Promoting Conservation

· The nation’s first ever “green payments” program supporting advanced stewardship systems through the Conservation Stewardship Program

· Restoring and rebuilding conservation cost-share assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program

· Flexible support for local innovative conservation projects through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative

· Support for new organic farming to advance environmental gains through Organic Conversion Assistance

· Opposition to weak environmental regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations

· Major new research and conservation investments in managed rotational grazing

· Restoration and protection of agricultural wetlands through the Wetlands Reserve Program

· Payments for conservation buffers to improve water quality and habitat through continuous enrollment options in the Conservation Reserve Program

· Strong roles for farmers and NGOs to influence the shape of conservation programs through State Technical Committees

Fostering Family Farm Agriculture

· Removal of commodity program penalties against diversified crop rotations typical of mid-sized family farms using sustainable systems

Comprehensive contract fairness reforms to protect contract feeders from unjust mandatory arbitration clauses and other unreasonable contract provdisions

· First ever competition title in farm bill to begin to reverse decades of unbridled concentration of the livestock industry  

 · Innovative loans to help new farmers buy their first land through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Down Payment Loan Program

· Targeting federal credit assistance to beginning and minority farmers through set-asides and target participation rates and special incentives

· Outreach, education and assistance for beginning and minority farmers through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

· Establish sustainable and organic farming as “good farming practices” ending federal crop insurance program discrimination against alternative systems; Adjusted Gross Revenue insurance alterative for diversified producers

Building New Markets and Businesses

· Help for farmers seeking higher returns and more sustainable businesses through the Value-Added Producer Grants program

· Support for direct marketing from small family farms to consumers through the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program

· Support for organic agriculture through the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program

· Financial and technical assistance for very small business start-ups through the Rural Micro-entrepreneur Assistance Program

· Stop federal meat label claim standards that would destroy niche markets while working to secure revised, strong pro-family farm, pro-consumer labels

· Loan guarantees for local and regional food enterprises to help rebuild infrastructure for a healthy food system

 Ensuring the integrity of the organic brand by monitoring and advocating for proper implementation of the National Organic Program.

Developing Sustainable Research, Education, and Extension

· Creation and steady expansion of the award-winning, keystone Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program

· Establishment of Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative as first step toward a fair share of federal research dollars for organic systems

· Funding for research projects that foster small farms, environmental protection, rural economic and community development, and new markets through the Fund for Rural America, the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems, the National Research Initiative, and now the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

· National sustainable agriculture information service through the ATTRA program