Archives for the 'Uncategorized' Category

Weekly Update – December 14-18, 2009

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Support the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition!

On your screen right now is the last NSAC Weekly Update of 2009!  Don’t miss out on the chance to show your support for NSAC and the Weekly Update with an end-of-the-year tax deductible donation.

If you have found the information in the NSAC Weekly Update useful, the analysis compelling, we ask you to support our work by making a donation today!

Thank you and happy holidays!
NSAC Staff

Correction: In last week’s Weekly Update story about the NSAC climate change and agriculture webinar, we inadvertently identified our friends and co-webinar presenters at the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) as the California Climate Action Network.

LAST WEEK

Farm to School Bills Introduced and Soon to Be Introduced! NSAC learned last week that Representative Rush Holt (NJ-12) will be introducing a bill in the next few weeks that proposes to authorize $50 million in mandatory funding for the Farm to School program.  NSAC and its farm to school collaborative partners, the Community Food Security Coalition and Farm to School Network are encouraging people to contact their Representatives and urge them to co-sponsor Rep. Holt’s bill.  If you have any questions, please contact the NSAC office: 202-547-5754.  If the bill is introduced yet this week, we will issue a blog posting with more information.

Also last week, Representative Sam Farr (CA-17) introduced the Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Act (HR 4333) which includes several provisions that would increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias, as well as $50 million in mandatory funding for the Farm to School program.  HR 4333 has been referred to the House Education and Labor Committee and Agriculture Committee.

NSAC is quite pleased to see our efforts on Farm to School begin to take shape as legislation and we congratulate Representative Farr and Holt for their leadership.  The reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act is expected to be front and center in Congress next year (see related article below).

Appeals Court Overturns Decision in Wheeler Packers & Stockyards Act Case:  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion on Tuesday, December 15 which overturned a lower court decision in Wheeler v. Pilgrim’s Pride, Inc. that favored farmers.  The case involved farmers contracted to grow chickens for Pilgrim’s Pride who claimed that the company provided undue preferences to certain growers.  The lower court ruled that farmers bringing a claim of undue preferences and unfair and deceptive practices under Section 202 of the Packers & Stockyards Act did not need to prove that the specific unfair practice at issue had an adverse effect on competition.  The Fifth Circuit overruled the lower court concluding that farmers must prove a lessening of competition, even if there is clear evidence that a defendant had exercised undue preferences or undertaken unfair and deceptive practices in the company’s dealings with farmers.

Crop Insurance – Child Nutrition Trial Balloon:  According to a Congress Daily story published on Thursday, December 17, the Obama Administration has explored the idea that cuts in crop insurance subsidies might be used to offset proposed funding increases for school lunch and related feeding programs.  Periodically USDA must renegotiate a subsidy package with crop insurance companies, a process which started in its most recent iteration earlier this month.  The 2008 Farm Bill already took escalating crop insurance company federal funding down a few notches to help pay for other farm bill activities and now USDA is proposing further cuts, to the tune of a reported $4 billion over the next five years.

Congress Daily reported that the Administration is contemplating using these potential savings to help cover the costs of the school lunch program.  Last year the White House proposed increasing the school meal payments by $1 billion a year.  Congress rejected the Obama proposal to pay for the increase by cutting commodity program subsidies, then extended the current version of the Child Nutrition Act by one year to give itself more time to come up with a funding formula.  Unknown as of this writing is whether the Administration will once again propose a $1 billion a year increase and, if so, how it will propose to pay for the increase.  Congress intends to take up the nutrition bill in 2010.

The proposed trade-off hinted at in the Congress Daily article has a fatal flaw with respect to next year’s congressional action on the Child Nutrition Act.  Savings that are achieved administratively, as would be the case with crop insurance re-negotiation, cannot be claimed as offsets by Congress.  For this trade-off to work to fund child nutrition, Congress would have to legislate the crop insurance cuts, a proposition which would at the very least be highly controversial within the Agriculture Committees.  It would also require the House Agriculture Committee, which does not have jurisdiction over the Child Nutrition Act, to get into the bill drafting and mark-up process, a move that would undoubtedly not be welcomed by the committee of jurisdiction, the House Education and Labor Committee.

USDA NEWS

Update on EQIP Organic Initiative:  There has been confusion over how USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be implementing the Organic Initiative administered through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in 2010.  NRCS has not yet sent guidance to the states with changes and updates to the 2009 version despite having allocated $50 million to the initiative earlier this fall.  Here is the most up-to-date information:

If farmers are interested in signing up for regular EQIP or the Organic Initiative, they should make contact as soon as possible with the local NRCS office to begin the application process.  When the 2010 guidance for the Organic Initiative is released, the full details of the application can be determined for farmers applying to that particular funding pool.  Updated information will be posted on NSAC’s Organic Initiative page.

CSP Update:  At the close of last week, the Natural Resources Conservation Service made a final decision on cropland, pasture, and range land payment rates for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts from the 2009 sign-up.  Those payment rates per land use will be multiplied by the total number of payments points in each contract proposal submitted by farmers and ranchers.  All 2009 CSP applicants will be contacted with the total payment amount and can then decide whether or not to accept the contract.  The current expectation is for the contracts to all be finalized by the end of January.

New Hoop House Initiative:  On Wednesday, December 16, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the launch of a three-year study on the effectiveness of high tunnels (sometimes called hoop houses) on the conservation of natural resources.  The study will verify if high tunnels are effective in reducing pesticide use, extending the growing season, increasing yields, and the retention of nutrients in the soil.  The Natural Resource Conservation Service will be providing assistance by funding one high tunnel per farm in the participating 38 states.  Funding is through NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

To see a high tunnel be placed in the White House garden click here.  To find out if your state is participating in the high tunnel study, click here.  If you are in one of the 12 states that has not yet opted to participate in the pilot, there is still time for your NRCS state office to decide to opt in, but they need to move quickly.  If you would like to see your state participate and it is not currently opted in, call the state office and press your case.

NRCS Issues Final Rule for State Technical Committees:  On Thursday, Dec. 17, NRCS issued the final rule for the operation of State Technical Committees (STCs) and Local Working Groups.  The Federal Register announcement also discussed changes to the NRCS Standard Operating Procedures for State Technical Committees.

NSAC is pleased to see that a number of our recommendations in comments on the proposed rule were included in the final rule.  These include, among others, requirements that:  NRCS State Conservationists provide STCs with response to their recommendations within 90 days; that non-profit organizations are eligible to serve on Local Working Groups; that Local Working Group decisions be provided to STCs; and that STC membership will include to the extent practicable individuals who can represent the concerns of beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as minorities, women, persons with disabilities and socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

Marketing Grant RFP Released:  On Tuesday, December 15, USDA announced a new round of funding to study the challenges associated with marketing agricultural products.  The Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) provides matching funds to state departments of agriculture and state agricultural experiment stations who propose ways to help market, transport and distribute United States-produced food and agricultural products domestically and internationally.

“Given the broad flexibility of this program there are endless possibilities for creative projects, such as increasing consumption of locally produced foods in hospitals or to exploring opportunities for sales of locally grown and processed products in school vending machines,” said Edward Avalos, Under Secretary for USDA’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

Although only state agencies are able to apply, collaborations with community based organizations and academic institutions are highly encouraged.  Program guidelines, application forms and other related information are posted on the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/FSMIP.

USDA Announces Roundtables on Jobs and Economic Growth:  On Tuesday, December 15, Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA Rural Development state directors and Farm Service Agency state executive directors will host roundtables to discuss ideas to accelerate job growth in rural areas, including promoting local businesses and supporting job growth in small businesses.  The roundtables started two days after the announcement and extend to February.

For a list of forum dates and locations, click here.

Job Openings at National Organic Program:  Last week, USDA’s National Organic Program posted job announcements for an Associate Deputy Administrator and a Standards Division Director.  Both listings are open until January 11, 2010.  For more information, click here.

CLIMATE NEWS

Secretary Vilsack at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference:  USDA Secretary Vilsack was among U.S. officials attending the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last week.  The Conference was officially the 15th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.  The purpose of the Conference was to advance negotiations on a binding agreement for climate change measures to replace the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

New USDA Reports:  In coordination with Vilsack’s participation at the Conference, USDA released a new report entitled Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems.  The report was prepared in cooperation with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.  The report concludes that climate change is already affecting U.S. agriculture, land resources, water resources, and biodiversity, and will continue to do so.  The report identifies the effects climate is having and is expected to have on natural resources and ecosystems services in the U.S. over the next several decades.

Earlier in the week, another USDA report based on modeling work done at Texas A&M caused a stir by predicting a carbon offset program could result in 59 million acres of farmland, mostly pasture but including 22.5 million acres of cropland, being converted to forestry uses.  Realizing the political damage this report could do, Secretary Vilsack cautioned that the study did not fully account for the details of climate legislation which would be quite favorable to agriculture.

