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Hi again! Someone rightly pointed out that having the bill numbers at the ready would be helpful! Here they are: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 - H.R.1727 and S.837 Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 - S.679 and H.R.1414 Also in case folks want more information - here are NSAC's overviews of each bill: LJFFA: http://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/local-food-bill/ BFROA: http://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/beginning-farmer-bill/ By the way - If you all are planning to share this action with your community, I also have an outreach kit with newsletter/email templates available! Just let me know if you would like me to sent that word doc along! You can also share on Wordpress/Facebook/Twitter: http://migoodfoodpolicy.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/local-ag-beginning-farmer-marker-bills-still-need-co-sponsors-before-the-farm-bill-process-starts/ Thanks a bunch, everyone, for your consideration and any actions you can take on this matter! Best wishes, Lindsey Scalera Michigan Voices for Good Food Policy Grassroots Organizer 734-646-2428 [log in to unmask] http://migoodfoodpolicy.wordpress.com Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! Sign Up for Action Alerts National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition http://www.sustianableagriculture.net > > > Hi everyone! Please share widely this week! > We'll post updates about the next steps for the farm bill in congress early next week and beyond! > > What's Happening? > We are just about to launch into the Senate AND House markup of the 2013 Farm Bill! That's exciting but just before this happens, it would be great to get a few more co-sponsors of the two marker bills that support local food and beginning farmers and ranchers! The more support we have for these two bills going into the farm bill process, the better the chance we have of continued support and programs that help expand opportunities for local farms, food, and jobs and increased support for folks just getting started in farming! > There are two bills in Congress right now – The Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act – whose inclusion in the 2013 Farm Bill will mean more new farmers in the field, increased income for farmers who produce healthy food for local communities, and more jobs in rural and urban areas across the country. This is something everyone on both sides of the aisle can get behind – will you make a call today and ask your legislators to co-sponsor these two bills? > > Wherever there is local food, there are farmers feeding communities and creating jobs. > Farmers and ranchers are responding to skyrocketing demand for fresh, healthy food everywhere – at farmers’ markets, grocery stores, and in schools across the nation. And at the same time, more and more people want to get started in farming to be sure that we continue to feed communities and create jobs well into the future! Now is the time to invest in the next generation of folks who want to raise our food and steward the land. They’re going to be job creators, entrepreneurs, and innovators – as long as we help them get the tools they need to succeed. > > How can we help farmers keep up with this increased demand? How can we help the next generation of farmers and ranchers succeed? One key way is to make targeted investments in programs that create opportunities for new farmers and support local and regional food production. > Call or Email Today! > Legislative co-sponsors are vital for the success of these bills! > They can help move the bills through Congress and ensure pieces of them are included in the next farm bill. > > Find your Congresspeople Here: > http://beta.congress.gov/members > > Before you make a call, check here! If you see your legislator on this list of co-sponsors, make your call a THANK YOU call! > > Tell your legislators: I am a constituent and a voter. (tell ‘em if you’re a farmer!) > I support local farmers, want good food in my community, and support investments in the next generation of farmers. > Please co-sponsor the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 today! > > More of a Social Media Person? Tweet @ your congress people! > Click here for a list of congresspersons' twitter handles: http://fearlessrevolution.com/blog/the-us-congressional-twitter-directory.html > > Here are three sample tweets! > > Healthy food, jobs, and $ for farmers in Michigan. @_____ will u cosponsor the Local Farms Food & Jobs Act? #FarmBill #migoodfood > > I support Michigan farmers, do u? @_____ will u cosponsor Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act? #FarmBill #migoodfood > > Help Wanted: New MI farmers! @_____ help next gen farmers! Support Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act. #farmbill #migoodfood > > Thanks for speaking out! Your voice will make a difference! > Want more information on the bill? Check it out here. > > > > Sincere thanks for all that you do you for Michigan communities! > > Best wishes, > > Lindsey Scalera > Michigan Voices for Good Food Policy > Grassroots Organizer > 734-646-2428 > [log in to unmask] > http://migoodfoodpolicy.wordpress.com > Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! > > Sign Up for Action Alerts > National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition > http://www.sustianableagriculture.net > > P.S. If you call – tell us how it went! > > > > > > > > If you would like to access a searchable archive of the all the previous Mich-Organic listserv postings copy this URL and paste in your browser address field http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html 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