KAGEN DELIVERS A HEALTHY, NEW DIRECTION IN FARM BILL
Statement by Congressman Steve Kagen on the 2007 Farm Bill:
This Farm Bill is good for our nation's health and good for our business.
And it literally determines what our American landscape looks like and what we look like, as it determines what we plant and what we eventually eat.
During the past two years I have been listening to Wisconsin farm families who provide all of us with the highest quality nutrition in the world, and I delivered their message to the House of Representatives in writing a Farm Bill that sets a new direction for our farm programs and maintains a strong safety net to protect our family farms.
This Farm Bill is especially good for healthy children. It expands the fruit and vegetable school snack program, brings locally grown, fresh foods into our schools, and brings money to our local family farms.
This Farm Bill establishes mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, so we will know where the food we eat comes from - before we read about it in a headline.
This Farm Bill fights childhood obesity, responsible for our nation's epidemic of diabetes, heart disease and other fatal illnesses.
This Farm Bill extends the 15 cent per hundredweight marketing fee to imported dairy products, so foreign producers don't have an unfair advantage over our family farms.
This Farm Bill preserves the Milk Income Loss Program, a crucial safety net for Wisconsin dairy producers.
This Farm Bill expands Farmers Markets, increasing profits for our family farms by selling directly to consumers.
This Farm Bill expands research in renewable energy and making our farms energy independent.
This Farm Bill expands research for organic farming, the fastest growing sector in American agriculture.
This Farm Bill provides a permanent disaster assistance program, freeing our producers from the political uncertainties of Washington when drought, flood or crop failure strikes.
American farmers are essential to the health and security of our families, our state and our nation.
This Farm Bill sets a new direction in farm policy and ensures the long-term success of agriculture in Wisconsin and our nation.