If this rule becomes final, it is expected to benefit customers by allowing products to reach store shelves more quickly.  Additionally, it is anticipated that the rule should benefit smaller producers by making the label process easier and less costly.

The public comment period on the proposed rule runs through February 3.  Comments may be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov or by mail to FSIS, Room 8-164, 355 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-3221.

A provision in the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act (S. 1773, H.R. 3286) would take the intention of the proposed rule a step further.  Under the provision of this bill, FSIS would be required to provide an electronic submission option for the meat label approval process and to create a searchable database of existing meat labels.  Together, this system would allow meat processors to view, and if they wish, model their own meat labels after those that have previous approval from FSIS, thus saving time and money.

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act (BFROA) of 2011 has been introduced in Congress, and it’s our chance to break down the barriers to entry that impede new agriculture entrepreneurs from starting a farming business.  Your representative’s support is absolutely crucial to helping us build momentum for this important bill.

BFROA would improve existing credit programs so young and beginning farmers can access the financing necessary to run their businesses.  It would reauthorize important conservation programs that foster new life-long stewards of the land and encourage innovative strategies for land transfer and farm entry.  The bill also invests farm bill dollars in training veterans who want to launch a ranching or farming business.

New farmers can produce our nation’s food and fiber, protect and enhance our natural resources, and contribute to the revitalization of our rural and urban communities.  Will you ask your representatives’ to support this comprehensive and forward-thinking initiative today?

Thank you for taking action to ensure a healthy, safe, and prosperous future!

We previously reported to you that a 2011 Food and Farm Bill appeared imminent.  Days before Thanksgiving the Congressional “Super Committee” failed to reach agreement on $1.2 trillion in budget cuts.  With that, the 2011 Farm Bill proposal intended for inclusion in the Super Committee’s deficit reduction bill is thus no more.

The now dead 2011 proposal was a mixed bag to be sure.  However, because you made your voice heard, the short-lived 2011 Farm Bill contained some of sustainable agriculture’s conservation, local food, beginning farmer, and organic priorities.

There are many scenarios for what might happen next with the farm bill.  What’s clear is that a more traditional farm bill process will begin early next year.  We now have a prime opportunity to amplify our voices and push for a greener, healthier, and fairer food and farm system for consumers and family farmers!

We need your continued engagement to keep up the momentum and mobilize an even stronger front for the 2012 Food and Farm Bill Campaign.  Thriving family farms and sustainable and organic agriculture are critical to America’s economy, health, and environment.  Pass this link on to your friends and networks, build the sustainable and organic agriculture movement, and stay tuned!

Thank you for all you do!

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Staff

To take action on two of our farm bill priorities, see the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act and Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act.

To support our 2012 Food and Farm Bill Campaign, please make a tax-deductible donation today.  Thank you!

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture called attention to a real worry when he asked: “Why not place the nation’s attention on the need for young farmers on the same plane as police officers and teachers? They are equally important to the future of this country.”

Indeed! Our nation’s farmers are aging and retiring rapidly, and beginning farmers and ranchers face tremendous obstacles entering this field. As a career choice, farming and ranching may be one of the most difficult occupations to enter. To ensure a healthy, safe, and prosperous future America urgently needs new farmers.

Today you have an extraordinary opportunity to launch a new generation of farmers and ranchers in this country!

Ask your Two Senators and your Representative to Co-sponsor the
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011!

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011 is a jobs creator that helps new farmers and ranchers get a start. This is a remarkable opportunity to break down barriers to entry and give real support to aspiring farmers across this nation.

Next week the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) will be joining members of Congress and other farm groups in introducing the bill. We need support from as many legislators as possible. Can we count on you to make a call?

In last week’s blog Update on the Conservation Stewardship Program – Part I we highlighted data on each of the first two sign-up periods of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  In this post we continue in that vein and also provide some basic information on the program’s influence on how farmers, ranchers and forestland manage their land across the United States.

Allocation of CSP funding

Roughly $320 million (plus an additional $60 million for technical assistance) has been distributed to 20,567 farmers and ranchers across the US by the program after the first two sign-up years in 2009 and 2010.  The $320 million represents the first year cost of the five-year contracts.  Nearly half of total CSP financial assistance dollars went to farms that are entirely comprised of cropland.  Another 35 percent went to farms that had a combination of cropland and either range or pasture or both.  Payments to farms and ranches and woodlot operations that have no cropland accounted for 16 percent of total CSP financial assistance dollars in 2009 and 2010.

The figure below provides a breakdown of funding allocations by land-use type.

