Harkin coming through

The full Senate is expected to debate the farm bill next week. Here is an audio link of the Sen. Tom Harkin teleconference of last Thursday, not long after the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the farm bill out of committee. He trumpets the f/v program and said that he believes the total bill will find pretty good support on the floor, though he said there will be amendments on payment limits, nutrition and rural development. Harkin is expected to have another press conference tomorrow. Meanwhile, Harkin's office release the following about the fruit and vegetable program:

Senate Farm Bill Expands Access to Fresh
Fruits and Vegetables for Iowa
Students

65,000 Iowa school children will now have access, Up from 12,000 currently enrolled

Washington, D.C. – The 2007 farm bill that passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry last week invests heavily in The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) and will expand access to the program for elementary students in Iowa and around the country, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) said today. This investment will enable up to 65,000 Iowa school children to participate in the program, more than a five fold increase from the 12,000 Iowa school children who attend participating Iowa schools in the 2007-08 school year. Harkin is Chairman of the Committee and the author of the FFVP.

“The farm bill is about food and nutrition and should be an opportunity to encourage healthy diets and promote health. With this historic expansion of the Fruit and Vegetable Program, not only do we make a tremendous investment in the health of our children, but we also expand the idea of what a farm bill can and should be.” said Harkin. “What began as an immensely successful pilot program just 5 years ago will now grow into a national program that encourages fresh fruit and vegetable consumption to million of elementary school children across the country, particularly those in disadvantaged communities. I am delighted we are expanding the program in Iowa and nationally.” “Senator Harkin has been a true leader in nutrition. His efforts to increase fruit and vegetable access for low-income children is an example of his dedication to improving nutritious offerings for Iowans,” said Sister Ladonna Woerdeman, diabetes outpatient educator, registered dietitian, and media representative for the Iowa Dietetic Association.

When fully implemented, the FFVP funding levels will enable up to 4.5 million elementary school children to receive free fresh fruits and vegetables at school. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program began as a pilot program when Senator Harkin authored it in the 2002 farm bill. Iowa was one of the 4 original pilot
states.

Currently, this program receives $15 million annually,
serving 14 states plus 3 Indian Tribal Organizations. They
are:

Indiana
North
Carolina
Utah
Iowa
Washington

Idaho
Michigan
Wisconsin
New Mexico
Mississippi
Texas

Pine Ridge in South Dakota
Ohio
Connecticut
Zuni in New Mexico
Pennsylvania
Utah

Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 14 percent of children meet dietary recommendations for fruit consumption. And only 20 percent meet dietary recommendations for vegetable consumption.

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