Participants shared stories about facing discrimination from USDA employees and offered suggestions to USDA officials in attendance for potential changes.  Improvements, they said, could include increasing the availability of interpreters at USDA Service Centers and offering occasional weekend hours at the centers.

In a panel discussion about food and farm policy and the next farm bill, Rural Coalition Executive Director Lorette Picciano spoke about the importance of organizational collaboration.  She urged groups to coordinate policy and grassroots efforts in order to “make dollars go further.”  Added Ben Burkett, a farmer in Mississippi and member of the USDA Minority Farmer Advisory Committee, “we need allies across the country.”  NSAC and Rural Coalition will offer a workshop on uniting food and farm voices for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers at the November 2011 Community Food Security Coalition conference in Oakland, CA.

Participants at Rural Coalition Gathering

Poppy Davis, National Program Leader for Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in USDA’s Office of Advocacy and Outreach, addressed the gathering, noting the need to clarify Secretary Vilsack’s goal of creating 100,000 new farmers.  For example, she explained that the goal should go beyond numbers to ensure that these new farmers are on a “good path” and not “on the verge of bankruptcy.”  Davis observed that the Census of Agriculture can play an important role in tracking progress and supporting the initiative.  She added that the program she heads will consider the demographics of the new farmers to target populations that could particularly benefit, for example those returning from military service as well as minority and socially disadvantaged communities. “Everything’s on the table…all beginning farmers are good under this program…it’s about creating the maximum number of pathways into agriculture.”

Davis described a timeline for the efforts including the development of a national strategic plan in the next year (by 2012) and offered that her goal is to “get as much input as possible.”  She also said the Agency will begin rolling out “practical tools [i.e., tax clinics] that we already know need to be done.”  She then identified six issues that her program will definitely focus on:
(1) the legality of on-farm apprenticeship and mentorship;
(2) microcredit within credit programs;
(3) the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, including training and best practices;
(4) income tax concerns for beginning farmers and ranchers;
(5) land tenureship models other than owning land; and
(6) specialty contracts, for example on land that might not be productive or is far from markets.

Policy Advocacy and Research: GIPSA, Conservation, and Beyond – Yukon and Oklahoma City

Helen was joined by sustainable agriculture advocate and farmer Kathy Moore of Anichini-Moore Ranch & Farm and co-founder of the Oklahoma Composting Council.  Kathy resides in the state’s third district, represented by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-3rd/OK).  Kathy and Helen had a productive meeting with Lucas district staff in Yukon to discuss NSAC priorities including the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule as well as conservation programs.  Prior to taking the reins of the full agriculture committee, Congressman Lucas chaired its subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development, and Research.

Kathy and Helen then met with Kefy Desta, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the Plant and Soil Sciences department at Oklahoma State University.  Kefy’s work includes a focus on sustainable agriculture including nutrient management in organic production, waste management, and alternative crops.

Farm to School and Specialty Crops – Oklahoma City

From left: Kathy Moore, Chris Kirby, Mr. Cannon, and Kefy Desta

The group expanded and met Chris Kirby with the Department of Agriculture and administrator of the Oklahoma Farm to School program.  Following a multi-year successful Farm to School pilot with seedless watermelons, in 2006 the Oklahoma State Legislature passed the “Oklahoma Farm to School Program Act” creating Chris’s position along with the program’s website, which serves as an important resource for farmers, ranchers, school personnel, and consumers throughout the state.  Since passage of the legislation, the state’s Farm to School programs have grown to around 75 in number and include several universities, with demand exceeding supply.  The state has also formed numerous partnerships with nonprofits and the public sector to advance the Farm to School program.

Cannon's Corner, Oklahoma City

Chris treated Kathy, Kefy, and Helen to a tour of Cannon’s Corner, an eight-acre urban farm in Oklahoma City with vegetable and fruit production.  The farm is a participant in the state’s Plasticulture Program for small farms, funded by state dollars and the federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which aims to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops.  Cannon’s Corner operates a roadside farm stand and also provides food to the Farm to School program for educational purposes in taste tests and cooking demonstrations.