The average annual payment per acre (exclusive of technical assistance costs) for 2009 and 2010 combined was $12.73.  Cropland had the highest average annual payment per acre of $22.76 and rangeland had the smallest annual payment per acre of $3.97.

The average annual payment per contract was $15,642.  Farmers who received payments for both cropland and rangeland had the highest average annual contract payment of roughly $29,000.  Forestland owners received the smallest average annual contract payment of $4,716.

Five states – Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and Kansas – received nearly one-third of total CSP funds (or ~ $100 million) over the first two years of the first two sign-up periods.  Minnesota has received the largest proportion of CSP funding overall of any state.  Farmers in that state have received $21 million in payments since 2009.

Nearly half of the contracts issued by the program since 2009 went to payments on cropland.  Despite the relatively small average payments per acre and per contract for forestland, contracts to forestland owners represent 18 percent of total contracts awarded.

The table below outlines the number of contracts issued for each land-use type.

Allocation of CSP acreage

Over 25 million acres of land was enrolled in CSP in 2009 and 2010 combined.  This pie chart shows the breakdown of treated acres by land-use type.  The majority of acres treated by the program so far have been cropland and rangeland, though with a healthy amount of pasture and forested land as well.  The 12.8 million acres available for CSP enrollment each year is allocated to the states in proportion to each state’s total agricultural land area compared to the US total.

Texas, Nebraska and Montana enroll the greatest number of acres in the program, each of them with significant cropland and substantial rangeland.  Counting the 2009 and 2010 enrollments, farmers and ranchers in these three states together have implemented conservation activities on over 5 million acres of land through CSP.  The table below highlights the top ten states for acreage enrollment in CSP for both the 2009 and 2010 sign-up periods.

In Texas the majority of CSP acres were enrolled as rangeland, while Montana enrolled farmers who predominately implemented conservation practices on a combination of pastureland, rangeland and cropland.  The majority of contracts issued in Nebraska were for farms with both cropland and rangeland.

Farms with commodity crops dominate contract numbers

Farmers that grow corn, forage/hay, wheat, and soybeans on their farms received the lion’s share of CSP contracts.  The table below summarizes the number of contracts issued for various commodity types.  Note that  data on dollars allocated or acres treated for particular commodities was not available at the time that this blog was published; hence we are only showing contract numbers, by predominate activity per farm.

Among farms with livestock, beef and dairy represent that vast majority of total contracts.

Practices and enhancements most popular with farmers and ranchers

In the 2009 and 2010 enrollment years, the conservation enhancements chosen most frequently by farmers on cropland were:

• reducing pesticide drift;
• GPS and electronic control technology for chemical application;
• plant tissue testing for nitrogen management;
• wildlife-sensitive haying;
• split nitrogen applications;
• advanced integrated pest management;
• precision nutrient application;
• continuous no-till with residue management;
• resource-conserving crop rotations;
• cover crop mixtures; and
• pollinator habitat.

For pasture and rangeland, leading enhancements chosen by grazers and ranchers included:

• rotation of feeding and supplementation areas;
• retrofitting water facilities for wildlife escape;
• grazing management to improve wildlife habitat;
• monitoring to improve grazing management;
• incorporating native grasses and legumes into forage base;
• management intensive rotational grazing; and
• solar powered electric fencing.

For forestland, the leading enhancements chosen by family foresters were:

• forest stand improvement for wildlife habitat and soil quality;
• forest wildlife structures;
• riparian forest buffers;
• prescribed burning;
• hardwood crop tree release; and
• pollinator habitat.

Wildlife habitat enhancements come up big

Over 15,0000 conservation enhancements and practices specifically designed for wildlife habitat benefits were included in 2009 and 2010 contracts.  This is about 20 percent of the total conservation enhancements and practices selected in the two initial sign-ups and does not include the many additional enhancements designed for other primary purposes (such as reducing pesticide use and nutrient runoff, conserving water, or increasing biodiversity) with positive indirect wildlife benefits.

Other intriguing enhancement choices

In the first two years, 350 farmers chose to convert cropland to grass-based agriculture and nearly 450 chose to implement continuous cover crop systems.  Over 500 chose to adopt non-chemical control of weeds and invasives on grasslands.  Enhancements that are specific to organic farming systems were chosen in 210 contracts; this does not count all of the other conservation practices highly relevant to, but not specific to, organic systems, such as crop rotation, cover cropping, composting, and habitat for beneficials and pollinators.  Nearly 200 farmers and ranchers chose to participate in on-farm research and demonstration or on-farm innovative practice pilot testing projects.