Vilsack Speech:  While in Copenhagen, Vilsack spoke at Agricultural and Rural Development Day, an event with more than 300 policy makers and other leaders from the agricultural and climate change scientific community.  The event was intended to assemble a plan for incorporating agriculture into a post-Copenhagen climate agenda.

In his remarks, Vilsack flagged genetic engineering, precision agriculture, reduced and no-till farming, and cellulosic ethanol production as his preferred methods for reducing GHG emissions and helping farmers adapt to climate change.

Dairy Digester Agreement:  Vilsack’s presentation was followed a few days later by the announcement that USDA had entered into an agreement with Dairy Management Inc. under which USDA will conduct research initiatives, allow “implementation flexibility,” and enhance marketing efforts of anaerobic digesters to dairy producers.  USDA hopes to reduce dairy producer emissions by 25 percent by 2020.  Currently, about 2 percent of dairy producers use manure digesters in their operations.  Through the agreement, USDA and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy will increase the number of anaerobic digesters supported by USDA programs.  Beyond promoting the digesters, the agreement will encourage research, and development of new technologies to help dairies reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Global Research Alliance:  On Wednesday, December 16, USDA announced a Global Research Alliance to Combat Climate Change, a research collaboration with over 20 countries to address climate change.  USDA announced that it would increase its investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation research for agriculture by $90 million over the next four years, bringing the total USDA research dollars to addressing that priority to over $320 million in four years.

In response to the announcement, NSAC member Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy released this statement on research priorities for climate change.

Forest Emissions Deal:  On Wednesday, December 16, the US announced it will contribute $1 billion of a total $3.5 billion 3-year, 6-country deal to slow deforestation in developing countries.  Known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), the aim of the new pact is to help finance more aggressive forestry management plans in the face of the continuing loss of 13 million hectares of forests each year.  USDA’s Forest Service will participate along with US AID.

DULY NOTED

New Manual on Crop Rotations and Organic Farming:  The Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service with funding through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program released its new manual, Crop Rotations on Organic Farms:  A Planning Manual.  The manual has in-depth information about the applications and attributes of a wide range of crop rotations in different cropping systems and field conditions.  For ordering information or to download a free copy, click here.

Show NSAC the Love! Last chance to show your appreciation for the timely news and critical analysis brought to you each week by NSAC staff in the shape of the Weekly Update!  Thank you and see you in 2010!

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – December 7-11, 2009

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Support the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition!

Each week the NSAC staff attend hearings and mark-ups and sift through the Federal Register, agency notices from the USDA and EPA, and Capitol Hill updates to bring you the most up-to-the-minute information about federal farm, food, and environmental policy along with critical, expert analysis.  The finished product is the NSAC Weekly Update.  We provide this service to you because we know you need information to meaningfully engage in the policy-making process to ultimately bring change to our farms, rural communities, public markets, and dinner tables.

If you have found the information in the NSAC Weekly Update useful, the analysis compelling, we ask you to support our work by making a donation today!

Thank you!
NSAC Staff

LAST WEEK

Women Farmer Bill:  On Thursday, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Equality for Women Farmers Act to attempt to bring justice to the estimated 43,000 woman farmers who have been discriminatorily denied more than $4.6 billion in farm loans and loan servicing from USDA over the years.  The bill is co-sponsored by Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA).  The bill includes provisions to notify those who may be potential claimants for discrimination from 1981 to the present and a process to resolve the cases with financial awards when discrimination is found, remedial measures prohibiting USDA from foreclosing on women farmers who are eligible claimants and automatic approval of loans to claimants unless USDA can prove that the loan does not meet lending criteria, and mandates a GAO audit of FSA farm loans and benefit programs to ensure that the Agency will collect the data necessary to ensure there will not be discrimination in the future.

NSAC Hosts Webinar on Climate Change and Agriculture:  Last Tuesday, NSAC presented a webinar on climate change and agriculture featuring presentations from Jeff Schahczenski of the NSAC member group National Center for Appropriate Technology and Jeanne Merrill of the California Climate Action Network, as well as NSAC senior staff members Martha Noble and Ferd Hoefner.  If you are interested in the presentation powerpoints, please email Aimee Witteman. awitteman@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC’s policy position paper on climate change and sustainable agriculture is here.

USDA NEWS

Help for Small Meat Plants:  On Monday, December 7, USDA announced its new Food Safety and Inspection Service small meat plant help desk.  Small plant operators and state and local regulatory agencies can call 1-877-FSISHelp (1-877-374-7435) between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday can have their questions about meat, poultry and egg processing regulations answered by FSIS staff.  Customers can also contact the help desk by email at infosource@fsis.usda.gov.  This is part of USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative to support local and regional food systems by reducing the time and expense to small processors of dealing with agency requirements.  Over 90 percent of the 6,000 meat plants inspected by FSIS are small or very small.  The help desk is designed to be a one-stop shop for plant owners and operators seeking information and guidance.

Minority Farmer Project Grants Announced:  On Wednesday, December 9, USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan was in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to announce the award of $14 million dollars in grant funds to universities, cooperatives and nonprofit organizations to provide training and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers program (also known as Section 2501).  FY 2009 recipients of project awards include NSAC members Farm to Table, National Center for Appropriate Technology,California FarmLink, and Michigan Food and Farming Systems.  Congratulations also to Rural Coalition, Federation of Southern Coops, Minnesota Food Association, Farmers Legal Action Group, Growing Power and the other NGO recipients as well as the numerous college and university recipients.

Office of Advocacy and Outreach Start-up:  On Wednesday, December 9, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the opening of the Office of Advocacy and Outreach.  NSAC played a key role in helping establish the Office in the 2008 Farm Bill with the goal of improving access to USDA programs for small, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and to create cross-cutting agency objectives for increasing the number and viability of these farmer populations.

In his announcement on Wednesday, Vilsack said Terry D’Addio has been appointed the interim director for the Office of Advocacy and Outreach and that additional staffing announcements would still be made this month.  Prior to a recent assignment helping to resolve civil rights cases at USDA, D’Addio served as program manager for the Resource Conservation and Development Program at NRCS.

Beginning, Minority and Limited Resource Farmer Conservation Report:  Last week, USDA’s Economic Research Service released a report examining the participation and enrollment trends of beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged operators in conservation programs.  The report compares the conservation costs and resource characteristics and costs by these “targeted” farmers with those of other farmers who participate in conservation programs.

The report finds some evidence to suggest that targeted farmers have different conservation priorities, work on more environmentally sensitive lands, and receive different payment levels than other farmers.  Beginning and limited resource farmers, but not minority farmers, were found to participate in the EQIP program at lower rates then the rest of the farm population.  Average EQIP payments to beginning farmers were found to be  significantly higher than average, while limited resource farmers were significantly lower.  All targeted farmers who enrolled in land retirement programs (CRP and WRP) were found to enroll a higher percentage of their total land, but received smaller per acre payments than the norm.

Mississippi River Basin Initiative Coming Soon:  Last week we reported on the watersheds selected in a 12-state region for the new Mississippi River Basin Initiative through NRCS’ Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI).  The MRBI will support conservation systems to manage nitrogen and phosphorus runoff.

At a briefing this past week, NRCS released a tentative timeline, which calls for the release of a Request for Proposals in late December with a 60-day period following release for project submissions.  Selected projects would be announced in April, with farmer sign-up to follow through early summer.  In addition to the list of watersheds on the MRBI webpage, NRCS also made available at the briefing a list of core and supporting conservation practices approved for the MRBI.

AMA Final Rule:  On Tuesday, December 8, NRCS released the final rule for the conservation portion of the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program.  The AMA provides conservation assistance (including organic conversion), organic certification cost share, and crop insurance subsidies for farmers in the Northeast states plus Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, and Hawaii.  More information on the conservation portion of the program is available here.

EPA NEWS

EPA Finds that Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and Environment:  On Monday, December 7, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its “endangerment” finding and “cause or contribute” finding under the Clean Air Act with respect to greenhouse gases (GHGs), which the U.S. Supreme Court classified as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act in 2007.  EPA found that GHGs threaten public health and welfare and that on-road vehicles contribute to that threat by emitting GHGs.  These findings allow EPA to regulate emissions of six GHGs:  carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perflourocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.  The findings are also a prerequisite to finalizing GHG standards for new light-duty vehicles that EPA proposed earlier this year.  To read more about the findings and to read a pre-publication version of the findings, click here.

FDA NEWS

FDA, FSIS Explore Traceability Options:  On Thursday and Friday, December 10 and 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service held a joint two-day public meeting to discuss food traceability policies.  Several prominent food safety officials spoke at the meeting, including deputy undersecretary for food safety at USDA, Jerold Mande, and Michael Taylor, adviser to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.  In their remarks, both Mande and Taylor said that current food traceability methods are not adequate and do not allow the government to effectively trace tainted food products.

