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A representative from the Food and Water Watch, a national organization that promotes access to affordable and healthy foods, stopped by the High Country Conservation Center Thursday to discuss the U.S. Farm Bill, which is up for reauthorization in 2012.
“It's the biggest and most important thing that determines how our food is grown, how it's distributed, how it's processed and how it ends up on our plate,” Sam Schabacker, an organizer with Food and Water said.
The Farm Bill is renewed about every five years and governs federal farm and food policy. It dictates a wide range of issues, including federal farm support, food assistance programs, rural development and crop payments to farmers.
Many of the things people complain about in relation to our food system — factory farms, lack of access to food or corporate control — stem from the Farm Bill and how it's changed up every couple of years by Congress, Schabacker told attendees. And with the deficit and funding issues currently going on, certain programs this year are in danger of being cut.
One of the biggest problems currently is that independent ranchers and farmers can't get a good price for their products, Schabacker said. He compared America's food system to an hourglass, with those farmers on the bottom.
“These are folks that have been doing this the same way for the last several decades. But what we've seen over the last two decades is that the people they sell to — that process, distribute and market — have shrunk to very few corporations in the middle of our distribution chain.”
In the beef market, the top four corporations in the country slaughter 85 percent of the cattle, he said. When these small farmers go to the slaughterhouse, often times bigger entities aren't paying a fair price for the quality of meat and the work put into raising it. And many times, these farmers have no choice but to accept what they're offered. They try to make up for lesser pay by raising more animals on the cheap.
“That's what has lead to many of the things that are commonly highlighted in movies like Food, Inc., or books by Michael Pollan,” Schabacker said.
Members of food and water are in the middle of a country-wide tour to talk about the bill, focusing mostly on agricultural areas. Schabacker said Frisco is a strategic stop since many residents helped elect Sen. Michael Bennet, who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Bennet sent a letter to the White House Thursday saying he supports a fair playing field for all livestock and poultry producers.
“It's the biggest and most important thing that determines how our food is grown, how it's distributed, how it's processed and how it ends up on our plate,” Sam Schabacker, an organizer with Food and Water said.
The Farm Bill is renewed about every five years and governs federal farm and food policy. It dictates a wide range of issues, including federal farm support, food assistance programs, rural development and crop payments to farmers.
Many of the things people complain about in relation to our food system — factory farms, lack of access to food or corporate control — stem from the Farm Bill and how it's changed up every couple of years by Congress, Schabacker told attendees. And with the deficit and funding issues currently going on, certain programs this year are in danger of being cut.
One of the biggest problems currently is that independent ranchers and farmers can't get a good price for their products, Schabacker said. He compared America's food system to an hourglass, with those farmers on the bottom.
“These are folks that have been doing this the same way for the last several decades. But what we've seen over the last two decades is that the people they sell to — that process, distribute and market — have shrunk to very few corporations in the middle of our distribution chain.”
In the beef market, the top four corporations in the country slaughter 85 percent of the cattle, he said. When these small farmers go to the slaughterhouse, often times bigger entities aren't paying a fair price for the quality of meat and the work put into raising it. And many times, these farmers have no choice but to accept what they're offered. They try to make up for lesser pay by raising more animals on the cheap.
“That's what has lead to many of the things that are commonly highlighted in movies like Food, Inc., or books by Michael Pollan,” Schabacker said.
Members of food and water are in the middle of a country-wide tour to talk about the bill, focusing mostly on agricultural areas. Schabacker said Frisco is a strategic stop since many residents helped elect Sen. Michael Bennet, who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Bennet sent a letter to the White House Thursday saying he supports a fair playing field for all livestock and poultry producers.
