The passage of the 2008 Farm Bill launches a new era
for American farm and food policy. While we did not secure every gain we sought, the legislation makes many improvements by including:
Support for local foods
Significant new funding for conservation and farmland protection
Change in how farm subsidies are calculated
Rising global food demand, spiking food and fuel prices and the ever-present threat of development are pressuring America’s farmers and ranchers. That’s why American Farmland Trust worked so hard for the farm bill’s conservation and local foods measures—tools that farmers need now more than ever. Now AFT is taking these gains to the next level to protect more farm and ranch land, expand local food production, and help farmers and ranchers combat climate change and protect our drinking water.