An On-line Food Hub: Oklahoma Food Cooperative – Oklahoma City

Next, Helen and Kathy met with Bob Waldrop and Chelsey Simpson, founder and President respectively of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, an on-line food hub.  Once a month, the coop’s 4,000 or so members from across the state place on-line orders for products from about 100 of Oklahoma’s producers.  The OK Food Coop aggregates products on a single day just prior to its monthly distribution day, at which time products are delivered to customers at nearly 40 pick-up sites throughout the state.

At the meeting, the group discussed challenges for food hubs including labor expenses for aggregation, packing, and distribution; increased competition from direct marketing channels such as farmers markets and CSAs; burdensome labeling requirements for small ranchers; and serving the state’s most rural, remote areas.  Opportunities include diversification of products, such as the addition of regional foods (e.g. Texas citrus and Arkansas rice), as well as adding more non-food items to maintain a year-round customer base.

NSAC is currently exploring policy options to support food hubs as well as other components of local and regional food systems.

Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture – Poteau

Jim Horne (left) and David Redhage (right) of the Kerr Center with NSAC Policy Associate Helen Dombalis

Helen then traveled to Poteau in the eastern part of the state near the Arkansas border to visit the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, a long-time NSAC member and supporter.  Located on about 4,000 acres and in operation since the mid-1960s, the Kerr Center has extensive experience in sustainable agriculture.  Along with some farm consultation, the Kerr Center has been engaged in state and federal policy and was involved in establishing Oklahoma’s Food Policy Council.  Additionally, the Kerr Center bridges the gap between research and farming: with operational horticulture, natural resources, and livestock programs, the Kerr Center offers an array of educational opportunities including field days and workshops and conducts a variety of research.  More recently, the Kerr Center got involved in Farm to School programs and remains an advocate for local and regional food systems.

Kerr Center Horticulture Research on Heirloom Tomatoes

USDA has supported the Kerr Center’s work to advance sustainable agriculture research and education.  Its horticulture program received a Specialty Crop Block Grant for an heirloom sweet potato trial, using twelve varieties to explore ideal growing conditions.  Its natural resources program received funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  Its livestock program received funding through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program to conduct on-farm research to reduce disease in livestock.  In August 2011, the Kerr Center will partner with the University of Arkansas, the recipient of a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) grant.

NSAC thinks the best way to achieve long-term food and farm policy change is to build the capacity of its grassroots member organizations to shape public policy.  Our members meaningfully engage and inform farmers, rural advocates, and food activists in their region and give them the tools they need to participate in the policy making process.

SIGs are targeted mini-grants made only to NSAC member organizations to support projects that advance our priority policy objectives.  Grants are used to support a variety of grassroots actions from holding in district meetings with policy makers, to holding farmer listening sessions or for strategic media work.  SIG grantees also share their results with NSAC staff and all of the other NSAC organizations.

This round of SIG awards will support engaging farmers and other stakeholders with policy makers and the media to advance NSAC’s 2012 Farm Bill and FY 2012 appropriations priorities.   SIGs also support participation of sustainable and organic farmers in the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service State Technical Committees.

Fall 2010 SIG Grantees and Projects

Farmers Market Coalition:  to empower its grassroots network of farmers’ market managers, producers, and state farmer’ market associations in support of the Farmers Market Promotion Program.  The FMPP increases farmer-to-consumer direct marketing by providing grants for the development, improvement, and expansion of farmers’ markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, and other direct marketing opportunities.  The 2008 Farm Bill mandates that at least 10 percent of funds must be used to assist food stamp recipient’s access to farmers’ markets, CSA’s, and roadside stands.  The Farmers Market Coalition will utilize their SIG grant to build relationships with key House and Senate Agriculture Committee members through in-district meetings and Hill visits.

Georgia Organics: to identify, train, and empower farmers to interface with key policy makers in Georgia on NSAC Farm Bill priorities, that relate to organic and sustainable production, and urge continued support.  Components of the project will include farmers and lawmakers meeting in an office visit, as well as an on-farm visit, and development of a tool kit to educate and encourage farmer/citizen action on the next Farm Bill.

