Whew!! 318 Votes for the Farm Bill

Tonight the Farm Bill passed with 318 votes and strong support from both sides of the aisle. 318 votes is a veto-proof margin. Tom Buis, President of the National Farmers Union, said more than 500 organizations advocated for the Bill.

Recognizing that the Bill isn't a perfect one, Buis admitted that this has been the most difficult time in which to write such legislation, saying, "The budget rules reflect higher commodity prices, which gives you less money to write a farm bill with, and number two, the federal government is in a sea of red ink."

Buis also told the the Public News Service that the bill "benefits rural communities, urban communities and everyone in between, with record increases in nutrition, conservation, specialty crop, rural development and renewable energy programs." The bill goes to the Senate next where Senator Tom Harkin chairs the Ag Committee.

Supporters of the Bill include: ACORN, Agricultural Retailers Association, Agri-Mark, Inc., Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Alliance for Children and Families, Alliance for Rail Competition, America's Second Harvest, American Agriculture Movement, American Agriculture Movement of Arkansas, American Association of Crop Insurers, American Beekeeping Federation, American Commodity Distribution Association, American Corn Growers Association, American Sheep Industry Association, American society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, American Soybean Association, Annunciation Church Food Pantry (NY), Arizona Community Action Association, Association of Arizona Food Banks, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, Blue Mountain Action Council (WA), Bradley Food Pantry (NJ), Bread of Life Ministries of AR, Inc. (AR), California Association of Food Banks, California Food Policy Advocates, Campaign for Contract Agriculture Reform, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Stockton (CA), Center for Civil Justice (MI), Center for Public Policy Priorities (TX), Central Utah Food Sharing, Channels Food Rescue (PA), Children's Alliance (WA), Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (MA), Collaborative Center for Justice (CT), Colorado Anti-Hunger, NetworkColorado, Anti-Hunger Network Community Action Partnership (DC), Community Action Services and Food Bank (UT), Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Community Services of Moses Lake, Inc. (WA), Comstock Community Center (MI) ,Congressional Hunger Center, Connecticut Association for Human Services, Connecticut Food Bank, Connecticut Food Policy Council, Conquer Hunger And Needy Together (CHANT), (NJ) Corporation for Enterprise Development, Covenant Soup Kitchen (CT) ,CT AIDS Resource Coalition (CT), CT Association for Community Action (CT) , Daily Bread Soup Kitchen (NY), Dairylea Cooperative Inc., Dare To Care Food Bank (KY), Denver Urban Ministries, Desert Cities Hunger Action (CA), East Side Soup Kitchen (MI), Emergency Food Bank Stockton/San Joaquin (CA), Emergency Food Network of Tacoma/Pierce County (WA), End Hunger Connecticut! EOC Direct Services (CA), FACES NY Inc. (NY), Families USA, Family Promise of Monmouth County (NJ), FareStart (WA), Farm Credit Council, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, FB of Northeast Louisiana, Feed My People (MO), Ferris Counseling Services (MO), First Presbyterian Church (LA), Florida Impact, Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo Co. (CA), Food Bank Council of Michigan, Food Bank For New York City, Food Bank of Alaska, Food Bank of Central New York, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Food Bank of North Alabama, Food Bank of Northeast LA/Americas Second Harvest Food Bank of San Luis Obispo County (CA), Food Lifeline (WA), Food Research and Action Center FoodChange (NY), Forgotten Harvest (MI), Fremont Public Association (WA), Georgia Rural Urban Summit Gleaners, Community Food Bank of SE Michigan, Good Samaritan (MI), Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Harvest Hope Food Bank (SC), Hope-Net (CA), Houston Food Bank, HRC Food Bank, Serving Calaveras County (CA), Hunger Solutions, Minnesota Hunger Task Force (WI), Illinois Hunger Coalition, Imperial Valley Food Bank (CA), Independent Community Bankers of America, Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas, Interfaith Council of Amador (CA), Iowa Farmers Union Iris House, Inc. (NY), James Weldon Johnson Head Start (NY), Jewish Community Council of Washington Heights (NY), Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish Family & Children's Service (MO), Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes (MI), Kansas Farmers Union, Kenai Peninsula Food Bank (AK), Kingsley House (LA), KY Task Force on Hunger, Let Justice Roll (IL), Lifelong AIDS Alliance (WA), Local Food Dude (CT), LUNCH Program (LA), Lutheran Office of Public DE, Advisory Committee (DE), MACC Charities (CT), MANNA (TN), MANNA FoodBank (NC), Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers, MAZON--A Jewish Response to Hunger (CA), McClendon Center (DC), Mel Trotter Ministries (MI), Mercer Street Friends Food Bank (NJ), Michigan Farmers Union, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Migrant Legal Action Program (DC), Minnesota Farmers, Union Minnesota, FoodShare, Mississippi Contract Growers Association, Missouri Association for Social Welfare, Montana Farmers Union, MSUE Oakland County (MI), National Association of Counties, National Association of Farmer Elected Committees, National Association of Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, National Association of Social Workers (CT), National Barley Growers, Association National Biodiesel Board, National Bison Association, National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NY), National Center on Poverty Law (IL), National Council of Jewish Women, National Farmers Organization, National Farmers Union, National Milk Producers Federation, National Priorities Project, National Sunflower Association, Nebraska Farmers Union, New Mexico Voices for Children, North Dakota Farmers Union, Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives, Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship, Northwest Harvest (WA), Northwest Settlement House (DC), NYC Coalition Against Hunger, Oceano Community Center (CA), Office of Kentucky Legal Services Programs (KY), Operational Emergency Center (WA), Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, Partners in Ending Hunger (ME), Pennsylvania Association of Regional Food Banks, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Pennsylvania Farmers, Union Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center, Protecting Arizonas Family Coalition (AZ), R-CALF, USA Redwood Empire Food Bank (CA), Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Ricebelt Warehouses River Bend Food Bank (IL), Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Room at the Inn (MO), Rural Coalition/Coalicion Rural Rural Community Insurance Services, San Luis Obispo County YMCA (CA), San Luis Obispo Food Bank Coalition (CA), School Nutrition Association, Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and NE Pennsylvania, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, Seward Senior Center (AK), Share Our Strength (DC), Shriver Center on Poverty Law (IL), Slow Food Utah Solid Ground (WA), South Dakota Farmers Union, South East Dairy Farmers, Association Southern Peanut Farmers, Federation Soybean Producers of America, St. Albans Cooperative Creamery Inc., St. Mary's Food Bank (AZ), St. Vincent de Paul Society (NJ), Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network (NJ), TEFAP Alliance (TX), The Center in Asbury Park (NJ), The New Mexico Center on Law & Poverty, The Salvation Army, Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group (CT), Thurston County Food Bank (WA), Tobacco Valley Food Pantry (MT), Transitional Food and Shelter, Inc. (CA), Transitions Mental Health Association (CA) ,U.S. Canola Association, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association Union for Reform, Judaism Union for Reform Judaism (DC), United Dairymen of Arizona, United Egg Producers, United Way of New York City: Emergency Food & Shelter Program, University District Food Bank (WA), Upstate-Niagara Cooperative, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Counsel, Utah Community Action Partnership Association, Utahans Against Hunger, Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, Village Community Resource Center (CA), Virginia Poverty Law Center, Voices for America's Children, Walsh & Weathers Research and Policy Studies (UT) , Washington Farmers, Union West Side Campaign Against Hunger, NYC, WIC at West Central Community Center Spokane (WA), Wisconsin Farmers Union, Women Involved in Farm Economics, Worldwide Missionary Movement Inc. , Food Pantry Program (NY), Xaverian Brothers USA.