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Organic Seed Alliance
12 Jun 2012

Protect Farmer Choice in Seed
Ask Your Senators to Support the Tester Farm Bill Amendment

Senator Jon Tester will soon introduce a Farm Bill amendment that aims to improve seed and breed choices for American farmers, strengthen U.S. agriculture, and bolster food security.  

 

Call your senators today and ask them to support Senator Tester's Farm Bill amendment to enhance farmer access to improved seeds and breeds. (If you live in Montana, call Senator Tester to thank him!)

 

Find your senators here or call the Senate switchboard and they'll connect you: (202) 224-3121. The message is this:   

 

"As the Senate debates the 2012 Farm Bill, I urge you to support an amendment sponsored by Senator Tester to designate a small percentage of the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative budget for classical plant and animal breeding. This amendment seeks to reinvigorate classical plant breeding in the public sector to better ensure farmers have the seeds and breeds they need to be successful."

 

Classical breeding is cost-effective, proven, and the best source of the diverse, complex traits that allow farmers and researchers to respond to changing conditions, new challenges, and new market opportunities.

 

This could be our best chance to protect research funding for public, classical breeding. It's not controversial, it has obvious benefits for researchers and consumers, and it's good for every American farmer, no matter what kind of crop they choose to grow.  

 

Your call will help ensure that public research dollars deliver diverse seed and breed choices to American farmers. 

 

Thank you! 

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Kristina Hubbard

Director of Advocacy & Communications  

Organic Seed Alliance | PO Box 772 | Port Townsend | WA | 98368

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