The demise of the Super Committee put an abrupt end to Congressional efforts to pass a Farm Bill last month. This means that Congress will likely reignite the Farm Bill conversation early next year. In the meantime, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) continues to show his support for small and mid-sized family farmers through the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act, which he introduced a few weeks ago.
Call Senator Brown today! Thank him for his support of strong local and regional food and farm systems in Ohio.
Senator Brown’s bill provides secure Farm Bill funding for critically important programs that support family farms, expand new farming opportunities, create rural jobs, and invest in the local food and agriculture economy. The legislation helps farmers and ranchers by addressing production, aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution needs to access growing local and regional food markets. The bill also assists consumers by improving access to healthy food.
Thank Senator Brown for supporting healthy regional food systems and strong local economies. Make a call today!
So often legislators only hear from us when we are upset with them. By calling to thank Senator Brown for his support, we have a real opportunity today to support and encourage the Senator and his colleagues co-sponsoring the bill to keep up the good work.
All it takes is four easy steps to make a call, right now!
1. Call the Senator’s local office by dialing 1-888- 896-OHIO (6446).
2. Press the number for the office closest to you, as prompted by the automated message.
3. Tell the staffer that you would like to thank the Senator for his sponsorship of the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act. If you reach an answering machine, please leave a message. Be sure to include your name, phone number, and the city in which you reside.
4. Email mackenzie@oeffa.org and let us know that you made a call!
Wait…
Does Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur or Congressman Dennis Kucinich represent you? If so, give them a quick call to thank them too! All three legislators signed on to the House version of the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act. You can find their numbers here.
If you would like more information, please see the links below or email MacKenzie Bailey at mackenzie@oeffa.org or call her at (614) 421-2022 Ext. 208.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LOCAL FARMS, FOOD AND JOBS ACT:
To learn more about the provisions in the bill, visit the bill summary page.
To view press coverage of the bill, visit the press page.
To view the list of House and Senate Co-Sponsors of the bill, visit the Co-Sponsors page.
To view an up to date list of organizations that endorse the bill, visit the Organizational support page.
Download the Senate version of the bill (S. 1773) or the House version of the bill (H.R. 3286).
--Information provided the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
THANK YOU!
posted Dec 5, 2011
USA.gov
Find your U.S. Senators and Representatives using your zip code.
The Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives has put together a Powerpoint presentation describing the legislative process in Ohio.
http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=129
The Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly’s website allows users to find their legislator and to find and track bills by bill number, sponsor, or keyword.
The Ohio Environmental Council
The OEC has an online advocacy toolkit which includes information about lobbying, writing and calling lawmakers, setting up lobby visits, writing Letters to the Editor, writing Op-Eds, and how to prepare and give testimony. They also organize a yearly Environmental Lobby Day.
The Ohio Channel
Watch live and archived Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio General Assembly video coverage.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
NSAC offers an online advocacy toolkit which includes information about visiting, calling, and writing your member of Congress, writing effective Op-Eds, and an overview of the federal legislative process.
http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/advocacy-toolkit/
The League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters compiles a yearly environmental scorecard ranking Congress based on their votes on key environmental bills.
Sustainable Table
Sustainable Table’s website offers a wealth of ideas for promoting sustainable food. Their website contains hand outs and questions to ask grocery stores and restaurants to convince them to purchase local products, and ideas and materials for promoting sustainable food through blogs, social networking sites, stickers, fliers, posters, and more. They also offer several presentation kits on such topics as sustainable food and factory farms, which include ready-made speeches, table materials, hand outs, and more.
Ohio Legislative Service Commission
The Ohio Legislative Service Commission has compiled a “Guidebook for Ohio Legislators,” which provides an in-depth summary the Ohio lawmaking process and provides other information about state government.
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
41 Croswell Rd.
Columbus OH 43214
Phone: 614.421.2022 Fax: 614.421.2011
