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Stop the stealing rally

Farmers, Ranchers, And Rural Communities Rally Against Corporate Power And The Monopolization Of The Farm And Food Industry

In 2019, Family Farm Action and their allies rallied farmers, ranchers, and rural communities against corporate power and their monopolization of the farm and food industry. 

Most notable among these events was the Rally for a Farmers Bill of Rights in Storm Lake, Iowa – a rural town in conservative Northwest Iowa – where Family Farm Action led 15 organizations to advocate supporting our Farmers Bill of Rights. Additionally, Family Farm Action received the endorsement of 4 Democratic Presidential candidates, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who gave a rousing speech outlining her support for America's family farmers. 

Recently, Family Farm Action participated in the Rally to Stop the Stealin' in Omaha, Nebraska, as a co-sponsor calling on President Trump and Sonny Perdue to take action against large meatpackers and their abuse of America’s cattle markets. The rally included 22 sponsors and nearly 500 farmers and ranchers. 

Family Farm Action is building the political muscle for farmers and ranchers who have often been left out of the conversation. Industry insider and commodity organizations often claim they are the voice of American agriculture, but speak mostly for big agribusinesses – which are increasingly foreign-owned – rather than the hardworking stewards of our rural communities and natural resources. Family Farm Action shines a light on the extraction of wealth and corruption of this system by rallying key rural stakeholders together and making it clear that multinational corporations don’t speak for family farmers. 

Through partnerships large and small, Family Farm Action rallied over 2,000 farmers and ranchers in 2019. However, Family Farm Action’s impact reaches further, by engaging farmers and ranchers on social media, neighbor and community outreach, and spreading the word through local media. 

More and more folks in rural communities are talking about the stranglehold the wealthy and well-connected have on our economy, particularly in agribusiness. Family Farm Action connects the dots between policies like the repeal of the country of origin labeling on meat, labeling foreign meat “Product of the USA”, supporting mega-farms over family farms and the dairy crisis. The common thread is the continued consolidation of agricultural markets by giant faceless corporations.  

In addition to the pro-farmer- and-rancher political actions taking hold in rural America, Family Farm Action has made significant progress on Capitol Hill. Family Farm Action works across the aisle in DC and state capitols to push legislative reforms to ensure our agricultural markets and economies work for those most impacted by them - rural communities, farmers, and ranchers. This includes efforts like placing a moratorium on further big ag mergers, overhauls to commodity check-off programs, and leading on Senator Cory Booker's Climate Stewardship Act. 

Family Farm Action's efforts to rally farmers and ranchers in 2019 sets the stage for action at the ballot box in 2020. Family Farm Action forges uncommon alliances and draws important lines in the sand on policies that are easy to understand and align with the values of rural voters. In 2020, Family Farm Action will pressure candidates up and down the ticket to make clear where they stand. Rarely in farm politics have politicians been forced to choose between multinational corporations that extract wealth from rural communities and real independent family agricultural producers. Rural voters will ultimately rally behind candidates who believe in a level playing field and a fair deal, and Family Farm Action is organizing and empowering these communities to do so.