The farm bill is up for renewal in 2012, and as I reported a couple of weeks ago, some in Washington are trying to write it behind closed doors.

 

The foods that are subsidized through the farm bill have an enormous impact on how America eats. When you compare farm subsidies to the USDA's MyPlate recommendations, it's easy to see that it's not a positive impact. If we want to change the way we eat as a nation, we need to change what the farm bill subsidizes. In this short video, real food advocate Michael Pollan sums up why it's necessary to change the farm bill, including possibly changing its name.

 

 

I first saw this video on the Nourish blog, and the bloggers there have some ideas about how you can take action regarding the farm bill. One idea is to call your state representatives and use the script found at Food Democracy to let your representatives know that the process of writing the farm bill should be open and public.

 

If calling your representatives isn't your thing, you can always reword the script into an email, and contact your representative through the House of Representatives website.