Every five years, our US Congress has the responsibility of updating and reauthorizing what is known as the Farm Bill -- the key piece of legislation for all agriculture and food policy in our country.  Because of it's comprehensive, "omnibus" nature and relatively long history,* no wonder it's hard for many of us to understand -- let alone weigh in on!

Congress was supposed to reauthorize the Farm Bill last year but was unable to do so.  This year, a great deal has happened already -- a great deal of which poses problems in better caring for God's creation, especially some of the most vulnerable lands and peoples in our country.  Many of the key decisions of 2013 contradict the UMC-endorsed "Principles for a Faithful Farm Bill."  To be specific:

"On July 11, the U.S. House passed a new Farm Bill -- without Nutrition programs.  Despite pleas from the faith 

community, anti-hunger groups and even farm groups, the House passed a farm-only bill by removing food stamps and other nutrition assistance programs from the usual comprehensive Farm Bill. 
"...The Farm Bill has many facets to it, and in fact the largest facet by far is food assistance. The Nutrition title is more than 75% of the Farm Bill's budget; most of the funds are needed for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which helps millions of low-income families and individuals meet their daily food needs.

But just as important is the long-time focus on supporting family farms and rural communities. Public policy has changed over the years to benefit large-scale agribusiness more than farmers and ranchers themselves, so the need for reform is great."**

 

Many food and farming advocates feel that it's not too late to protect our country's vital Nutrition programs and help to protect both productive and fragile farm lands.  But, we need to be ready to act when the time is ripe legislatively.  And so, this issue of Creation-Care, 365 is for all who want to join the ranks of these well-prepared advocates.   

 

Grace and Peace be with you,

Creation-Care Projects Coordinator

PNW Office of Connectional Ministries    

Footnotes

*From FarmAid.org: "The first Farm Bill, the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 (each one has a name), was created to address rock bottom prices (corn prices actually hit $0), national hunger, soil erosion, lack of credit and unfair export practices."  For more on its history, please see Farm Aid's "Farm Bill Study Guide" and/or the National Catholic Rural Life Conference's " A Primer on the Farm Bill." 

**Source: National Catholic Rural Life Conference's "Time for a New Farm Bill, Time for True Reforms." 

From the National Catholic Rural Life Conference 

Let us pray for the poor, hungry, and neglected all over the world, that their cries for daily bread may inspire works of compassion and mercy among those to whom much has been given.

Let us pray for the farmers with limited or marginal land throughout the world, for those who lack access to water and other resources, and for the light of research and support services to shine in the lives of all God's people.

Let us pray for the health of women, children, and families around the world, especially for an end to maternal and child mortality, that in building healthy families, all God's people may be empowered to strengthen their communities and repair the breaches which divide nations and peoples.

Let us pray for an end to the waste and desecration of God's creation, for access to the fruits of creation to be shared equally among all people, and for communities and nations to find sustenance in the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us.

Let us pray for all nations and people who already enjoy the abundance of creation and the blessings of prosperity, that their hearts may be lifted up to the needs of the poor and afflicted, and partnerships between rich and poor for the reconciliation of the world may flourish and grow.

Lord, hear our prayer.

• "Care for Creation Weekly Text Reflections" by Dr. Dennis Ormseth, Lutherans Restoring Creation 
• Eco-Justice Ministries' Reflections by topic and church season 
• "Environmental Reflections, Lectionary Year C" from the Environmental Stewardship Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of MN
• "Green Pointers for Preachers" from Christian Ecology Link
• "Radical Gratitude" ("whole-life stewardship") archives from the Northwest United Methodist Foundation 

• July 27 (Richland, WA): Workshop with Earth Ministry at Shalom UMC 
• July 27 (Vancouver, WA): "Summer Heat NW: Columbia River Climate Action" 
• July 27 (Shoreline, WA): Northwest Solar Fest 2013
• July 31: Webinar: "Food, Farms, and Faith: A Faithful Update on the Farm Bill and What You Can Do About It" 3-4 p.m. Eastern time (hosted by the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs) 
• August 9-11 (Camano Island, WA): Mustard Seed Associates' Celtic Prayer Retreat
• August 20 (Portland or Salem, OR - TBD): Eco-Faith Recovery's "Preaching in the Biocommons" workshops  

From UMNS: "A group of young volunteers plant crops at Catholic Charities' Christ Child North Center's garden site in Omaha, Neb. Photos courtesy of the Big Garden."

"The Big Garden was born out of the Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede's dream to create a hands-on model of community gardening.

"When Ahlschwede became executive director of United Methodist Ministries in Omaha in 2005, one of her first endeavors as director was to map out her dream and seek funding. She applied for and received a three-year grant through the United States Department of Agriculture's Community Food Project, and she was off and running.

"The Big Garden's goal was to create 12 community gardens in three years. Five years -- and another three-year grant -- later, it included 26 gardens in the metro-Omaha area and added a sister project, the Big Rural Garden.

"Today, the Big Garden is a network of 70 community gardens in metro-Omaha and rural and semi-rural communities in Nebraska and Kansas. They expect to add 15 new garden sites in Nebraska this year - 10 rural and five urban - and soon will expand into Iowa.

"Ahlschwede says the project is successful because the ministry is not just about growing food and meeting hunger needs, but also focuses on growing communities.

"'The two are intertwined,' Ahlschwede said. 'We have a saying that we are neighborhood based, not neighborhood placed. We're about meeting people where they are and learning about their needs, not telling them what ... they need.'

"Nationally, the Big Garden is the largest group of community gardens and is the only program of its kind that not only has both rural and urban garden sites, but also operates in more than one state. ..."

Please click here to read the full article 

• July 18, 2013: UMC-GBCS video & article, "Green roof sprouts on United Methodist Building: Sustainability programs implemented throughout building"
• July 18, 2013: UMC-GBCS article, "UMW commends Obama on climate plan, Praises large-scale changes proposed, but concerns remain"  
• July 18, 2013: UMC-GBCS article, "Creation Justice Ministries, National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program to branch off on own"
• July 12, 2013: UMW action alert "Not a SNAP: Farm Bill Cuts Hurt Women, Children"  
• July 11, 2013: UMC-GBCS article, "Sisters map hunger solutions, Give 3 years to visit 93 programs in 50 states and D.C."