Farm Bill 2007: Looking up from the Dinner Table

Have you ever looked up from your evening meal and thought, "I wonder how all this diverse food got to my plate". Have you wondered why organic food seems more expensive than conventional food? Why there are mangos and strawberries from other countries available in your corner grocery store? What is the true cost of the food on your plate? Where are all the family farms I remember from my childhood?

During the month of April, the Guests on Call team will be scheduling interviews for diverse groups who are looking at potential changes to the Farm Bill in 2007. The Farm Bill is reviewed every five years.The Farm Bill does not only affect farmers, but also how our food is produced and distributed, from the soil to the plate.

Many groups are organizing now to be sure their voices are heard in the reformatting of farm and food policy in the U.S. They are looking at how programs can be restructured to create a more holistic food system that encourages conservation and equality of opportunity for farmers. With issues in the mainstream media like water scarcity, pollution from industrial agriculture and meat production, childhood obesity and diabetes, the time for a restructured food system is long over due.