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The Farm Bill is an important part of this country’s government system that allows American Food and Agriculture to operate properly with both interstate and international trade, food safety, and consumer food programs. We may disagree on specific aspects of legislation, but one thing is certain – Our leaders on the on the Hill need to do their job and pass a Farm Bill soon.

I received the following message as a combined effort between several Agriculture organizations, urging us to utilize Social Media and contact our respective Senators about this issue. The Twitter hashtag #FarmBillNow is being used, and you can follow the conversation there.

Twitter is becoming an important communications tool in Congress and we are going to be using it to our advantage as the Senate debates the 2012 Farm Bill. Using the hashtag #farmbillnow, join the National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and other agriculture organizations to tweet your Senators on the importance of this legislation.

Our goal is to have as many farmers, organizations and advocates tweeting their Senators as we can. The coordinated effort will be keeping our messages very general and will not be getting into specific policies that our various organizations do or do not support. That way the Senate gets a very clear message that above all, America’s farmers want a farm bill this year.

Click here to view a document containing the official Twitter handles of every Senator and a list of some suggested Tweets. If your Senators do not have an account, feel free to pick another Senator and send a tweet. If you need any more information, please let us know.

To me, it’s not so much about specific policy as it is asking law makers to do the job they were sent to D.C. to do in the first place.

Here is a list of sample tweets that you may use.

@Sen___In 2011, the ag sector exported $132 billion in goods. Policy certainty is important to maintain this record of success. #farmbillnow (140 characters)
@Sen___ More than 84% of farm bill-related spending goes to food and nutrition programs serving more than 40 million people. #farmbillnow (138 characters)
@Sen___ Passing a farm bill this year will provide certainty to America’s farmers that an extension will not. We need a #farmbillnow (134 characters)
@Sen___The Farm Bill is a vital piece of legislation as we prepare to make next year’s planting decisions. We need a #farmbillnow. (132 characters)
@Sen____ Agriculture is a bright spot in America’s economy but we need certainty for the future. I urge you to pass a #farmbillnow. (132 characters)
@Sen____ The 2012 Farm Bill Senate is a vital piece of legislation to America’s farmers. I urge your support. #farmbillnow (123 characters)

Remember, no matter your feelings about specific aspects, please join this coordinated effort and ask political leaders to do their job to protect Food and Agriculture in this country by passing a Farm Bill soon.

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Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.