Here is an update on the progress of the Farm Bill, for anyone who's interested:

"After contentious negotiations and multiple temporary extensions of current law, Congress is finally poised to vote on the Farm bill reauthorization, (the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007, H.R. 2419).  Anti-hunger advocates were successful in making important improvements that will raise food stamp benefits, increase funding for emergency food, and fund fruit and vegetable snacks in low-income schools.

The House and Senate have grappled with issues that included how to pay for the increased costs in the $286 billion 5-year bill, whether to include a disaster fund for farmers in a few states supported by the Senate but not the House, if and by how much to cut direct crop subsidy payments to farmers, and how to allocate new resources in the nutrition title of the bill.  With all of these issues now resolved by the House and Senate conference committee, a vote is scheduled for the week of May 12.

Advocates are pleased that $10.4 billion over 10 years has been added to the nutrition title of the bill, including $7.8 billion for the Food Stamp Program, $1.26 billion for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which purchases food for emergency feeding organizations, and $1 billion for the free fresh fruits and vegetable snack programs targeted to schools with large shares of low-income families..."

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