Top ranking enhancements

CSP conservation enhancements are ranked according to expected environmental benefits.  The higher the environmental benefit score, the higher the CSP payment.  The top dozen highest-scoring enhancements are:

• conversion of cropped land to grass-based agriculture for biomass or forage production;
• continuous no-till for organic farming systems;
• continuous cover crops;
• continuous no-till with residue management;
• riparian forest buffer extension;
• resource-conserving crop rotations;
• 100 percent on-farm nitrogen sources;
• herbaceous riparian buffer extension;
• legume cover crops for on-farm nitrogen;
• rotation of livestock feeding and supplementation areas;
• prairie restoration; and
• filter strip extension.

CSP program update – part three

Part three of this blog series will highlight participation of specialty crop producers and beginning, social disadvantaged, and limited resource farmers and ranchers in the program and how their participation differs from the general farmer population.  It will also include information on CSP participation via special area wide project-based approaches.

NSAC welcomes back Kate Fitzgerald, a farm and food policy consultant, to our pages as a guest blogger.  Thanks Kate!

USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food blog published the first of two articles on Rural Development’s grant and loan programs that can be used to develop or improve small meat and poultry processing plants.  The blog focuses on the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program (B&I).

One of NSAC’s 2008 Farm Bill priorities was successfully winning a five percent (5%) set-side in the B&I program for local and regional food enterprises.  Expanding or updating a meat processing facility to increase its capacity to sell competitively into the regional retail or institutional market is exactly the kind of loan that NSAC members hope the B&I guarantee will make happen.

Matthew Michael, Director of Program Evaluation and Improvement Staff at the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and FSIS representative to the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food work group said that he hopes small meat and poultry processors, in particular, take advantage of the B&I loan guarantees.  Small meat and poultry processors have significant initial capital expenses, as well as one-time operating costs that could be mitigated with B&I loan guarantees.

It is heartening to see this new outreach about the program.  With program tweaks that will make the guarantee easier for small-scale businesses to use and continued aggressive outreach on USDA’s part, the B&I loan guarantee can help increase the flow of credit to rural food businesses that will stimulate local economies and meet growing demand for local food.

“The Farm Credit Council promotes the idea of financing local food system aggregation, processing and distribution infrastructure such as producer-owned small meat plants, according to Gary Matteson of the Farm Credit Council.  “Small meat processors can add tremendous value to local producers, particularly since direct to retail is the predominant marketing channel for livestock producers.”

Redeveloping small scale meat processing is a crucial component of vibrant regional food economies.  Another successful NSAC 2008 Farm Bill priority permitted the interstate shipment of state inspected meat which removed a significant barrier to the industry’s growth.  USDA finalized rules for the program in April.

Two recently released guides should make business planning and accessing credit easier for entrepreneurs.  As we previously reported, the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN) recently released a small business planning guide for small scale meat processors.  In addition, a new Field Guide to the New American Foodshed is available to help food system entrepreneurs find and use relevant business development information about local and regional food markets.

Gradually the necessary pieces are falling into place to create the business environment that will support local, small and mid-sized farm and food entrepreneurs!

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.

The proposed rule is an excellent opportunity for family farm and local and regional food advocates to help shape FCA efforts to do a better job in reaching a growing market of farmers who are focused on producing for a wide variety of local and regional food distribution channels and marketing outlets.

Nearly one hundred citizens have already submitted comments on why this rule is important and how it can be implemented most effectively.  Many commenters noted the potential opportunities in local and regional food systems if credit were made available.

In the southeast Michigan area, the demand for local foods far outstrips the supply.   There are trained individuals interested in starting small and mid size farms that need financial assistance and business supports that will allow them to grow for local and regional markets.  -Sharon S., Michigan

As a producer of grass finished beef and seed stock for that industry and a former credit officer and appraiser for the Farm Credit System, I am uniquely attuned to the potential impact that FCS can have on our food supply.  Smaller, less commodity driven farmers and ranchers are vital to the “quality and quantity” of our nations food supply.  -Bill R., Arizona

Maine is on the cusp of great local and regional food growing, processing, and distributing.  Small farmers are the lifeforce of this.  -Erica R., Maine

Commenters also asked that the rule for FCS marketing plans include:

• A requirement that FCS institutions create a baseline analysis of current borrowers who meet the farm bill definition of local and regional food producers by number of borrowers, by loan volume, and other key characteristics.
• A minimum investment goal for local and regional food producers of at least 10% of each institution’s capital within 5 years.
• A plan for conducting outreach to local and regional food producers and a commitment to adding local and regional food producers to the FCS board.
• A requirement that periodic progress reports be made public..
• A plan for providing staff development training to FCS personnel across the full spectrum of lending, accounting, farm transfer and business planning services appropriate for serving local and regional food producers.
• A plan for developing lending and business support products with terms and benefits appropriate for local and regional food producers.
• An inventory of strengths and weaknesses of the local and regional food infrastructure within the bank’s territory and a plan for leveraging the public and private capital necessary to address those weaknesses.

