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Sarah Hackney
- Hear why Alaska grows some of the biggest vegetables.
- NSAC has over 100 member organizations from around the US such as Slow Food and Florida Organic Growers
- Water and soil resources are major challenges to the sustainability of US agriculture.
- Less than 2% of the US population farms as a full-time occupation. The average age of the US farmer is 57.
- Corn and soybeans are the top 2 crops in the US.
- The first US Farm Bill was the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. The Farm Bill has to be renewed every 5 years or the USDA will have to revert back to the original post-Depression policies.
- Compare the 2014 Farm Bill to the 2008 Farm Bill.
- Women are the fastest growing demographic in US farming. An increased number of military veterans are also operating farms.
Food for Thought:
Out of the Frying Pan:
- The Farm Bill and Small Farmers: The USDA will offer mixed crop growers insurance against hail and flood damage.
- The Farm Bill and Large Corporate Farmers: Business as usual, but funding cuts to conservation programs affects all size farms.
- The Farm Bill and Wineries: There are provisions that help wine growers fund research and promote their wines to the broader market
- The Farm Bill and Different Regions of the Country: Iowa and other Great Plains farmers can continue to access cost insurance for major cash crops; California farmers might see less funding for conservation efforts, but better insurance protections for organic growers.
- The Farm Bill and Grocery Stores: If approved, programs like Healthy Food Finance Initiatives will make better food choices more affordable.
- The Farm Bill and Consumers: The bill triples funding into CSAs and food hubs to get food more efficiently into markets.
- Prediction for the Next Farm Bill: may not have one again. There could be a radical change in the way the US government approaches agricultural policy.
Straw photo courtesy of xedos4 / FreeDigitalphotos.net.
In this episode of the 
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