For Rural America to Thrive

For so many Americans, summer means going on vacation, taking  a break and striving for a more even pace in our work life.  That is, except for our farmers.  For rural America to thrive,  summer mean more work than ever, more prayers for good weather and good crops, and more thoughts about stewardship of God’s creation. 

The U.S. Senate recently voted on the Farm Bill which, when passed, will impact the lives of not only of farmers, but also hungry people at home and abroad.  The bill, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act, (FARRM) is currently under revision in the House of Representatives.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference are calling upon all of us to contact our U.S House of Representative and ask him/her to support a Farm Bill that provides help for poor and hungry people both at home and abroad, offers targeted support for those who grow our food, promotes stewardship of the land and helps rural communities prosper. 

The message is clear:  “A just Farm Bill cannot rely on disproportionate cuts to essential services for hungry, poor and vulnerable people.”

You can have an impact on the passage of this legislation that literally saves lives.  Urge support for a Farm Bill that:

• Feeds hungry people at home and abroad and supports essential domestic and international hunger and nutrition programs;
• Promotes stewardship of creation by supporting strong conservation programs;
• Supports growth in U.S. rural communities with effective rural development programs;
• Reduces subsidies overall and targets subsidies to small and medium-sized farmers and ranchers who truly need assistance; and,
• Uses savings from reductions in subsidies to support domestic and international hunger, nutrition and development programs.

The bishops acknowledge that reducing future unsustainable deficits is important but remind Congress that their decisions are not just economic in nature but are “political and moral choices with human consequences.”

The U.S. bishops join the Holy Father in asserting that food is a fundamental human right. In, For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food,” the bishops wrote, “the primary goals of agriculture policies should be providing food for all people and reducing poverty among farmers and farm workers in this country and abroad.” The U.S. bishops urge Congress to join them and other Christian leaders by forming a “circle of protection” around programs that serve hungry, poor and vulnerable people.

Take Action Now!

You  can make a huge difference in helping the hungry worldwide by taking a simple action that takes less than 5 minutes.  Go the the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website at www.usccb.org  On the home page choose Isssues and Alerts and click.  When the page opens, look to the left column and choose Take Action Now.  When that page opens, in the middle, choose View our  current Action  Alerts.   When that page opens, choose #2. Send message to your elected official.  When that open, choose Tell your Representative that our nation needs to feed hungry people, preserve creation….  

Please take action now!  

Have you ever been really hungry and know that you are not going to eat?  Have you ever visited a farm and talked about the work of the growing season?