Taylor went further to say that traceability systems should extend from “farm to table,” and that ultimately traceability mechanisms must extend beyond “one up, one down.”   No doubt in response to the position NSAC and other sustainable and organic farm advocates have promoted, Taylor tempered his comments somewhat by adding that the future traceability mechanisms must be scale appropriate and take into consideration the diversified farming systems.

NSAC, along with the National Organic Coalition has been recommending exemptions from traceability requirements in both the House and Senate bills for farmers selling directly to a consumer, restaurant, or grocery store, and was successful in getting that provision into the House bill, HR 2749.  NSAC has also opposed the notion, contained in the House bill, that farmers not selling directly to consumers should be required (and for that matter capable) of meeting farm to table traceability requirements.  The Senate bill (S. 510) would limit farms that do not engage in on-farm processing to “one up, one down.”  NSAC supports limiting traceability requirements for all farms to one up, one down, in addition to the exemption for direct sales.

DULY NOTED

New UCS GMO Report:  This past Wednesday, December 9, NSAC member, Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report on the biotechnology’s inability to improve nitrogen efficiency in agricultural crops.  The UCS report entitled, “No Sure Fix: Prospects for Reducing Nitrogen Fertilizer Pollution Through Genetic Engineering,” assesses the prospects of genetic engineering in solving this critical environmental issue.  Pollution from nitrogen overuse in agriculture is the largest domestic, human-caused source of nitrous oxide, a global warming gas that is nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.  The biotechnology industry has tried to create commercial crops which are able to thrive with less oxygen; however a decade of research has provided no results.  The report also states that traditional plant breeding and practices such as planting cover crops have proven to reduce the overuse of nitrogen fertilizers.

Community Food Enterprises and Local Food Systems Report:  Last week, NSAC member organization the Wallace Center announced a new publication “Community Food Enterprise: Local Success in a Global Marketplace,” produced in cooperation with the Business Alliance for Local Living Communities (BALLE).  The report profiles 24 locally-owned food businesses from around the world and provides detailed analyses of their financial, social, and environmental performance.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – December 7 2009

Monday, December 7th, 2009

LAST WEEK

House Agriculture Committee Hearings on Climate Change Legislation:  Last week, the House Agriculture Committee held two hearings on climate change and agriculture. Wednesday’s hearing focused on economic impacts of climate change on the agriculture sector.  Thursday’s hearing addressed the potential costs and benefits of agricultural offsets in cap and trade schemes in pending climate change legislation.  Written statements from witnesses at both hearings are posted on Committee’s hearing website.

In coordination with the testimony of USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber at Wednesday’s hearing, USDA Secretary held a press conference to announce findings of the USDA’s final analysis of the climate change bill H.R. 2454, approved by the House early this year.  In a nutshell, the USDA analysis found that the farmers’ costs would increase if the House bill were implemented but that the increase would be gradual and would outweighed for many farmers by benefits from offsets and other features in the bill.  USDA will be releasing the analysis soon.

NSAC Submits Further Recommendations on AFRI RFA:  The 2010 Request for Applications (RFA) for USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is expected to be finalized in the next couple of weeks and released in the early new year.  NSAC submitted comments on the 2009 RFA  in September, but several changes have occurred since then, including the launch of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA; formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service), the articulation of new research priorities under NIFA, and a still evolving reorganization into five “institutes.”  Last week, NIFANSAC resubmitted comments on the RFA, including recommendations to integrate sustainability throughout the RFA and building existing and new programs to further sustainable agriculture research.  For more information, contact Ariane Lotti. alotti@sustainableagriculture.net

Policy Briefing on Antibiotic Resistance:  The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing on antibiotic resistance last Wednesday, December 2.  Medical and public health experts presented.  Congresswoman Louise Slaughter gave the opening remarks, and asked for support on her legislation H.R. 1549, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act.  The legislation proposes the phase-out of antibiotics given to livestock and poultry for non-therapeutic purposes.

Approximately 70% of the antibiotics produced in the U.S end up in animal feed to promote growth in cattle, hogs and poultry, and to compensate for unsanitary housing conditions.  This practice inadvertently promotes the reproduction of antibiotic-resistant strains, which reaches humans through air and soil, but most often through eating the food animals which were treated with antibiotics.

According to panelists, there are currently more deaths resulting from antibiotic resistant bacterial infections than from HIV-AIDS.  Of the 2 million Americans who contract bacterial infections which are antibiotic resistant, 90,000 will die annually.  The panelists also discussed simple actions animal producers could take, such as better ventilation, the sanitizing of animal houses, and better animal husbandry, which could reduce or eliminate the need for antibiotics.

Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Presentation Hosted by USDA:   Deputy Secretary Megan, Rep. Rosa De Lauro (D-CT), and Rep. David Scott (D-GA) were among the speakers at the USDA sponsored event, Future Trends in Animal Agriculture, which took place on Wednesday, December 2. Panelists looked ahead to the year 2030 to discuss what animal agriculture will look like and what is should look like.  The discussion covered issues such as industrialized animal production, animal welfare, and the challenge of the feeding a rapidly growing population.  Several speakers presented evidence that more and more consumers are concerned about animal welfare and are willing to pay more for animal products coming from a humane environment.

USDA NEWS

GIPSA Final Regulation on Poultry Contracts Issued:  On Thursday, a final rule governing poultry production contracts between poultry growers and poultry processors was issued.  Additional information on the rule is posted on the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration website. www.gipsa.usda.gov . The rule will take effect on January 4, 2010.

New protections for contract poultry farmers include:

A key supporter of the new rules, NSAC member RAFI-USA, noted in a press release that the rules increase fairness, transparency and good business practices and are a positive step in redressing the imbalance in power between contract poultry growers and poultry processors.

Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up Update:  USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service continues to work through the large-volume of applications for the 2009 iteration of the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  Contracts are expected to be finalized by January.

Of the 33 million acres worth of applications that came through the door, producers completed the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) and were determined eligible on approximately 21 million acres.  Of the 21 million acres, 12.8 million acres will be enrolled, with decisions based on producers with the highest ranking scores in the CMT.

NRCS is currently calculating the final payment rates for crop, pasture, and range land.  Those rates will then be multiplied by each farmers point total, by land use, from the CMT.

The major ranking process for 2010 sign-ups was originally scheduled for January, but will now almost certainly be delayed by several months as the 2009 contract process is completed.  We expect there to be an NRCS announcement in the New Year outlining the 2010 process and explaining program improvements for the 2010 sign-up.  Both 2009 and 2010 awardees will receive their first CSP payments in October 2010.

NRCS Selects Watersheds for the Mississippi River Basin Initiative:  On November 23, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the 41 watersheds selected to participate in the 12-state Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI).  The Initiative is administered through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), with additional resources available from the Conservation Innovation Grant Program and the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program.  The focus is control of nutrient and sediment runoff from agricultural land in the ten states the border the Mississippi River and Ohio and Indiana, with a goal of improving water quality in the Mississippi River Basin and helping to reduce the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.  The selected watersheds cover 42 million acres.

The next step is the selection of smaller watershed projects through a competitive process under CCPI.  NRCS assistance will be leveraged with contributions from project partners, expanding the capacity available to improve water quality throughout the Basin.

Three requests for project proposals will be announced in the next several weeks, including one for CCPI.  Funding for CCPI projects will come from NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program.  Two other requests for proposals will fund projects through the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program and Conservation Innovation Grants.

Additional information about the Initiative is posted on the MRBI overview webpage.

BCAP Run Amok:  DTN farm reporter Chris Clayton this week spilled the beans on the hemorrhaging of taxpayer dollars to support standard operating procedures for the paper industry.  In his Market News blog from Wednesday, December 2, Clayton reports that the White House has approved a USDA request to spend $514 million before the end of March to subsidize the burning of wood waste for energy under the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP).

When BCAP was passed as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, it was estimated to cost $70 million in total over the life of the 5-year bill and was to be aimed primarily at paying farmers to experiment with second generation biomass energy crops.  The new crop portion of BCAP is being delayed while the Farm Service Agency contracts out an Environmental Impact Study (EIS).  Meanwhile, payments for the collection and harvest of crop residues and wood waste, arguably far more ripe for an EIS than planting perennials, are being sent out the door to 285 facilities nationwide at a taxpayer-scam rate nearly 150 times greater than estimated by Congress in passing the Farm Bill.

The only good news in this travesty is the expectation by USDA and the White House that a rule to implement BCAP will be issued next spring.  Hopefully the rule will reign in the program and return it to its important original mission.