Illinois Stewardship Alliance: to support the development of a statewide policy advisory committee of farmers, consumers, and others stakeholders in food and farm policy processes both on a state and national level.  The grant will provide the funds to organize in-district meetings between stakeholders and policy makers, produce educational materials, and garner input and discussion around the Farm Bill priorities.  The organization will focus particularly on farmers’ markets, local food system development, specialty crops, and conservation programs.

Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI):  to build northwest Michigan’s Farm Bill organizing capacity by gathering input from farmers and related food system stakeholders, and cultivating five or more leaders from among this group.  MLUI will host an in district tour and meetings with Senator Stabenow, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Representative Dave Camp, Chair of the House Ways & Means Committee.

Nebraska Wildlife Federation: to host workshops to gather input and educate farmers, ranchers, and conservation professionals about the wildlife benefits of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  These workshops will identify and cultivate spokespeople for the CSP, and educate farmers, media, and congressional staff on the benefits of the program.

Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG): to advocate for sustainable farm policies in the next Farm Bill, engage new organizations and individuals currently in the NESAWSG network in appropriations advocacy in New York and Maine.  NESAWG will utilize action alerts, social networking, and organizing in district meetings to advance the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Accounts Program, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, Organic Transition Program, federal farm credit programs, and the Value-Added Producer Grant Program.

Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP): to ensure representation of organic farmers at the Idaho Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) State Technical Committees annual meeting.  It’s crucial for organic farmers to have a seat at the table at NRCS meetings, as they set the rules for which farming practices are supported, and how programs are implemented.  NCAP will also ensure organic farmer participation in the newly created organic/small acreage subcommittee to review practice standards and payment schedules.

In response to the exploding demand for local foods the ERS published, “Comparing the Size, Structure and Performance of Local and Mainstream Food Supply Chains.”  The report looks at the determinants of structure and size for local food supply chains and compares the social, environmental and economic performance of local vs. mainstream supply chains.

The report is one of the outcomes of a 2008 Farm Bill effort by Senators Feingold, Menendez, and Harkin, supported by NSAC, to foster greater research into local and regional food systems.

Using case study analysis, the report focuses on 5 products from 5 urban areas; blueberries in Portland, Oregon; leafy greens in Sacramento, California; apples in Syracuse, New York; beef in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and fluid milk in Washington D.C.  Click here to read about the case studies in detail.

The case studies followed each product along 3 supply chains; local, inter-mediated and mainstream.  Local supply chains relied on direct marketing from producer to consumer, defining  “local” as produced within a 400 mile radius or within the state, a definition that NSAC helped develop for use in the Farm Bill.  Inter-mediated supply chains refers to producers who grow/ raise food locally but then employ a marketing intermediary to reach consumers.

Key findings from the report include:

• Direct marketing comprises a very small portion of the total sales for each product but producers using local food supply chains receive higher revenues per unit and receive a larger share of the retail dollar.  Farmers selling into inter-mediated supply chains also receive a larger share relative to the mainstream supply chains.
• Economic benefits from local supply chains accrue locally, but mainstream supply chains can also contribute to local economies.
• Local food systems generate greater social capital and civic engagement.
• Local food supply chains often rely on a more diversified portfolio of market outlets such as farmers markets, CSAs, buying clubs, restaurants, Internet sales, etc.
• Costs associated with mainstream processing and distribution often block small to mid- sized producers from opportunities to scale-up.

In their monthly publication, “Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Outlook,” the ERS published another report in response to growing consumer demand for grass-fed meat.

Most cattle spend the first half of their lives grazing on pasture.  However, in conventional production systems, cattle are confined into concentrated into feedlots and finished on grain feed.  In addition to providing a large market for abundant gran supplies, the grain feed also results in more tender meat with a shorter production time.

Alternatively, many ranchers are returning to production systems that finish the livestock on high-quality grasses and forages.  The resulting meat is leaner and also provides a healthier fat profile with more Omega-3 fatty acids.  Producers can also differentiate their products as “grass-fed” or “grass-finished” as a marketing niche.  According to this ERS report, grass-fed or finished cattle comprise about 3% of the industry, growing at about 20% per year.

