agriculture

The Farm Bill: Not Just for Farmers

in
Author
BRAD REDLIN
Director, Agriculture Program, Izaak Walton League of America
the farm bill.jpg
The entire area of the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, totals nearly 2.3 billion acres. Land used for agricultural purposes constitutes a 52 percent majority of that total. That is reason enough why the federal Farm Bill, as much as any other single piece of legislation, has a direct impact on each of us. In determining how the majority of our land is managed, the Farm Bill further determines the predominate products and ultimate sustainability of our food system.

The Farm Bill-debated and re-authorized about every five

Footnotes/Endnotes

on the web!

USDA-Economic Research Service, Farm Bill issues,
ers.usda.gov/Features/FarmBill2007

USDA-Economic Research Service State Fact Sheets-Minnesota,
ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MN.htm

USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service Minnesota Statistics, nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Minnesota/index.asp

Sustainable Agriculture Coalition,
sustainableagriculturecoalition.org 

READ UP!

The 2007 Farm Bill: Stewardship, Prosperity, and Fairness, by Izaak Walton League of America,
iwla.org/publications/agriculture
/Farm_Bill_2007_WEB.pdf

Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill, by Daniel Imhoff, Watershed Media, 2007.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan, Penguin, 2006.

act locally!

Participate in Community Supported Agriculture,
landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html

The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA),
misa.umn.edu/home.html

Participate in local working groups,
mn.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/lwg.html

Eating Low: Back to Basics

in
Author
JENNY BREEN
Local Chef / Educator
Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." So begins Micheal Pollan's recent manifesto, In Defense of Food. It sounds ridiculously simple, and actually, it is. But, we have reached a place and time in our culture where we need to re-learn these simple actions that were once just a way of life. Our food system has become very complex, and we as consumers need to be thoughtful and intentional about our food choices--that is, if we really care about our health and the health of the planet.

Given the impact of our food choices on our own health and that

Footnotes/Endnotes

on the web!

Search for "The Cheeseburger Footprint" at
brightcove.tv

Center for Science,
cspinet.org

The Daily Green,
thedailygreen.com

READ UP!

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan, Penguin Press HC, 2008.

act locally!

Minneapolis farmer's markets
mplsfarmersmarket.com

Minnesota farmer's market association, mfma.org

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