Farm Bill to Assist Vermont Organic Farmers

" BRATTLEBORO -- The national organic farming industry got a boost Thursday after Congress sent the 2008 Farm Bill to President Bush for signing.

Bush has threatened to veto the massive, $290 billion bill, but after Congress passed the national farming legislation with a veto-proof majority this week, organic farmers in Vermont and across the country can look forward to a little more help from the federal government in the coming years.

"If we're going to have agriculture viable in Vermont, a lot of it is going to be organic," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the most senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a strong proponent of organic foods. "I put a lot of time into these organic provisions and I wanted to make sure they stayed in the bill."

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