Last week’s front page feature on Real Food CT — Newtown’s own home-grown effort to eliminate food insecurity right here in our own community — is among the best examples we could think of to illustrate why farms matter. But if you think about it, farming in Newtown represents a lot more than Real Food CT’s powerful hunger-fighting philanthropy.

When you pull in to grab your farm-to-plate fare from Shortt’s Farm and Garden Center, or the sweetest, craziest varieties of ice cream from Ferris Acres Creamery, or wade into the corn maze and pumpkin patch at Castle Hill Farm, or order up your lamb or sheep’s wool products from Sepe Farm, grab a dozen free range eggs or any of the fruits and veggies they offer in season at Bellie Acres Farm, cruise into Powers Farm’s bountiful farm stand, sample the wines and cheeses at Aquila’s Nest Vineyards, pick through one of 40 varieties of heirloom tomatoes at Farming 101, gather bouquets of fresh cut flowers from Appleberry Farm, or just take in all there is to offer at Newtown Farmers Market, you are not just feeding yourself — you’re fueling Newtown commerce.

But besides supporting Newtown’s farmers and all our community’s agricultural purveyors, you can also make a difference in our community and across the nation by spending a few moments to better understand the nation’s Farm Bill.

According to our resources at Farm Aid, this enormous piece of legislation is set to expire this September 30. The federal government now has the task of reviewing the food and farm landscape in the US and renewing this expansive omnibus bill.

A handful of issues dominate Farm Bill spending, including nutrition, crop insurance, conservation and commodity crops. The remaining one percent of spending packs a potent and increasingly important punch, covering programs that are changing the landscape for American farmers and eaters.

These topics include issues as varied as international trade, rural development, local food systems, beginning farmers, racial equity, research, forestry and more. The fate of these programs hinges on upcoming 2023 Farm Bill negotiations, where programs could be cut, reduced, reshaped or expanded.

Back in 2018, the Farm Bill’s last re-authorization was very important to Connecticut. Our state Department of Agriculture reminds us how meaningful it was and is to our state’s farmers as language pertaining to hemp, farmland preservation efforts, dairy support programs, specialty crop block grants, and crop insurance all were included in the final bill.

The bill also includes incentives to encourage dairy producers to pay farmers who donate surplus milk to charitable organizations, allows shellfish farmers access to crop insurance programs, makes programming and funding available to new and beginning farmers to encourage the future of agriculture and help the next generation get started in this challenging field, and provided over $435 million to educate new farmers and engage minority farmers through urban outreach, offering opportunities for small farm business establishment, expansion, and risk management.

As we move closer to the Farm Bill’s next re-authorization, The Newtown Bee will dig into other ways its latest iteration will directly benefit local farmers and consumers of our local agricultural products. In the meantime, if you would like to support or be part of the great work being done at Real Food CT, just look them up at realfoodct.org and dig in!