The Farm Bill Affects ALL of Us

The 2007 Farm Bill has attracted a lot of media attention. But why does the Farm Bill matter to people who don't farm?

The farm bill allocates billions of dollars for federal programs affecting not only agriculture, but nutrition, conservation, and poverty. Food stamps are the most high-profile anti-hunger program in the farm bill, but agricultural policy itself affects what foods are most available to everyone.

KFAI's Hilary Johnson talked to Mark Muller, of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Muller says, We have to make the default option for people when they eat be the healthy option. Right now, the default choice that they make is often the unhealthy foods because it's quicker, it easier, you don't have to know how to cook, and its often cheaper. So we have to find a way of making that default option to be the healthier foods and right now our farm policy is working against that.

The 2007 Farm Bill has passed the House, while the Senate version remains under debate. A final version is not expected to pass until early 2008.