This ERS report explains that although grass-fed beef is a commercially viable alternative to conventional systems, as demand for grass-fed meat expands, foraged based production systems will face increasing constraints.  Specifically, the ERS cites the higher costs associated with relying on feeds that are in shorter supply (particularly in winter months), potential land shortages, and the greater production time required to fatten cattle on forages.  The report also addressed the need for more processing facilities in local areas to handle the increasing demand.

Click here to read this report.

• ATTRA recently posted an updated step-by-step guide to the CSP application process to their which includes links to the self-screening checklist and other relevant forms and background information.  Producers are also invited to call the ATTRA toll free hot-line number at 1-800-346-9140 (English) and 1-800-411-3222 (Spanish) for additional help or further information. Click here to visit the ATTRA guide to Accessing CSP.

• The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF),  has a set of frequently asked questions about CSP, specific to organic producers.  Click here to access the OFRF FAQ about CSP

• The Center for Rural Affairs‘ Farm Bill Helpline can offer direct assistance to farmers and ranchers.  Call 402-687-2100 and ask for the Farm Bill Helpline.

• The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute will be hosting two CSP Info sessions in Wisconsin.  For more information on these two sessions, contact Bridget Holcomb, MFAI’s Associate Policy Director, at bridget(at)michaelfieldsaginst.org or call 608-256-1859.
  • Wednesday, May 19th, 1-3 pm in Tomahawk, WI at Treehaven, W2540 Pickerel Creek Road, 715-453-4106.
  • Monday, May 24th, 1-3pm in Oshkosh at the NRCS office, 625 E. County Rd. Y, 920-424-0329 x310.
• The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) offers a series of farmer fact sheets on CSP, available on their CSP page. LSP is also interested to hear about producers’ experience with the CSP application process at their local NRCS office.  Contact Policy Program organizer Adam Warthesen at 612-722-6377 or adamw(at)landstewardshipproject.org.

Lynn’s activism began in 2000 when she joined with neighbors to form the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan (ECCSCM) and began to take water samples and photographs to document CAFO environmental violations that threaten the environment and public health.   As with many local activists fighting powerful interests, Lynn and her family have been personally threatened and harassed.  In addition to dead animals left on her porch and the bombing of her mailbox, Lynn has also been run off the road while taking water samples in publicly accessible locations and equipment on her family farm has been damaged.

Lynn volunteered with the Water Sentinel Program of the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter and became a staff member with the Chapter in 2005.  Her work with Sierra Club and the ECCSM has produced a better record of CAFO violations than that of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).  She has since expanded her work in Michigan to help form a statewide committee made up of representatives of the departments of agriculture and health, the DEQ, and Michigan citizens groups.  The Committee is charged with conducting a first-ever assessment state level of the environmental impacts of CAFOs on public health.  Lynn also assists other communities in challenging CAFOs.  Some of her investigation techniques have been incorporated into EPA investigations of CAFOs.

On April 19, Lynn was joined in San Francisco by five other grassroots activists receiving a Goldman prize as leaders of grassroots activism in their countries.   A smaller award ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 21 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

Open Forum: Invest in the next generation of farmers

By Rebecca King

As a fledgling 30-something female sheep farmer, I rack up more than my share of Little Bo Peep jokes. In reality, I haven’t lost my sheep.I know exactly where to find them because they’re the key to my successful cheese-making start-up enterprise and my farm outside Watsonville.

But the success of my venture — and those of thousands of beginning farmers across the country — relies on support from federal Farm Bill programs that Congress needs to prioritize in the upcoming fiscal year 2011 budget recommendations, efforts like the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account Program.

Left to right: Brett Malone (ALBA), Eleazar Juarez (Farmer), Devin Rhinerson (Sen. Feinstein - CA), Steve Schwartz (CA Farmlink), and Rebecca King (Farmer) meeting in Sen Feinstein's office on March 3 to talk about beginning farmer issues.