Recovery Bill Biorefinery Project Awards Announced:  On Friday, December 4, USDA Secretary Vilsack and DOE Secretary Chu announced the selection of 19 projects to receive $564 million from the economic recovery bill under the Farm Bill’s Biorefinery Assistance Program.  The pilot and commercial projects are intended to help lay the foundation for biofuels and biopower industries.

Changes in Research Grant Program Application Requirements:  Individuals interested in applying to any of the following National Institute of Food and Agriculture Programs should follow the directions in the Grants.gov Application Guide linked with the funding opportunity rather than the directions in the Request for Applications (RFA) for the “R&R Other Project Information Form”:  Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, Specialty Crop Research Initiative, Regional Integrated Pest Management, Extension IPM, or the Potato Breeding programs.  The guidelines have been changed and are not reflected in the current RFAs.

EPA NEWS

EPA Delaying Decision on Petition to Increase Ethanol “Blend Wall”:  On Monday, November 30, the EPA informed Growth Energy by letter that the agency is delaying until mid-June a final decision on a petition to increase the allowable blend limit of ethanol with gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent.  Growth Energy is an advocacy group representing ethanol production companies, which contend that the “blend wall” is preventing expansion of U.S. ethanol production.

In the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Congress called for the production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2022, including up to 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol.  EPA acknowledged that meeting that mandate will require a higher blend of ethanol in gasoline, but the agency must also meet requirements under the Clean Air Act to ensure that engines are not damaged and air pollution limits exceeded when ethanol blends higher than 10 percent are used.

EPA wrote that the Department of Energy has not yet completed long-term tests using the 15 percent blend in 19 vehicles.  Tests to date show that engines and emission systems of new model vehicles, manufactured after 2001, may be able to use the 15 percent blend without damage.  EPA also needs to address new labels and warnings for older cars, lawn mowers, boat engines and other vehicles and equipment which can be damaged by the use of a higher ethanol blend.  The petition is opposed by some environmental groups, oil refiners, small engine manufacturers and numerous food manufacturers

WTO NEWS

WTO Panel to Consider Challenge to mCOOL:  On November 19, the World Trade authorized a dispute settlement panel to hear the challenge of Canada and Mexico to U.S. implementation of the mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL) provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill.  Previous consultations among the U.S., Canada and Mexico did not resolve the dispute.  Cattle and hog producers in Canada and Mexico, as well as many U.S. meatpackers, opposed the mCOOL regulations which do not allow a product to be labeled as a U.S. product if the cow or hog was raised in Canada or Mexico.  In October, in response to Canada’s request for a dispute settlement panel, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk issued a statement noting, “Countries have agreed since long before the existence of the WTO that country of origin labeling is a legitimate policy.  It is common for other countries to require that goods be labeled as to their origin.”

DULY NOTED

Global Gaps on “Meet the Farmer TV”:  NSAC participant Steve Warshawer, a New Mexico farmer, part of La Montanita Cooperative grocery chain, and food safety coordinator for the Good Food Network, appeared this week on Meet the Farmer TV to talk about Global GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices) food safety standards.  Meet the Farmer TV, based in Virginia, features weekly shows on local food systems from “the farm to the plate.”  Watch Steve here.

Fair Food Grant:  On Thursday, December 3, USDA Under Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced a cooperative agreement with the Fair Food Network for research into regional and local fresh food markets in Michigan.  Fair Food Network, a Michigan-based organization working to improve access to healthy foods, is directed by Oran Hesterman, formerly with the WK Kellogg Foundation.  The research will include a social marketing plan linking Southeast Michigan small and mid-sized farms with Detroit and other urban markets.  USDA will provide $40,000 to the project.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About… Recovery Aid:  The non-governmental watchdog organization OMB Watch on Thursday, December 3, launched a new online database on all federal spending related to the economic recovery or stimulus bill.  The site has more than 160,000 reports on the $159 billion in contracts, grants, and loans awarded during FY 2009.  The site allows the user to search, sort, analyze, and map, bringing federal spending transparency into the new information age.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – November 23, 2009

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

ACTION NEEDED

Comments Due Today on the Rural  Micro-entrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP): Comments are due today, November 23rd, on the proposed rule for the new Rural Micro-entrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP).  RMAP was created in the 2008 Farm Bill to provide loans and grants to Micro-enterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) that support micro-enterprise development in rural areas.  While the law directs USDA to provide grants to allow development organizations to offer training and technical assistance to micro-entrepreneurs the proposed rule fails to do so.  Training and technical assistance are essential to the success of these new businesses.  An NSAC alert with talking points can be found here. Comments can be submitted here.   The Center for Rural Affiairs is circulating this sign-on comment letter.   To sign on, contact  Steph Larsen at StephL@cfra.org 
 
LAST WEEK

Senate HELP Approves Food Safety Act:  On Wednesday, November 18, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee unanimously approved a revised version of S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act.  Senate floor action is considered likely early next calendar year, though no one is entirely ruling out floor action yet in December.  The House has already passed its companion bill, so once the full Senate takes action the House and Senate will conference to work out the wide ranging differences between the two bills.

A bipartisan, modified version of S. 510 was presented to the Committee early last week by Chairman Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Enzi (R-WY), after having been negotiated under the auspices of Senators Dodd (D-CT) and Gregg (R-NH).  The newly revised version includes several key planks from the NSAC position paper and legislative proposal:

Also in the fresh produce section, FDA is instructed to create rules that:

In the traceability section, the bill was amended to restrict recordkeeping for produce farms (with the exception of produce farms that also have processing facilities) to information about the initial sale to the first purchaser of the crop.

Senators involved in obtaining one or more of these provisions included Harkin, Enzi, Bennet, Bingaman, Brown, Burr, Franken, Merkley, and Sanders.

Many other NSAC proposals were not included in the bill, including:

Only four amendments were accepted during markup, all without debate.  Two were by Senator Burr (R-NC), including one co-sponsored by Senator Bennet (D-CO) to require FDA to do several outreach sessions to farmers and small businesses on the new set of “good agricultural practices” to be developed by FDA.  The other two were by Senator Murkowski (R-AK) on fishery guidance and a food transportation study, who also co-sponsored a Burr amendment on alcohol wholesalers.

Among the amendments introduced but withdrawn were amendments on comprehensive traceability (Sen. Brown), antibiotic resistance (Sen. Reed), country of origin labeling for processed fish (Sen. Murkowski), country of origin labeling for processed food (Sen. Brown, Merkley), infant formula health claims (Sen. Merkley), restitution payments for farmers harmed economically by FDA mistakes (Sen. Hagan), and confidentiality of records provided to FDA (Sen. Roberts).  Some of these amendments may be revisited during floor consideration of the bill.

NSAC’s press release issued immediately following markup can be viewed here.

Growing Safe Food Act Picks Up Additional Sponsors:  The NSAC-endorsed Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758), introduced by Senator Stabenow (D-MI), was co-sponsored last week by Senator Brown (D-OH) and Casey (D-PA).  The bill, which would establish a national food safety training and technical assistance competitive grants program to be housed at USDA, is also co-sponsored by Senators Bingaman, Boxer, Gillibrand, Leahy, Merkley, and Sanders.  NSAC is urging all Senators to endorse the bill and is pushing for its incorporation into S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, when it comes to the Senate floor.

Child Nutrition Act Discussion Begins:  On Tuesday, November 17, the Senate Agriculture Committee held its first hearing on reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.  New Committee Chair Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) welcomed Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack and a panel of witnesses from Arkansas.  The Child Nutrition Act reauthorizes the National School Lunch and Breakfast, Summer and Afterschool Programs, the Child and Adult Care Program and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. 

Secretary Vilsack said that the Administration’s priorities are to reduce barriers to participation and improve the nutritional quality of food served.  The hearing came a day after USDA published a report reflecting a sharp increase in childhood hunger in the U.S., meaning many more people are now eligible for these programs.

The merits of farm to school programs were mentioned several times by Sen. Lincoln and Secretary Vilsack, who pointed out that buying from local or regional producers increases the taste and nutritional value of the food and does not always mean higher food costs for schools.  Senators Lugar (R-IN) and Grassely (R-IA) commented on a study reporting that 75 percent of American 17 to 24 year olds are unable to serve in the military due to a number of reasons including obesity, making it a national security issue as well as a health concern.

USDA NEWS

NSAC Comments on Interstate Shipment of Meat & Poultry Rule:  On Monday, November 16, NSAC submitted comments on the proposed rule of USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) to implement the cooperative federal-state program for the interstate shipment of state-inspected meatestablished in Section 11015 of the 2008 Farm Bill.  Under the program, states can agree with USDA to have an FSIS designated employee coordinate meat and poultry inspections done by state inspectors in small and very small processing establishments.  Eligible establishments are to have, on average, 25 or fewer employees.  NSAC supported this Farm Bill measure with a view to increasing the number of meat and poultry processing facilities available to small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers who want to access interstate markets.

