• This week, the U.S. Senate acted in bipartisan spirit to approve the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act - a balanced, comprehensive bill that will drive continued growth in rural America.  The House of Representatives now has another important opportunity to stand with rural America and pass their version of a bill.
• People often call this the Farm Bill - but it's much more than that. This is a conservation bill. It's a trade promotion bill. It's an innovation bill. It's a jobs bill.
• And it's a bill that will help continue a tremendous increase in markets for locally-grown foods. This includes creating more farmers markets, building additional regional food hubs and strengthening farm-to-institution programs.
• In recent years, USDA has carried out a very successful Farmers Market Promotion Program that has increased the number of farmers markets by 67% since 2008.  The Senate bill expands these efforts through its Farmers Market and Local

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