The program is based on “Individual Development Accounts,” a competitive savings plan that matches funds saved by individual farmers. California FarmLink independently administers an individual development account program in which farmers like me commit to saving a set amount every month for two years. This program matched my contribution 3 to 1: every $100 I saved each month equaled $300 in my account. The money saved can be used after two years toward specific business investments, such as a farm down payment or to purchase farm equipment.

To further ensure long-term business success, as a program participant I was required to complete financial training programs such as business planning and market development as well as develop a savings and business plan before the funds could be used. At the end of two years I received back almost $10,000 in capital as well as a strong foundation for my business fiscal success.

I’m not alone. Participants in IDA programs designed to start up small enterprises across various business categories are 84 percent more likely to become profitable business owners than those who have not participated. Funding such entrepreneurial programs means the cost of other line items, like unemployment benefits, goes down as well.

The Farm Bill created the first ever IDA program specifically for farmers, called the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account Program. Unfortunately, Congress did not appropriate funds for the program in last year’s budget. We can start fresh right now for the 2011 fiscal year.

Our nation looks to California for its vision on how best to cultivate healthy, sustainable farms to feed future generations. Our California delegation, particularly with the leadership of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) and Representative Sam Farr, D-Carmel, stand in a strong position to recommend $5 million in beginning farmer funding. If funded at this level for the remaining four years of this farm bill, this program could still assist approximately 3,200 new farmers like me to establish farming livelihoods across the country.

Yes, we live in a time of extreme budgetary pressures. But no, we can’t short-change the future of our children or the sustainability of our food system. It’s a matter of reinvesting in the long-term viability of vibrant agricultural enterprises and farms that feed our nation.

Congress: Invest in and grow the next generation of farmers like me and you won’t be lost like Bo Peep. Instead we’ll be eating cheese, meat and other locally raised, healthy food made with pride by America’s farmers.

Rebecca King is a dairy sheep farmer and cheese-maker in northern Monterey County. She sells raw milk sheep cheese through farmers markets, specialty shops and restaurants.

Key fly-in events had an agricultural focus.  A congressional briefing on March 15, entitled “The Mississippi – The River Left Behind,” addressed nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the River which ultimately contributes to a hypoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.  Much of this pollution results from agricultural activity in states bordering the Mississippi River, as well as Ohio and Indiana where farms contribute to pollution in the Ohio River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River.

The briefing addressed the sources and consequences of nutrient pollution, the work of the Mississippi River Collaborative – funded by the McKnight Foundation to seek solutions to nutrient loading throughout the River Basin, and a report summarizing federal government resources available to deal with Mississippi River Basin pollution.  At the close of the briefing, Sierra Club Water Sentinels Tom Guilfoyle and Hank Graddy spoke about their petition to EPA urging that the agency establish numeric Clean Water Act nutrient standards for the Mississippi River.  The Sierra Club gathered almost 42,000 signatures on this petition.  The EPA’s Office of Inspector General issued a report in 2009 that focused on the need for numeric water quality standards for nutrients.

On March 16, March Madness participants met with EPA officials to discuss nutrient standards and a wide array of agricultural issues.  This meeting was the first in a series of Clean Water Network in-depth dialogues with EPA to address specific Clean Water Act issues.  Albert Ettinger of the Environmental Law and Policy Center led a discussion on numeric nutrient standards, which included the official presentation of the Sierra Club’s petition with 42,000 signatures to EPA.  NSAC staff member, Martha Noble, led the discussion with EPA Agricultural Counselor Larry Elworth and EPA staff on agricultural issues.

Topics covered included urging EPA to revise and strengthen the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulation, which was issued in 2008 and immediately challenged in court by environmentalists for being too lax.  The Network wants EPA to eliminate a provision that allows CAFOs to self-certify that they will not discharge pollutants without any public review or sufficient regulatory oversight.  Participants also urged EPA to strengthen CAFO pollution controls, especially controls on bacteria, heavy metals and other pollutants that are not covered by a CAFO nutrient management plan.

EPA staff announced at the meeting that EPA will be reviewing its guidance for the Clean Water Act Section 319 program which provides funds for projects to deal with non-point source pollution.

