wonders why politicians don’t also have that spirit of community and urgency to get things done on Capitol Hill.
The Farm Bill passed previously didn’t provide resources to schools so they could purchase fresh fruit and vegetables. Which led to, as I am sure many of us can recall, many days of canned green beans and other not so healthy school lunches. Patty Kingsley, a young mom of two and active parent in a local elementary school in Nebraska, has been a vocal critic of the school lunches and the parts of the Farm Bill that don’t go far enough to stop subsidies of unhealthy food. Good news in this Farm Bill is that a pilot program called “Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program” is now coming to all 50 states and being funded with $1 billion dollars. Patty will make sure all the schools in Nebraska get a hold of that funding.
I’m Just a Bill…Unless…
In November, young people have the electoral power to change the status quo, to vote in a new brand of politicians who will make the words on the paper real for them. This will also require young people taking their electoral power to the next level which means lobbying. Above all else, it means ensuring politicians—and our generation—keep the connection between what happens in Congress and our everyday lives fully integrated. Otherwise, it’s just a bill.
Note:My husband Scott Kleebis running for the US Senate in Nebraska against Mike Johanns. Neither one is currently in the Senate and therefore could not vote on the Farm Bill. A recent story in the Omaha World Herald covers each of the candidate’s stances on the Farm Bill.