Dear Vicki,

Guess what?  Last week, the Senate heard from us – and they listened!  Because of calls from grassroots advocates like you, the Senate passed an amendment – the Durbin-Coburn amendment – that takes a bold first step towards reforming ballooning crop insurance subsidies for wealthy mega-farms in the 2013 Farm Bill!    

Calls from constituents helped encourage 59 Senators to support this common-sense, long overdue amendment.  Even better, it will save taxpayers over 1.3 billion dollars and will ensure maximum support goes only to those who need it, not a handful of mega-farms.  

Grassroots action worked last week, but we can’t stop there.  We’ll need your voice over the next few weeks more than ever – making calls and spreading the word about other amendments that make a real difference in the lives of farmers and invest in local communities.

Can you make a call today to support local and regional food system development in the 2013 Farm Bill?

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a critical amendment last week that will have a transformative impact on our food and farm system.  The 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.

We need YOU to call your Senators today!

Here’s the contact info for your two Senators:

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 ___’s agriculture staffer.  Can you take a message for me, please?  The message is:  I urge the Senator to co-sponsor and vote for Senator Brown’s local farm and food amendment in the 2013 Farm Bill floor debate.  It is amendment number 1088.  This amendment is critical to building a better future for food and farms in our state.  Thank you.”

And there’s much more at stake – check out NSAC’s Take Action page for a list of amendments that haven’t been voted on yet.  They still have a chance to pass when the Senate returns to work on the farm bill, so it’s not too late to make a call! 

Thanks for all you do,

Sarah and Shavaun, The NSAC Grassroots Team

P.S.  When you call, tell us how it went!

P.P.S. Need a little refresher on the sometimes-confusing Farm Bill process?  Check out our handy infographic!