The deadline for public comments is July 25, 2011. For instructions on how to submit a comment see our Farm Credit Administration Action Alert.  

FCA is the independent Federal agency responsible for examining and regulating the government-sponsored Farm Credit System.  FCS supplies nearly 40% of all U.S. farm financing and has the capacity to bring millions of dollars of capital and business services to local food producers, and perhaps also to leverage other sources of capital for the task of rebuilding our local and regional food system infrastructure.

This is an important opportunity to help shape future FCS services to small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers producing for the local and regional market.

There are more than 280 million egg-laying hens in the US, with over 90 percent of these confined to wire battery cages.  Current UEP welfare standards require 67 square inches per bird.  It is estimated that at least 50 million hens are confined in more crowded conditions that do not meet current UEP standards.

The proposed legislation would require egg producers to provide at least 124 inches per bird.  It would also:

• require cage enrichments such as perches and nesting areas;
• end the practice of withholding food or water to force molting;
• set euthanasia standards;
• prohibit excessive levels of amounts of ammonia in henhouses;
• mandate method-of-production labeling on egg cartons (“eggs from caged hens,” “eggs from hens in enriched cages,” “eggs from cage-free hens,” and “eggs from free-range hens”); and
• ban the sale of eggs that don’t meet these conditions.

In its memorandum of understanding with the UEP, HSUS agreed to stop ballot measures, state legislation, litigation, and undercover investigations pertaining to the welfare of egg-laying hens.  HSUS had planned to submit tomorrow signatures to place the issue on the November 2011 ballot in Washington state, but has agreed not to pursue this measure.  Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of HSUS, in explaining these concessions, acknowledged, “It is a major, major investment by industry to improve welfare.”  A number of other national animal welfare organizations joined HSUS in supporting the agreement.

HSUS and UEP concur that having a national standard is preferable to a patchwork of conflicting state laws.  Bob Krouse, Chairman of the UEP Board and a fifth generation family farmer from North Manchester, Indiana announced, “We are really excited as an industry about doing this.  This is a thrilling moment for us in egg production.”

He said that producers would pay the capital costs to implement improvements to the henhouses.  He explained that consumer demand dictates the number of hens raised for egg production and predicted that the number of birds raised will remain the same, but that there will be a modest increase in the price of eggs.  Speaking about enriched cages, he concluded, “That really is a better way of taking care of our birds than what we are doing right now.”

Pacelle said that UEP and HSUS will introduce the proposed legislation to members of Congress beginning today, with a goal of passing the bill within a year.   It would be the first national law to establish on-farm animal welfare standards.

The Committee heard testimony from two panels – the first was a slate of USDA officials including: Dr. Joe Glauber, Chief Economist for the USDA; Dr. Greg Parham, Administrator of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Dr. Alfred Almanza, Administrator of the Food Safety Inspection Service; and Dave White, Chief of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

The Chief of NRCS highlighted progress made by the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  White noted that between 2002 and 2010 EQIP has issued 150,000 contracts to implement conservation practices with livestock producers.  He also reported that CSP has enrolled a total of 34 million acres over the last three years of the program and roughly half of that is on grass- and range land used to raise livestock.  The 34 million acres will increase to close to 38 million acres once NRCS completes contracts with all the farmers and ranchers accepted into the program in 2011.

The second panel included representatives from the livestock industry and farmers unions.  Rick Sietsema, Farmer, Sietsema Farms Allendale, MI; Dennis O. Jones, Pork Producer, South Dakota Farmers Union Bath, SD; Steven D. Hunt, Chief Executive Officer, US Premium Beef LLC Kansas City, MO; Frank Harper, President-elect, Kansas Livestock Association Sedgwick, KS; Michael Welch, President and CEO, Harrison Poultry, Inc. Bethlehem, GA; Hans McPherson, Rancher and Member, Montana Farm Bureau Stevensville, MT.

You can watch the entire hearing and read full testimony of each witness on the Senate Agriculture Committee website.