For rural communities in Maine, the Farm Bill represents an enormous opportunity for growth. Every five years, lawmakers in Washington are able to make adjustments that can make or break family farms. But the bill does more than that. It also reauthorizes SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, which helps feed 180,000 Mainers. This year, […]
farm bill
Posted inLetters, sj-web
'No' to cuts in SNAP program
Congress will vote on the Farm Bill in September. The final version of that bill will be critical for many of Maine’s citizens and small farmers. It encompasses provision for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The proposed House and Senate versions do not agree and need to be reconciled. The House version of the bill […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Conservative revolt over immigration sinks House farm bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an embarrassment for House Republican leaders, conservatives on Friday scuttled a bill that combines stricter work and job training requirements for food stamp recipients with a renewal of farm subsidies popular in GOP-leaning farm country. Hard-right conservatives upset over the party’s stalled immigration agenda opposed the measure, which failed by a […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Reject proposed farm bill
In my lifetime, hunger was a devastating problem in many parts of this country. The Food Stamp program saved lives by providing vital nutrition for families and single people who had fallen on hard times — nutrition that allowed them to learn in school, heal from illness and injury, hang on between jobs, and not […]
Posted inConnections, Livermore Falls Advertiser, The Franklin Journal
Annual meeting to discuss Farm Bill funds in Franklin County
CHESTERVILLE — Natural Resources Conservation Service is seeking members of the community to participate in a conversation about allocating USDA funding. Franklin County individuals, foresters, farmers, community members and others will tasked with the annual job of identifying priority areas of concern in each district or county. Next, the areas of concern will prioritized as to how USDA […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Federal farm bill to impact potato, dairy, blueberry industry in Maine
PRESQUE ISLE — President Barack Obama on Friday signed a $956 billion farm bill that is expected to give a boost to farmers in Maine but includes cuts to the food stamp program. Obama signed the bill at Michigan State University during a speech in which he spoke of the benefits of a thriving agricultural […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
U.S. Senate sends farm bill to Obama
WASHINGTON — The sweeping farm bill that Congress sent to President Obama Tuesday has something for almost everyone, from the nation’s 47 million food stamp recipients to Southern peanut growers, Midwest corn farmers and the maple syrup industry in the Northeast. After years of setbacks, the Senate on Tuesday sent the nearly $100 billion-a-year measure […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Farm bill battle could affect milk prices
WASHINGTON — The fight over renewing the nation’s farm bill has centered on cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. But there could be unintended consequences if no agreement is reached: higher milk prices. Members of the House and Senate are scheduled to begin long-awaited negotiations on the five-year, roughly $500 billion bill this […]