My friend, Senator Debbie Stabenow, said it best this month:

"No one should worry about putting food on the table in this country, and farmers, big and small, should not have to worry about whether or not they will be able to make ends meet."

Yet, here we are, for the second straight year, the rate of food insecurity has increased and farm income has continued to decline. And it all goes back to the Congress failing to fully support the Farm Bill.

Historically, the Farm Bill has been held together by families and farms. Nutritional assistance is a cornerstone of this bill and has helped feed generations of Americans who would otherwise have gone hungry. Simultaneously, the Farm Bill supported the very farmers who grew our nation's food resources and ensured that those farmers could thrive.

This coalition of families and farmers should never be broken apart by pitting one against the other. We should be working together to develop agricultural and nutritional policy so that everyone can prosper. Because families in the United States should be confident that they have money for groceries and farmers should have the certainty that they can pass their operation on to the next generation.

It shouldn't be a question of whether the Farm Bill will pass, because few pieces of legislation are as important as this. But it is ultimately the responsibility of Members of Congress to work together and pass this legislation.

So, as Republicans in Congress play hot-potato with this year's budget, One Country Project will be advocating for farms and families, and building a coalition to pass a Farm Bill that will strengthen farms, families, and rural communities.

If you're ready to fight for rural communities and bring rural priorities to Washington, can you chip in $3 to help us build a winning coalition?

Heidi