POTSDAM -- GardenShare will host a Farm Bill Workshop starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 in the Barben Rooms at Cheel Arena on the Clarkson University campus.

The workshop will focus on what the federal Farm Bill is, how it affects the North Country, and what can be done about it.

The workshop is designed to prepare participants for the Town Hall Forum that Bill Owens, 23rd District congressman and House Agriculture Committee member, will hold in the same rooms at 11 a.m. that day.

“A town hall meeting is a chance to look your congressman in the eye and tell him what you think,” says Aviva Gold, GardenShare executive director.

“This workshop will help clarify some of what’s in this huge piece of legislation, and give folks some time to prepare a question or statement for our representative.”

The current Farm Bill, which expires in September, has 15 sections covering commodity price support, rural development, conservation, farm insurance and more. The largest amount of funding in the bill, however, goes toward the SNAP or Food Stamp program. One in seven Americans receives Food Stamp benefits.

“It’s hard to overstate the impact that Farm Bill has on the food we eat,” says Gold. “It really drives the overall direction of food policy at the federal level. This is our chance to make sure this bill reflects the needs of North Country growers and eaters alike.”

There is ample parking. Everyone is welcome.

More information is available at gardenshare.org.