NSAC comments emphasized the need for FSIS to implement a streamlined program with regulatory requirements appropriate to ensure that small or very small processing establishments meet food safety requirements.  Our comments also addressed the need for outreach and training by FSIS, including training on humane methods of animal transport, handling and slaughter.

Organic Research Funds Available:  On Wednesday, November 18, USDA released the 2010Request for Applications (RFA) for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), USDA’s flagship research program dedicated to organic agriculture and an NSAC research priority.  The 2010 RFA includes a new proposal type for eXtension proposals to ensure the transfer of information to farmers and others.  For 2010, approximately $19 million are available through OREI, and the deadline for applications is February 9, 2010.    

Specialty Crop Research & Extension Funding:  On Wednesday, November 18, Secretary Vilsackannounced the award of over $46 million dollars in funding through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). “Specialty crops are an important part of American agriculture, valued at nearly $50 billion every year,” Vilsack said.  The SCRI will fund projects at 20 institutions where investigators will be researching the threats and solutions to issues which effect specialty crop production such as pest and disease control.  The SCRI was established by the 2008 Farm Bill to improve specialty crop production through the study of five issue areas: plant breeding and genetics; pests and disease; improvement to efficiency, production and profitability; new innovations and technology; and improvement to food safety.

Community Food Grant Awards:  USDA announced more than $5 million in Community Food Project (CFP) grants to link producers with low-income consumers and improve local food systems throughout the U.S.  Congratulations to NSAC members Center for Rural Affairs (NE) and Farm to Table (NM) on their new awards. The Center for Rural Affairs received a planning grant to look at access to food in a small remote town that has been without a grocery store for over ten years with an 80 mile round trip to a grocery store.  They will evaluate what local foods are available; determine if a student-run grocery store addresses the need identified; and create a comprehensive plan to ensure longterm food  access to food.  

EPA NEWS

EPA Grants for Environmental Education:  EPA is currently taking applications for Environmental Education Grants from any local education agency, college or university, state education or environmental agency, non-profit organization, or noncommercial educational broadcasting entities.  Applications must be mailed to the EPA offices designated in the application instructions and be postmarked by December 15, 2009. 

The purpose of the grants is to support environmental education projects that enhance the public’s awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality.  EPA awards grants each year based on funding appropriated by Congress.  Annual funding for the program ranges between $2 and $3 million.  Most grants will be in the $15,000 to $25,000 range, with a matching requirement of 25% non-federal funding.  Many grants have been awarded to projects that involve agricultural practices affecting water quality, wildlife habitat, air quality and other resources.  Application materials, a comprehensive description of previously funded grants, and other information is posted on the EPA website for the grant program. 

DULY NOTED

ERS Releases Buy-Out, Debt Financing, and Ethanol Reports:  On Monday, November 16, USDA’s Economic Research Service issued a 50-page report on the experience of the peanut and tobacco sectors following the government-sponsored quota buyouts earlier this decade.  The same day, ERS also released a 45-page report with an additional 20 pages of charts on the changing debt financing landscape of the farm and farm business sector.  On Wednesday, November 18, ERS issued a 50-page report on ethanol, including shifts in land use, increases in corn acreage, impacts on meat prices, and environmental impacts from land use change and the use of crop residues for ethanol production.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update November 16, 2009

Monday, November 16th, 2009

TAKE ACTION ON FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION

Please Call Members of the Senate HELP Committee! The Senate Health,  Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is scheduled to begin markup of the Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) on November 18.  The Act seeks to decrease foodborne illnesses by strengthening the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety oversight and enforcement–including provisions that would extend authority to on-farm production and processing.  In addition to important food safety advances, the bill unfortunately also poses a serious threat to family farm value added processing, local food systems, and sustainable and organic agriculture.

NSAC has issued this alert with five provisions essential to achieving badly needed reforms to our food safety regulatory system without taking away important markets for small and midsized sustainable and organic farms.  Please circulate the alert to your networks and urge calls Monday and Tuesday this week to HELP committee members.

To learn more on the issue, please see NSAC’s “Food Safety on the Farm” policy brief.

LAST WEEK

Stabenow Introduces Food Safety Training Bill:  Last Tuesday Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) as a proposed supplement to the food safety legislation now under Senate consideration.  Co-sponsored by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Bingaman (D-NM), Boxer (D-CA), Sanders (I-VT), Gillibrand (D-NY), and Merkley (D-OR) and in close consultation with NSAC, S. 2758 is designed to provide food safety training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance and create an information clearinghouse for farms, with a special emphasis on small and medium-sized farms and small-scale processors.  Training would include good agricultural, handling, and manufacturing practices, produce safety standards, risk analysis and preventive control mechanisms, safe packaging and storage, record-keeping, etc.  Run through USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (formerly CSREES), the new program would be coordinated with applied research under the existing National Integrated Food Safety Initiative.

NSAC is urging the Senate HELP Committee to include the Growing Safe Food Act as an addition to the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) it is marking up and voting on this Wednesday.  We hope it will be included in the markup vehicle to be introduced this week by Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA).  If it is not, Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) plans to introduce it as an amendment during markup.

Arkansas Farm to School Conference:  On Thursday, November 12, NSAC’s ED Aimee Witteman attended the Farm to School Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, organized by the National Farm to School Network and hosted by Heifer International.  The day-long event included several workshops on practical questions and advice about getting products grown by family farmers into their area schools, with helpful examples of success provided by the leaders of the New North Florida Cooperative and the Oklahoma Farm to School program.  Other workshops focused on the statewide and national movement to advance Farm to School Programs.

The event concluded with comments from the new Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Arkansas Senator, Blanche Lincoln, who said that the Child Nutrition Act would move early next year and that she promised she would be “a receptive audience on any proposals to expand farm to school efforts.”  She also touched on several of the Rural Development programs that NSAC championed in the 2008 Farm Bill, such as the Value-Added Producer Grant program and the B&I Loan Program, that can help with the production, aggregation, and distribution of good food for school meals.  These programs have also been featured in the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative.

NSAC Submits “Natural” Meat Label Comments:  NSAC sent summary comments to USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) this week in response to their Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.  The natural claim refers to processing, not animal raising, and indicates minimal processing and no artificial ingredients added.  The Bush Administration had issued an early advanced rulemaking in 2006, so this is a second time for the troublesome term.

NSAC urged FSIS to substitute “minimally processed” and “no artifical ingredients adding during processing” for the misnomer “natural” label.  The comments also reiterated our long-standing request to the Obama Administration that it revoke the last minute Bush rule creating a “naturally raised” label claim through USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).  That label claim has been put on hold by the new Administration, though it is not yet cancelled.  The comments also urged emphatically that conflicting policies on animal raising meat label claim standards between FSIS and AMS be brought into unity in support of strong standards that protect the markets created by pioneering sustainable livestock producers.

THIS WEEK

Food Safety Markup Wednesday:  The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is taking a pause from health care legislation this week to take up the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510), introduced early this year by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).  Since introduction, the HELP Committee lost its long-time chairman, Senator Ted Kennedy, with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) now taking over the reins.  This will be Harkin’s first bill to report out from his new Committee.

NSAC has submitted detailed and extensive draft amendments to S. 510 to deal with its unintended negative consequences for family farms, alternative food systems, and the environment.  At press time, we expect some of these proposals to be incorporated into the chairman’s “mark” that Harkin will introduce this week for committee consideration on Wednesday.  The mark will be built off of the original S. 510 but will include modifications.

We urge everyone to respond to the Action at the top of this week’s edition, and will provide a full report on the outcome next week.

USDA NEWS

B&I NOFA for Food System Loans:  NSAC learned last week that USDA’s Rural Development Agency is working on a special Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to publicize the availability of Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans (B&I) for enterprises supporting the development of local and regional food systems.  This is very good news — NSAC has been encouraging the agency for months to do more outreach about the new food system emphasis in the program.  The NOFA should appear in the Federal Register before the end of the calendar year.  Any remaining funds that are not used to guarantee food system loans by April 1, 2010 (about $125 million), will be rolled into the general B&I lending pool. B&I local and regional food enterprise loans is one of the programs featured in USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food effort.

DOJ-USDA Listening Sessions on Ag Market Competition and Regulation Announced:  On Friday, Novmeber 13, USDA and the Department of Justice announced the schedule for 2010 joint workshops and listening sessions on agricultural market concentration and competition issues.  The schedule for the workshops is as follows:

March 12, 2010 – Issues of Concern to Farmers – Ankeny, Iowa – focus on seed technology, vertical integration, market transparency and buyer power.

May 21, 2010 – Poultry Industry – Normal, Ala – focus on production contracts in the poultry industry, concentration and buyer power.

June 7, 2010 – Dairy Industry – Madison, Wisc. – focus on concentration, marketplace transparency and vertical integration in the dairy industry.

