Remember back in the fall when Campus Climate Challenge had that big event on Ankeny to raise awareness about the farm bill and garner some support for reforms? Well, it turns out that we are still talking about that same farm bill, and while there are some reforms, they are minor. More importantly though, the 2007 (2008, now?) Farm Bill is in danger of not passing at all this year. In the meantime, farmers who rely on subsidies or other components of the bill are waiting to plant their crop until the bill passes, and every day that goes by this way compounds the problems that many farmers already face.
With all the things that the farm bill does that are “bad,” such as encouraging the use of pesticides, monocropping, subsidies that hurt farmers all over the world, handouts that go to “farmers” who live in Manhattan next to Central Park and all the rest, it is easy to say, “Good, I hope it does expire. It’s about time the unscrupulous in rural America stop taking my tax dollars.” It is not that simple, though.
The Farm Bill has a huge impact on the Walla Walla community, and I am not just talking about the wheat farms that surround us. Nutrition programs are a huge part of the farm bill. Over 43 percent of the students in the Walla Walla schools receive free or reduced-cost lunch, all of which comes from the farm bill. For low-income families having their children be able to get a good meal in school is extremely important.
Even more important than that is food stamps, which not only many Walla Walla community members but also many Whitman students also receive (and most students qualify for them). The new Farm Bill significantly expands and strengthens these benefits, which, especially with the recent downturn in the economy, is extremely important. Also, now that the Walla Walla Farmers Market can accept food stamps, this money will be able to directly support our local farming economy.
Besides nutrition programs, the farm bill does a lot of other important things for American rural areas, including Walla Walla. This farm bill especially increases funding for research relating to produce, a potentially huge boon to viticulturists, orchardists and onion farmers.
This can be seen as a double boon to Eastern Washington since we also have Washington State University, where a lot of this type of research happens. Parts of the nutrition program also mandate purchasing of American-grown fruit, vegetables and nuts. Title X of the bill even provides funding for purchasing from community garden projects and other locally based initiatives. This is a huge step forward towards “farm-to-school” programs, which have been advocated on the grassroots level in many communities, including Walla Walla.
Research into pest control and other areas is especially important as Global Warming will likely allow more pests to make their way up to Walla Walla to survive and proliferate.
For example, the phyloxera insect has necessitated the use of American instead of European root stock for grapes in almost every grape growing area of the world except Walla Walla and a few other regions. It has been our hard winters that have protected us so far from this and other pests, but that buffer may not work much longer.
No matter your politics, it is vital that a new farm bill get passed soon. Delaying it further is only going make life harder for farmers, low-income communities and many other individuals.