The agency is also noted it is working on proposed regulation to address pesticide drift that ends up in lakes, streams, rivers and other water bodies.  The regulation was required by the ruling of the Federal 6^th Circuit Court of Appeal in the case National Cotton Council v. EPA. The court disapproved an EPA regulation that exempted permit requirements for pesticide applications into water bodies or applications near water bodies that resulted in the pesticides getting into the water, if the pesticide application complied with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act.  Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Petitions for Certiorari from Croplife and the American Farm Bureau Federation to review the lower court decision.

The day after the fly-in, EPA announced a web discussion forum where the public can submit comments for a two-week period on specific issues including Managing Pollutants from Nutrients, in preparation for a Coming Together for Clean Water conference in April.  At the conference, the agency will engage approximately 100 leaders on the agency’s clean water agenda.  The control of nutrient pollution is one of the highest priority issues.

“With reference to individual or national welfare, agriculture is of primary importance.”  -George Washington

So reads one of the three quotations at the top of the stone edifice at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Part of what prompted me to quit my “real job” in January and become a policy intern with the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is the belief that if a nation can get our nation’s food system right, then other positive outcomes – environmental, social, political, economic – will follow.  So it has been a privilege for me to spend two weeks of my internship shadowing and learning from the NSAC staff, who are working to hold onto past gains and bring about new reforms to the nation’s agricultural policies.  Here are some of the lessons I learned:

Day 1:  when pounding the pavement for sustainable agriculture, wear comfortable shoes.

One of my first tasks in D.C. was to hand-deliver a copy of a Climate Change sign-on letter to the offices of every U.S. Senator.  Yup, that’s 100 offices, spread over 3 buildings.  The task took about three and a half hours.  Since the Anthrax scare in 2001, all mail to Congressional offices goes through a lengthy screening process that can delay delivery for weeks, so getting information in the hands of decision-makers in a timely fashion actually requires hand-delivery.  NSAC itself disseminates several sign-on letters similar to the ones I delivered each year, and also delivers similar letters for member organizations who do not have any other contact “on the ground” in DC.  “Next time we’ll have you deliver letters to the House side,” Ferd said.  I stop worrying about letting my gym membership lapse.

Day 3:  If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.

It is appropriations season in Washington, and that means Senate and House office buildings are teeming with delegations from all over the country, all asking for the same thing:  money.  I see groups of veterans, teachers, television broadcasters, defense contractors, bicycle commuting enthusiasts, and potato growers, all angling for their piece of the federal pie.  Joining the chorus on Wednesday, March 3 was a delegation of beginning farmers and ranchers, organized by NSAC to make the case for NSAC member organizations’ appropriations priorities to their Senators and Representatives.  March 9th and 10th, NSAC organized another grassroots fly-in to address the food safety legislation currently pending before the Senate.  I’m gathering that these fly-ins are a big deal in Washington.  It seems that even in today’s world of technology, sending a powerful message in Washington still requires a personal touch.

The second quotation at the USDA reads: “No other human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought as agriculture.”  -Abraham Lincoln

Day 4:  There’s no such thing as a free lunch (at least if you’re a political appointee.)

I attend The Atlantic Food Summit, hosted by Atlantic Monthly magazine.  The purpose of Atlantic forums such as this one is to foster informed discussion on pertinent policy issues.  I am tickled by this only-in-Washington disclaimer on the registration page:  “This educational event is intended for career federal employees and not for political appointees because lunch will be served for program participants.  If you are a political appointee, STOP NOW – do not continue with the registration process.”

To read my more substantive observations about the Food Forum, click here.

Day 10:  Seize the teachable moment.

I tag along with policy associate Ariane Lotti to her meeting with Senator Byron Dorgan’s legislative assistant for agriculture.  The purpose of the visit is to advocate for NSAC’s appropriations priorities, and to ask for Senator Dorgan to sign on to a Dear Colleague letter encouraging colleges to vote for those appropriation levels.  Ariane does a lot of educating during the meeting – Dorgan’s LA is not familiar with the Beginning Farmer-Rancher Individual Development Account or the Value-Added Producer Grant, and so Ariane fills him in on the benefits of these programs.  I start to see how much legislative staffers, who are responsible for huge swaths of work, rely on lobbyists to educate them about programs that are important to people in the home district.  I’m glad that this staffer is getting his information from NSAC.