Aug.  26, 2010 – Livestock Industry – Fort Collins, Colo. – focus on beef, hog and other animal sectors and may include enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act and concentration.

Dec. 8, 2010 – Margins – Washington, D.C. – focus on the discrepancies between the prices received by farmers and the prices paid by consumers.  As a concluding event, discussions from previous workshops will be incorporated into the analysis of agriculture markets nationally.

Each workshop may feature keynote speakers, general expert panels, and break-out panels that will address more narrowly-focused issues.  At each workshop, the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.

In addition, USDA and the Department of Justice submit are accepting written comments on these issues until Dec. 31, 2009.  Two paper copies of comments should be addressed to the Legal Policy Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 50 5th Street, NW, Suite 11700, Washington, D.C. 20001.  The electronic version of each comment should be submitted to agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.

USDA and South Dakota CREP Agreement:  On November 10, USDA Secretary Vilsack and South Dakota Governor Rounds signed a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreement to improve water quality in the James River and enhance wildlife habitat in the area.  The CREP is in the prairie pothole region and focuses on restoring wetland hydrology and surrounding upland buffers on about 100,000 acres in the watershed.  Eligible producers must offer a minimum of 40 contiguous or nearly contiguous acres, which may consist of a combination of land offered for enrollment into CREP and adjacent non-CREP acres in order to meet the 40-acre minimum block-size requirement.  The 40-acre minimum requirement may be waived for beginning, limited resource or socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers.  Producers must also enroll applicable acres in the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Walk-In Area Program for hunting and fishing access.

The total cost of the South Dakota CRP is $161.4 million.  Producers will receive the current weighted-average rental rate for the three predominant soils on the eligible acreage.  Some conservation practices will qualify for additional incentives such as a 20 percent rental rate increase, a Practice Incentive Payment (PIP), and a Signing Incentive Payment (SIP) of $100 per acre.  South Dakota will provide an incentive equal to 40 percent of the weighted-average rental rate for acres enrolled under CREP.  Sign up will begin Nov. 23, 2009 at local country FSA offices.

Due Dates for CFGs, SCRI, IPM:  A reminder that grant applications for the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program are due by November 19.  For more information, visit the CFP website here or contact the CFP Program Leader, Elizabeth Tuckermanty at etuckermanty@nifa.usda.gov.

Other deadlines for NIFA grants are also approaching, including the Regional Integrated Pest Management Competitive Grants Program which closes on December 17, 2009  and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative which closes on January 14th, 2010 .

Systems Grantwriting Workshop for SARE, OREI, and SCRI:  The national program leaders of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), and the Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI) are hosting a one-day workshop on the preparation and management of systems-based grant applications, in partnership with Cornell University.  The workshop is scheduled for December 10, and will also be accessible via web.  The registration deadline is December 3, and there is no registration fee.  For more information, click here.

McEvoy NOSB Presentation Available:  USDA has posted the presentation that the National Organic Program’s (NOP) new Deputy Adminstrator Miles McEvoy made at the November meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in Washington, DC.  McEvoy’s presentation laid out his plan for how to grow NOP, ensure the organic label’s integrity, and implement NOSB recommendations.  The presentation also included rough budget figures, a projected increase in NOP staff from 16 to 31, and a priority on publishing the long-awaited access to pasture rule by early 2010.

EPA NEWS

Nominations Open for EPA Farm, Ranch & Rural Communities Advisory Committee:  EPA has issued a notice that it is taking nominations for membership on the EPA Farm, Ranch & Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC) until December 31, 2009.  The FRRCC provides independent advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities.  Members serve as representatives from academia, industry (e.g., farm groups and allied industries), non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments.  People who are actively engaged in farming or ranching are encouraged to apply.  Members will serve for a two-year term, 2010-2011, and will be expected to volunteer about 10-15 hours per month reviewing topics of interest to the EPA Administrator and participating in meetings and conference calls.

Candidates for membership may be nominated by organizations or may nominate themselves.  All nominations must be identified by name, occupation, organization, position, current business address, e-mail address, and daytime telephone number, and must include: (1) A resume detailing relevant experience and professional and educational qualifications of the nominee; and (2) a brief statement (one page or less) describing the nominee’s interest in serving on the Committee.   Nominations should be submitted to:  Alicia Kaiser, Designated Federal Officer, Office of the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (MC 1101A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.  You may also e-mail nominations to: Kaiser.Alicia@epa.gov.

For further information contact Alicia Kaiser at her e-mail address or by phone at (202) 564-7273. Information about Committee actions in 2008-2009 is posted here.

DULY NOTED

“Building Sustainable Places” Now Available:  This week the ATTRA program announced publication of the new Building Sustainable Places book and made it available on their website.

The new publication is an updated version of Building Better Rural Places and is edited by Michael Field Agricultural Institute’s Margaret Krome.  The guide is a collaborative effort of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, National Center for Appropriate Technology, USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, and other USDA agencies.  NSAC also provided information for the publication.

The guide, written for farmers, entrepreneurs, and community based organizations, includes summaries and important information about federal programs that encourage community development, sustainable land management and production, and value-added and diversified agriculture and forestry.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – November 9, 2009

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

TAKE ACTION

Be at the Ready!  Action Alert on the Senate Food Safety Bill Forthcoming!

The Senate Health,  Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is scheduled to begin markup of the Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) on November 18.  The Act seeks to decrease foodborne illnesses by strengthening the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety oversight and enforcement–including provisions that would extend authority to on-farm production and processing.  NSAC will issue an alert on Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week with specific recommendations to HELP Committee members and a call to action on S 510.  NSAC is working to limit negative impacts on small and mid-sized sustainable and organic farms.  Stay tuned for our action alert aimed at key HELP committee members and prepare to send to your networks!
For background on the issue, please see  NSAC’s Food Safety on the Farm policy brief.

Comment Now on the Proposed Rule for the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program

USDA has issued a proposed rule for the new Rural Micro-entrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP).  RMAP was created in the 2008 Farm Bill to provide loans and grants to Micro-enterprise Development Organizations that support micro-enterprise development in rural areas.  While the law directs USDA to provide grants to allow development organizations to offer training and technical assistance to micro-entrepreneurs the proposed rule fails to do so. Training and technical assistance are essential to the success of these new businesses. Comments on the rule are due on November 23rd and can be submitted here. An alert with talking points is available here.
You can learn more about RMAP by checking out this summary in the Grassroots Guide to the Farm Bill.

LAST WEEK

Senate Climate Change Legislative Proposals: On Thursday, November 5, the Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved by a vote of 11-1 a marked up version of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S.1733).  The only vote against the measure came from Senator Baucus (D-MT) whose state is a major coal producer.  The markup was preceded by three days of hearings the week before with 9 panels including 54 witnesses.  The seven Republican members of the Committee boycotted the markup, with the exception of Senator George Voinovich (R-OH).  He showed up briefly on Tuesday, the first day scheduled for the markup, to state that Republican members were boycotting the markup pending preparation of an EPA economic analysis of S. 1733.  Senate rules require the presence of at least two Republicans at the markup, unless the Majority feels it is in the best interest of their states and of the nation to act, a finding that Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer was quick to make.

Completion of a climate bill in the Senate, however, appears to be receding into 2010.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed to ask the EPA for economic analysis of any climate bill before it goes to the Senate floor.  This week, EPA officials testified that it would take the agency about five weeks to complete an analysis of the current version of S. 1733.

In the meantime, there are separate bills from at least five Senate committees that are to be merged into S.1733, including S 2729 – the Senate Agriculture Committee’s contribution to the Senate climate change package which was drafted under the lead of Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and introduced this week.  S2729 has not yet been posted to Thomas but you can keep checking here and search for bill number “S2729″.  No further Agriculture Committee hearings have been scheduled yet, but on Tuesday both Senator Baucus’ Finance Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold climate bill hearings.

Further complicating the process, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), the co-sponsor of S.1733, has joined forces with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to work on a revised version of the bill which will patch together various pieces, including what are reported to be large increases in nuclear subsidies and off shore oil drilling permits, in an attempt to gather the 60 votes that will ultimately be needed to pass climate change legislation in the Senate.  At this point, the only clear thing is that there will be no climate change legislation until 2010 at the earliest, with a final product that may look like a patchwork quilt.

