Congress: Cosponsor the Local FARMS Act Today!

A new year has begun - and it's a really important one for farmers. Congress will work this year to write the 2018 Farm Bill, which sets the rules of the road for our nation's food and farms!

We know that wherever there’s local food, there are farmers feeding communities and creating jobs! Demand is growing from consumers and sales are rising for farmers.

It’s not always easy to go from farm to fork, however – missing links in our food and farm infrastructure mean that farmers often struggle to seize these opportunities. As a result, many communities across the country have little access to fresh, healthy food. We have the chance to change this in 2018! Here’s the good news: a bill introduced in Congress seeks to connect those missing links! The Local Food and Regional Market Supply (FARMS) Act (S.1947 and H.R.3941) is a bill that everyone – eaters and growers alike – can get behind. The Local FARMS Act encourages communities to prosper through farm to fork investments, enables farmers to reach growing new markets, and helps consumers access fresh, healthy food and farm products. It will:

Help farmers reach new markets through outreach, cost-share, and technical assistance.
Increase access to fresh, healthy, local food among low-income groups and communities in need.
Develop new and strengthen existing infrastructure that connects producers to consumers.

What happens next? Congress is already starting work on the 2018 Farm Bill – now we need to make sure The Local FARMS Act is included in that package! For that to happen, the bill needs co-sponsors – legislators who will stand up for farmers and communities by showing their support for the bill.

Will you ask your legislator to stand up for farmers and healthy communities by supporting local food and farms today?

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You can find out who represents you by entering your street address and ZIP code above!

From there, simply customize the email template above or - even better - call your legislator directly!

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

If you call, here's an easy script to use - it takes just about 30 seconds! Simply dial the number above for the Capitol switchboard, ask to speak with your member of Congress's office - that is, your representative in the House of Representatives! - and share a message like this one with the person who answers the phone:

Hello, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent and a voter in [your city]. (And tell ‘em if you’re a farmer!) I support local farmers, and I want good food in my community. Please co-sponsor The Local FARMS Act (H.R. 3941) today! Thank you for your time.