Farm Bill Action, continued:
Virginia’s Senators, their Agricultural Legislative Staff, and phone numbers are:
Sen. Mark Robert Warner (202) 224-2023; ask to speak with Micah Barbour or leave him a message. If you are not able to get through to the DC office, you can call the Senator’s district office closest to you: Abingdon (276) 628-8158, Norfolk (757) 441-3079, Richmond (804) 775-2314, Roanoke (540) 857-2676, Vienna (703) 442-0670. Several calls on a given bill or issue to a district office can impel the staff to forward the message to the DC office.
Sen. Timothy Michael Kaine (202) 224-4024; ask to speak with Nick Barbash or Donald Pollard or leave them a message. Again, if you cannot get through to the DC office, call the nearest district office: Abingdon (276) 525-4790, Danville (434) 792-0976, Manassas (703) 361-3192, Richmond (804) 771-2221, Roanoke (540) 682-5693, Virginia Beach (757) 518-1674.
For those of you not in Virginia, call your Senators and ask to speak with their legislative aides who work on Farm Bill and related issues. If you do not know your Senators’ phone numbers, call the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected with your Senator’s office.
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has provided the following sample message:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a constituent. I understand the Senate is debating the 2018 Farm Bill this week. I’d like to share a message for the Senator’s agriculture staffer, please. Here is the message: I urge the Senator to SUPPORT Senator Grassley’s amendment to the farm bill that will ensure farm commodity payments go to family farms, not corporate investors. I also urge the Senator to SUPPORT Senator Durbin’s amendment to reduce crop insurance subsidies for millionaires. These two amendments are common-sense reform measures that will help independent family farmers and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Thank you for your time.
That’s all it takes! Thanks for your help – this is a major turning point in our work for a better 2018 Farm Bill.