USDA NEWS

VAPG Beginning Farmer Clarification Un-clarified:  NSAC was told by USDA this week that in order to qualify for the 10 percent of funds reserved for beginning farmers in the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program, 100 percent of the farmers in a farm coop or business must be beginning farmers, an unlikely occurence.  This is a change from what we reported previously in the Weekly Update, based on earlier assurances from USDA.
Now we are told the problem will be fixed in the VAPG rule-making process now underway, but that will be too late for this round of grants.  However, applications by groups of farmers that include some beginning farmers will be considered in the regular pool of grants and the proposals will receive points for including new farmers, a priority clearly expressed in the Farm Bill language.  Barring a substantial number of proposals by individual beginning farmers, it is likely that for this year at least the reserve funds will not be used and will need to be merged into the regular pool.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan Announces Beginning Farmer Program Award:  Last Tuesday, November 3, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the recipients of the 2009 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program competitive grDULY NOTEDant awards.  Merrigan made the announcement on a farm in southeastern Minnesota operated by Eric and Lisa Klein – farmer members of the Land Stewardship Project and graduates of LSP’s Farm Beginnings program.

The $17 million in BFRDP funds was awarded to 29 universities and organizations, including four NSAC member groups, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), California Farmlink, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), and the Land Stewardship Project.  A full list of program award recipients is here.  NSAC’s press release with further descriptions of the projects awarded to NSAC member groups is here.

Farm to School on Facebook: On Thursday, November 5, Deputy Secretary Merrigan had her second Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Facebook chat — this time to discuss Farm to School.  She kicked off the discussion with a report on her visit to the St. Paul, Minnesota school district last week.  The St. Paul school district purchased 110 thousand pounds of regional food valued at $76,000 in the first six weeks of the school year, accounting for 56% of their total produce purchases.

Merrigan also reported on the Department’s Farm to School Tactical Team which has been formed with representatives from the Agriculture Marketing Service and the Food and Nutrition Service.  The goal is to collect information and create a library of knowledge on the Know Your Farmer website.  Merrigan said that USDA is deeply interested in Farm to School and hopes to see an equally high level of support in Congress when it takes up the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization, scheduled to begin early in 2010.

FDA NEWS

Extended Comment Period on Leafy Greens, Tomatoes, and Melons: As we mentioned last week, the Food and Drug Administration has granted the public more time to submit comments on new food safety standards for the production of leafy greens, tomatoes and melons.  With the two-month extension, the comment deadline is now January 4, 2010.  For more information, see the Federal Register notice here.

Traceability Listening Session:  On Tuesday, November 3, FDA and USDA announced a public listening session on December 9 and 10 in Washington, DC to stimulate discussion about enhanced tracing systems for all types of food from production to processing to distribution.  More information is available here.
DULY NOTED

ERS Releases New Report on Organic Dairy Sector: On Monday, November 2, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a new report on the characteristics, costs, and issues for organic dairy farming.  The study uses data from the 2005 Agricultural Resource Management Survey on US dairy operations, which includes a targeted sample of organic farmers.  Additionally, the report compares conventional and organic production costs, and suggests that organic and conventional operations are increasingly similar.  The report concludes that the future structure of the sector will depend upon the interpretation and implementation of new organic pasture rules.  To access the report, click here.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – November 2, 2009

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

TAKE ACTION

Farmer Input Needed for EQIP Organic Initiative Survey:  The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is seeking the input of conventional and organic farmers to help improve the 2010 Organic Initiative – a program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Offered first in 2009 as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the program distributed $50 million to support farmers’ transition to certified organic production and to existing certified organic farmers for transitioning additional acres to certified organic production.

OFRF wants to hear from conventional and organic producers; from producers who applied to the Organic Initiative and from those who didn’t.  All survey responses are confidential and will be used to provide feedback to NRCS on how to improve the program.  Click here for more information and here to complete the survey.  And please distribute the link among your farmer members and urge them to complete the survey by November 10th.

Beginning Farmer Comments Due:  Comments on the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Interim Final Rule are due Tuesday, November 3.  A copy of the Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking is here.

You can submit comments by email to: RFP-OEP@csrees.usda.gov or at www.regulations.gov.  Be sure to include the Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 0524-AA59 in the subject line of the message.  You can also fax comments to: 202-401-7752.

A copy of NSAC’s comments on the BFRDP interim final rule are here.

LAST WEEK

Senate Hearings on Climate Change Legislation:  Last week the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a three-day marathon hearing session, with 54 witnesses, on the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act (S.1733).  This climate change bill is sponsored by the Committee chair Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA).

USDA Secretary Vilsack, who was out of the country, was not among the Obama cabinet Secretaries testifying in person although he did submit a statement for the record.

The only agriculture sector witness testifying at the hearing was Bob Stallman President of the American Farm Bureau Federation.  He stated that the Federation is opposed to both S. 1733 and the recently passed House climate change bill H.R. 2454 because the cap-and-trade proposal in the bills will not offset higher energy costs to farmers.  Roger Johnson, the President of the National Farmers Union, submitted a statement criticizing the bill for lacking a “robust and flexible” agriculture offset program but also emphasizing that climate change legislation is needed to help the agriculture sector deal with some of the potential severe effects of climate change.

Webcasts of the hearings and witness statements are posted here.

Senator Boxer has scheduled a markup of S.1733 for next Tuesday, November 3 but the markup may be blocked by Republicans.  All seven Republicans on the Committee have reportedly agreed to boycott a markup session pending completion of the EPA’s economic analysis of the bill.  The Committee rules require that at least two Republicans be present for the markup in order to establish a quorum for the Committee.

Meanwhile, other Senate committees, including the Agriculture Committee, are moving forward with proposals within their jurisdiction for the bill.  Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), taking the lead for the Agriculture Committee, is drafting an agriculture and forest title for the bill which would establish agriculture and forestry allowances to help fund projects and activities and agricultural offsets for a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions.  No date has yet been set for incorporating this measure and other measures from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Finance Committee.

House Agriculture Committee Hearing on Biofuels:  On Thursday, October 29, the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to review the future of next generation biofuels, i.e biofuels from feedstock other than corn ethanol.  The hearing focused primarily on federal subsidies for construction of next generation biofineries provided in the 2008 Farm Bill and other legislation.

Dallas Tonsager, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development and Rajiv Shah, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics testified as did an number of representatives from companies looking for funding for next generation biofuels research and financing.  Most of the company representatives stated that credit for any biofuel venture is tight, especially with recent bankruptcies of a number of corn ethanol enterprises, including Vera Sun the largest corn ethanol producer. Under Secretary Tonsager noted that some applications for federal loan guarantees in the Farm Bill’s Section 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program were denied because no lender would back the project.  In addition to having the USDA shoulder more of the financing costs, some company representatives called on Congress to extend the cellulosic fuels production tax credit to cover all fuels produced before 2022 instead of the current 2012 cutoff.

THIS WEEK

Deputy Secretary Merrigan to Announce BFRDP Awards:  On Tuesday, November 3, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will be the announcing the recipients of the first round of Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program awards.  Her announcement will be made from a farm in Wabasha County, Minnesota, that is the home to Eric and Lisa Klein, graduates of the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program.  Among the FY 2009 BFRDP award recipients are NSAC members California Farmlink, Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), Land Stewardship Project, and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES).

NSAC was a key advocate in helping to create the BFRDP program in 2002 and then secure $75 million in mandatory funding for the program over the next five years in the 2008 Farm Bill.   BFRDP provides competitive grants to community-based organizations, non-profits, universities, and local and federal governments that provide training, mentoring, land-link, and other forms of support for beginning farmers and ranchers.

For more information about the program, visit the NSAC Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill.

USDA NEWS

Conservation Stewardship Program Comments:  The public comment period on the Interim Final Rule for the new Conservation Stewardship Program closed Wednesday, October 28.  We will report in a future edition about the number and type of comments received.  In the meantime, you can read the comments submitted by NSAC here.

Organic Research Awards Announced:  On Friday, October 30, Deputy Secretary Merrigan announced $19 million in awards through the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Integrated Organic and Water Quality Program.  The grants are directed towards projects that research various aspects of organic farming systems, ranging from barriers to the sector’s growth to impacts of organics on water quality. Winning mandatory funding for OREI was an NSAC 2008 Farm Bill priority.

Among the awards: $1.2 million to North Carolina State for farmer-driven assessment and support for public plant breeding for field crops; $1 million to Washington State for extension and applied research on dryland grain, forage and intercropping systems, and $1 million to Iowa State for a 3-state (IA, KY, PA) integrated project on pest and pollination concerns with cucurbits.  A full list of awards with abstracts is available here.
USDA Looks at Rural – Urban Linkages: USDA co-sponsored a workshop on Friday, October 30, with International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture and Heifer Project to discuss ways to increase food security while supporting sustainable production at home and abroad.  The emphasis was on the need to develop regional food systems to counter rising food prices as a result of volatile and rising energy costs and reduce agriculture’s contribution to greeenhouse gas emssions.  The primary audience was USDA agency personnel.

Several international speakers emphasized that there will be serious pressures on food production with  increasing urbanization, anticipating that 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050.

