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*Please Share Widely!* [image: Inline image 1] Have you shopped at a farmers’ market lately? Noticed more local produce at your local grocery store or restaurant? On your child’s lunch tray at school? *Wherever there’s local food, there are farmers feeding communities and creating jobs. * It’s a win-win for farmers and for people like us. But we’ve got so far to go – and this week we have a chance to take a huge stride forward for a better future for our nation’s food & farms. *WHAT’S HAPPENING?* The Senate is debating the 2013 Farm Bill right now. The bill plays a huge role in helping communities and farmers work together to strengthen local economies and ensure everyone has access to fresh, healthy food. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has just introduced a critical amendment that will have a transformative impact on our food and farm system – and we need your help to make it part of the 2013 Farm Bill! *WHAT’S AT STAKE?* This amendment increases funding for critical programs that directly help farmers and communities put solutions into action on the ground – including Community Food Projects, the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, the Value-Added Producer Grants Program, and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. These programs make it possible for... - Low-income seniors to access fresh, healthy produce from local farmers. - Farmers to expand their operations into new products – like freezing fresh veggies for schools to use during winter months. - Communities to build their own food solutions from the ground up – like urban farms, mobile groceries, and youth-led healthy eating programs. *WHAT CAN I DO?* *Got five minutes? * We need your help! Among the hundreds of amendments the Senate will debate in the coming days, this one stands out – it’s got the potential to make a real difference on the ground and in the lives of farmers and communities. *We need YOU to call Senator Levin today! **(202) 224-6221* A call is best, but you can instead email Senator Levin here<https://www.levin.senate.gov/contact/email/> Calling is easy – just dial the numbers above and leave a message like this one below with the person who answers the phone: “Hello, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent and a voter (*and tell ‘em if you’re a farmer*!). I would like to leave a message for Senator Levin’s agriculture staffer. Can you take a message for me, please? The message is: I urge the Senator to support Senator Brown’s local food and market development amendment, #1088, during floor debate this week. This amendment is critical to building a better future for food and farms in our state. Thank you.” We won’t get a better farm bill without your help. But with it, we will get a better future for our nation’s food and farms –Make that quick call right now – and help us spread the word! Thanks for your consideration of this issue and for all you do for Michigan communities! *We'll be sure to send updates as things change quickly, but here are some resources to stay updated:* When you call, tell us how it went! [log in to unmask] Need a little refresher on the sometimes-confusing Farm Bill process? Check out our handy infographic!<http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013-fb-process-graphic-v2.jpg> Want to get a better idea of what each amendment is about? Check out the Farm Bill Amendment Tracker - Updated Daily!<http://sustainableagriculture.net/farm-bill-amendment-tracker/> Looking for a bit more information on amendments? Check out our rundown of what’s at stake. <http://bit.ly/2013FullSenate> * * * * * * Best wishes, *Lindsey Scalera* *Michigan Voices for Good Food Policy* Grassroots Organizer (734) 365-6932 [log in to unmask] http://migoodfoodpolicy.wordpress.com Follow us on Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/michiganvoices>! Like us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/migoodfood>! *Sign Up for Action Alerts* *National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition* http://www.sustianableagriculture.net<http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/> If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html