(article, Culinate staff)
The Farm Bill and the Occupy Wall Street movement have come along at the same time, which has meant increased awareness of the economics behind farming in America. A recent op-ed in the Baltimore Sun called for any new Farm Bill to include provisions for encouraging farmers to produce energy (not just crops) via methane and other biofuels. In early December, a Maine farmer flew to New York to speak at the Farmers' March on Wall Street, saying that big business was driving American farmers out of farming. And the activist website TakePart posted a list of websites focused on Farm Bill activism, including slideshows, guides, and petitions. Check out, too, the Farm Bill Hackathon, a competition designed to "develop tools and visualizations to help convey to the public the complexities and relevance of the farm bill and America’s food system."