Faithful Harvest Campaign ACTION ALERT Ask for a strong conservation title in the 2007 Farm Bill Christian principles compel us to be mindful stewards of the land - Urge your representative to support farm policy that helps farmers to be good stewards of creation. The Farm Bill is quite possibly one of the most important pieces of conservation legislation that will be considered by this Congress. Nearly half of the U.S. landmass is used for agricultural production - and farm policy is one of the few ways to encourage responsible land management practices, reward owners for good practices, and thank them for the environmental benefits that we all get when they treat God's land with the reverence that is required of us. On May 2, 3, or 4, call your representatives to ask them to support a strong conservation title in the 2007 Farm Bill. It's easy to call or write. On May 2nd and 3rd, the National Council of Churches has secured a toll-free number so that you can call your representatives in Washington, DC free of charge. Call 1-866-354-6411 to reach the Capitol switchboard. Ask for your representative by name. Ask the representative's receptionist for the legislative aid that covers agriculture. If no one in their office deals with agriculture ask for the environmental aid. If no one is available, leave a message with your name, phone number, and the message below on the aid's voicemail or with the receptionist. Remember to place calls to your House representative and both of your Senators! If you prefer to write, get your representative's fax number from his or her website, and fax a brief letter with the points below, along with your name, address, and contact information. The message is simple. I am a constituent and I am calling to ask Representative/Senator _________________ to focus on improving conservation programs in the 2007 farm bill. On Earth Day, thousands of churches all over the United States offered prayers and hosted celebrations calling for a more just farm bill. I am a person of faith, and Christian principles compel me to seek a farm policy that aids farmers in being more mindful stewards of God’s Earth. I am asking the Representative/Senator to ensure that there is funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program to continue, restore the $4.3 billion lost by the Conservation Security Program in the appropriations process, restore the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to its 2002 form, and to reform the commodity programs so that they don’t encourage overproduction and so that payments are targeted to those that need them most. I also encourage the Representative/Senator to be a leader in supporting and encouraging provisions that foster the growth of local food systems, which would cut-down significantly agriculture’s contribution to global warming. A farm bill that includes these provisions will make significant strides toward delivering justice to God’s people and the land. Thank you for your time. Background Earth Day Sunday 2007 - The Food That Sustains Us Each year the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program sponsors an Earth Day Sunday, turning the attention of people of faith to a critical environmental issue facing the people God, all of us, that have been commissioned to serve as stewards of the creation. This year, through the NCC’s Faithful Harvest Campaign, thousands of congregations are recognizing the far-reaching impacts of agriculture on God’s gifts of land, water, and air, as well as on the people that work the land, and all of us as consumers of food. By offering a prayer, using organic or locally-grown communion bread, lifting up agricultural issues on a sermon, or holding an Earth Day festival after worship, churches are making a difference. Learn more about the Faithful Harvest Campaign, or download “Our Daily Bread: Harvesters of Hope and Gardeners of Eden,” a worship, study, and action resource on how our faith intersects with the issues facing agriculture today. (You will need to register for the Eco-Justice Network to download the resource.) More about the Farm Bill programs mentioned in the call script: Wetlands Reserve Program Conservation Security Program Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Commodity Programs