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The farm bill is up for renewal in Congress next year, something that occurs once every five years.

The biggest funding in the farm bill is for food stamps (SNAP), the country’s main anti-hunger program. The final bill will have a major impact on the environment, from the use of water, land and fossil fuels to issues such as organics, genetic engineering and biofuels. It is how the federal government will set overall food and agricultural policy for the country. And of course, we are what we eat.

Current farm policy poorly serves family farmers and consumers. It promotes an unhealthy diet based on overly processed foods high in sugar and fats that leads to major public health problems such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Until recently, the new farm bill was on the fast track, slated to be passed in December as part of the supercommittee process. Agriculture leaders in Congress argued that they better understand the needs of the farming community, so they should take the lead in making the proposed $23 billion in cuts over ten years to meet deficit reduction goals.