“The Husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.”  -St. Paul

This third quotation on the USDA headquarters building, which comes from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, is part of a longer passage that touches on notions of fairness and playing by the rules.  I find this quotation the most thought-provoking of the three.  What would our agricultural policy look like if farmers demanded the first share?  For the last few weeks I’ve been toting around a flier from the National Farmer’s Union that shows the farmer’s share of the food dollar for a variety of familiar products.  A farmer’s earnings from a $3.49 pound of boneless ham?  48 cents.  The farmer’s share of a head of lettuce, retailing for $1.79?  25 cents.  From a $2.99 loaf of bread?  Ten cents.

A lot of NSAC organizations around the country are providing direct support to farmers who make the courageous decision to break out of the old model and start doing things differently.  I’m struck by the fact that Paul did not say, “you must give the one who labors the first fruits.”  To say it this way would suggest that the fruits belonged to someone else, and needed to be given back to the person doing the laboring.  But no – Paul puts the onus on the farmer to keep what is rightfully his or hers.  I hear Paul’s words as a call to action for farmers, to stand up and be counted, and to not give away what they have worked so hard to produce.  I’ve seen farmers doing just that this week –participating on NSAC committees, making calls to their elected representatives, taking time away from work and family to fly in to Washington.  As always, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up for NSAC’s weekly roundup and action alerts.

While grassroots organizations across the country have been working for years to address these issues on the ground, the conference recognized the need for a concerted effort at the national level to shape programs and policies that will foster a vibrant, diverse, population of farmers and ranchers to feed the country over the next 50 years.

The conversation could be considered a first step towards developing a comprehensive Beginning Farmer Bill in preparation for the 2012 Farm Bill.  But NSAC and its member groups also reminded participants of the opportunity for more immediate action, in particular, to support the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account (BFRIDA) Program.  The BFRIDA Program would provide business education and matched savings accounts to beginning farmers of modest means.  Created in the 2008 Farm Bill as a pilot program but never funded, BFRIDA has the potential to create thousands of new farm businesses.

What you can do to support IDAs

Call your Representatives and Senators today and urge them to ask for $5 million for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account program for Fiscal Year 2011.  To find your Congressperson’s information, click here, enter your zip code, then click on your representative.  Click on the tab for “contact.”  When you reach the office, ask for the legislative aide that works on agriculture issues.

The Message is Simple: I am a constituent and am calling to urge Senator/Representative  _________ to support funding of $5 million for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account Program.  BFRIDA will spark the creation of thousands of new farm businesses which translates into more jobs.

Report Your Call: Please take a moment to tell us a little about the results of your call.  It is helpful for us to know if you are getting through to your legislator and how they are responding to your call.  Click here to let us know how it went.

IDA Successes: “Full Steam Ahead”

John Tecklin and Angie Tomey are heading into their 13th year of operation at Mountain Bounty Farm.  Located high on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, their 300-member CSA produces a wide range of fruits and vegetables in an otherwise underserved, difficult to farm region.

John graduated from California FarmLink’s 2-year IDA program in 2008, with $9,600 to put toward a down payment on land.  He explains that access to capital is the single biggest challenge for beginning farmers, and that IDA programs are valuable tools for addressing this problem while teaching important savings habits.

“The cash-flow planning training that FarmLink required was another important nudge along the way to professionalism,” John adds, emphasizing that he now has a much more sophisticated operation and carefully manages his finances.

Ultimately, John exclaims “Full-steam ahead!” when asked what he thinks about the BFRIDA program.  His own IDA experience allowed him to purchase ten acres of land, ramp up production, and leverage a 5-year automatic renewal lease on a neighboring parcel—important steps that led to greater security, and allowed John and Angie to hire more seasonal staff to manage their thriving business.

_____________________________

More information:

• Learn more about  Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Accounts
• Read another farmer profile
• Learn more about the appropriations process.
• Learn more about NSAC’s other appropriation’s priorities for 2011.