Contact Lawmakers to Build a Better Farm Bill
Plus, two cool weekend events, and more on the Maui fundraising auction
You Can Help Build a Better Farm Bill with CFPAC
I am so sorry to be a day late on this, but Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) has organized a Farm Bill Week of Action that began yesterday (August 28) and runs through Friday (September 1).
Each day of the week focuses on a different marker bill that the Chicago Food Justice Rhizome Network wants to see included in the upcoming legislation revising the federal Farm Bill for the following five years. They have assembled an Advocacy Toolkit to guide you through calling your congresspeople and posting on social media to ask for legislator support and encourage others to take action.
The goal of the program is to bring attention to marker bills — proposals intended to promote programmatic priorities that advocates hope to have included in larger omnibus legislation such as the Farm Bill.
The first of these is the proposed Justice for Black Farmers Act (JBFA), which recognizes the history of discrimination within the U.S. Department of Agriculture against Black farmers and ranchers and seeks to correct and prevent further discrimination in the federal agriculture system. The bill brings critical reforms to the USDA, enacts policies to protect against land loss, and reinvests in existing and aspiring Black farmers. [Although this was yesterday’s campaign topic, you can still press your lawmakers to support it.]
Today’s topic: The Local Farms and Food Act (LFFA) supports local farmers and producers by making it easier for them to sell their products to local markets, and increases eaters’ access to locally grown food. The bill would improve access to Local Agriculture Market Programs (LAMP) and expand the reach of the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).
Wednesday’s topic: The Strengthening Local Processing Act (SLPA) supports small and very small meat processing plants by increasing states’ ability to opt in to cooperative interstate shipment, providing guidance on how to ensure food safety, and investing in developing the highly skilled workforce necessary for local processing plants to thrive.
Thursday’s topic: The Farmers’ Market and Food Bank Local Revitalization Act (FMFB) invests in local and regional food systems by increasing seniors’, families’, and food banks’ access to locally grown foods and supporting farmers market infrastructure. The bill would increase funding for both the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) and the Women, Infants and Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), as well as establish a pilot program that allows food banks to procure local produce.
Friday’s topic: The Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) aims to give farmers the tools they need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The bill will strengthen farms with research, extension, conservation, and energy investments and puts choice back into the hands of the people.
Click the button below to learn more about the Week of Action, with tips and sample copy for outreach to lawmakers, social media posts, and emails to friends who might be willing to engage in the campaign.
A Farm Tour and Brewery Tour — All in One Event
Head to Ottawa (about 90 miles southwest of Chicago) on Saturday (September 2) for Barnyard & Brews, an event that is two tours in one.
First, visit my friends Jody and Beth Osmund at Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm, a pasture-raised livestock operation, where you can learn about their Good Food practices and their meat CSA (there’s was the first in Illinois).
Then segue to Tangled Roots, Ottawa’s “farm to foam” craft brewery, for a behind-the-scenes look at how they make beer. Those who want to join Jody and Beth for dinner (not included in the $35 price for the tours) can do so at The Lone Buffalo restaurant attached to the brewery.
Sunday: Herban Produce Farm-to-Table Dinner
Herban Produce — an urban farming operation located in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood (about which I have written previously) — is holding a farm-to-table dinner this Sunday starting at 6:30 p.m. Herban Produce is located at 2900 W. Van Buren St.
The dinner is a six-course course meal curated by the culinary team at The Press Room restaurant (located in the city’s West Loop). The dinner will showcase crops grown by Herban Produce and other ingredients from local producers and farms. Tickets include all beverages.
According to Herban Produce, the dinner is aimed at supporting sustainable agriculture, supporting local, BIPOC and women farmers; and celebrating culinary excellence.
Alicia Nesbury Moore, owner of Herban Produce, and Christian Sia, executive chef of The Press Room, appeared this morning on WGN-TV’s Daytime Chicago program to discuss the dinner and conduct a cooking demo. Click the first button to get tickets for the event and the second to access a video of their TV spot.
Reminder: Chicago Chefs Cook’s Maui Auction
A reminder that the Chicago Chefs Cook online auction to raise funds to assist members of the culinary community displaced by Maui’s catastrophic wildfires continues through this Sunday. There are amazing food-focused prizes on which to bid. Click below to view the experiences up for auction and place a bid.