Domestically, planning for regional food systems is increasing as more areas develop Food Policy Councils and professional planners begin to understand that food systems are integral to a community’s health.  Speakers also emphasized the potential that public health and nutrition programs, including the Women’s, Infant’s, and Childrens’ Program (WIC) and National School Lunch Program, have to support the growth of regional agriculture if benefits are targeted to local food products.

There was considerable discussion of the need to improve rural infrastructure and increase small and mid-scale processing for regional food systems to be able to scale up to meet the food demand of cities.  Unfortunately, there were no representatives from USDA’s Rural Developement Agency to discuss the Value-Added Producer Grant program’s new 10% reserve fund ($1.8 million in FY 10) to support the development of mid-tier value chains or the $85 million in Business and Industry Loan Guarantees for FY 2010 to support regional food system businesses.

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan closed the meeting with a request that the participants continue to talk with the Department and to share their knowledge of successful projects so that they can be added to the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food website.

Beginning and Socially Disadvantage Farmer Loans in 2009: Congress responded to the financial crisis in farm lending by substantially increasing funding for farm operating and ownership loans through emergency funding in the economic recovery and supplemental appropriations bills for 2009.  Funding was also increased for 2010 in the recently passed agricultural appropriations bill.  For a table of appropriations levels, see the NSAC appropriations chart.

Despite the economic downturn, Down Payment Loans for first-time land acquisition by beginning and minority farmers took a big upturn since passage of the 2008 Farm Bill.  The farm bill lowered the interest rate and the new farmer down payment amount and also increased the value of land which could be financed, all of which combined to send the loan program skyrocketing.  The program has financed 1,100 farmers with a total of $147 million in loans in 2008 and 2009, compared to the nearly 3,000 beginning farmers assisted with $131 million in loans in the previous 14 years of the program’s existence combined.

The program continues to perform best in states that have State first time farmer loan and tax programs.  For instance, the top three states – Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas – accounted for nearly 50 percent of the total number of loans, and are followed by Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Indiana, of which only Ohio does not have a state program.  Those top ten states accounted for 83 percent of total down payment loan borrowers these past two years.

In FY 2009, the Farm Service Agency made or guaranteed about $4.5 billion in loans to 34,210 farmers, including over 20,000 farmers receiving direct operating loans.

The farm bill targets a percentage of loan funds to beginning and to minority farmers — details are included in the NSAC farm bill guide.  About 14,500 beginning farmers received loans totaling $1.5 billion.  Nearly half of all direct operating loans and over 70 percent of direct ownership loans went to beginning farmers, just shy of the farm bill targets of 50 and 75 percent, respectively.  While direct loans were close to the target rates, guaranteed loans were off by nearly half the 40 percent target rate.

Socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including minority and women farmers, received over 5,600 loans in FY 2009, including over 4,400 direct operating loans.  In dollars, these loans equaled 14 and 15 percent of total direct operating and ownership loans, and 7 and 9 percent of guaranteed operating and ownership loans, respectively.

NSAC has advocated for credit funding and beginning and socially disadvantaged farmer credit programs and targets since the late 1980s.

FDA NEWS

Food Safety Updates: On Sunday, November 1, the Department of Health and Human Services announced in the Federal Register that the FDA in collaboration with the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service will be holding a joint public meeting on traceability (tracing foods along their supply chains).  The meeting will be held December 9 and 10 at the USDA in Washington D.C. and is open to the public.

Also, later this week, NSAC expects the FDA to announce a 60-day extension for comments on the new food safety guidance for melons, tomatoes, and leafy greens.
EPA NEWS

EPA Issues Regulation for Greenhouse Gas Reporting with Livestock Operations Included:  On Friday, the EPA issued a final Clean Air Act regulation for the mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that would require reporting of GHG emissions from manure management activities of very large livestock operations.  A livestock facility that emits 25,000 metric tons of COs equivalent or more per year from manure management systems must report.  EPA estimates that about 100 very large livestock operations would meet the threshold for reporting.

The regulation becomes effective on December 29, 2009.  Congressional action, however, may block the rule’s application to livestock manure management.  On Tuesday, House and Senate conferees on the FY2010 Interior and EPA Approriations bill agreed to include language in the bill that would place a one year moratorium prohibiting the EPA from requiring mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting from manure management systems.

EPA Issues Clean Water Act Enforcement Plan with Emphasis on CAFOs:  On October 15, the EPA issued a Clean Water Act Enforcement Action Plan in conjunction with testimony of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  Both the Report and Administrator Jackson’s testimony targeted pollution from CAFOs as a threat to the nation’s surface waters and to drinking water sources. The Action Plan is short on detail but does state that EPA will pursue “new strategies to enforce existing rules limiting pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), especially where they occur in areas close to imperiled waters.”

The House Committee also heard from other federal agencies and individuals representing communities adversely impacted by water pollution. Witnesses included Wisconsin resident Judy Treml, whose family was infected with virulent E. coli which ran into their well from manure applied by a neighboring dairy.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – October 26, 2009

Monday, October 26th, 2009

TAKE ACTION

Time Running Out to Comment on the Conservation Stewardship Program!!
Time is running out for sustainable and organic farming advocates to submit comments to shape the implementation of the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Nation’s first and only green payments program.   In particular, USDA needs to get a loud and clear message that resource-conserving crop rotations, management-intensive rotational grazing and organic crop and livestock systems should receive high ranking and payment points under the CSP.  These systems deliver multiple environmental benefits and should earn high rewards.  You have until Wednesday October 28th to submit your comment. Additional talking points and an alert for circulation can be found here.

LAST WEEK

HELP on Food Safety:  The full Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee had its first food safety hearing on Thursday, October 22.  The anticipated focus of pending Senate action will be the Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) introduced by Senator Durbin (D-IL) and cosponsored by HELP Committee members Gregg (R-NH), Dodd (D-CT), Burr (R-NC), and Isakson (R-GA).  HELP Chairman Harkin (D-IA) began the hearing by recognizing Senator Durbin’s long commitment to the issue of food safety and pledging to move the bill as quickly as possible, saying as the hearing ended that he hoped to have a bill on the President’s desk by the end of the year.  Most observers think the end of the year goal is unlikely, though not completely outside the realm of possibility.

We noted in last week’s edition of the Weekly Update that Russell Libby, executive director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners, would be testifying at the hearing on behalf of NSAC and small and mid-size farm interests.  However, shortly after we went to press, we found out the Libby had been uninvited, the casualty evidently of a veto by Senator Enzi (R-WY), the committee’s ranking minority member.  As a result, the committee sadly heard only from the agency, from industry, and from consumers.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in her first appearance before the Committee, outlined the Administration’s three priorities for improving the Nation’s food safety: concentrating on prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response and recovery.  She noted that FDA would like increased legislative authority to achieve the goals including “enhanced ability to use resources flexibly to target food at the highest risk.”

Hamburg was critical of S 510 in several respects.  The Administration wants the bill changed to provide FDA explicit authority to access food records during routine inspections as is the case for FDA drug inspections and USDA meat inspections.

She and the Administration also support a user fee to help pay for the additional inspections that would result from implementation of the bill.  Unlike the House-passed bill, S 510 does not include fees but would rather pay for the bill entirely by congressional appropriations; the House bill by contrast is three-quarters paid for by appropriations and one-quarter by the fee.  The House bill’s $500 flat tax per facility is opposed by NSAC as regressive placing an undo burden on small scale family farms and not properly reflecting the costs of inspecting large farms and complex processing facilites.

Hamburg noted that she and FDA food safety adviser Michael Taylor have been visiting farms in different states around the country and “are learning more in the field about the concerns of farmers big and small.”

There was a confusing discussion about farmers who direct market their product being exempted from regulation.  Under current regulations, farmers who engage in any on-farm processing, even very minimal processing, are “facilities” which are then regulated by FDA.  However, if more than 50% of the processed product is sold directly to consumers, then the entire farm is exempt from regulation.  Under questioning, Hamburg indicated that farmers selling directly intrastate are exempt but not interstate.  That distinction does not appear in FDA regulation, nor in the House-passed bill which intends to codify current FDA regulations on this point.  NSAC hopes the agency will issue a clarification of the confusing statement.

Senator Merkley (D-OR) asked whether the bill’s provisions would be prejudicial to small and organic farms getting different directions from different agencies.  Dr. Hamburg recognized that this was an important concern and maintained the unique needs and circumstances of the diverse agricultural community could be achieved through the bill.

Thomas Stenzel, President of United Fresh Produce Association, spoke in favor of commodity-specific standards that would be consistent across the country and on farms of all sizes and production methods, explicitly rejecting the argument that smaller farms or organic operations should be treated differently.  He did, however, support reduced fees for less affluent farmers.  NSAC will continue fighting for alternatives that work for small and mid-sized family farms and that are consistent with sustainable and organic farming systems.

Rural Development Hearing:  On Wednesday, October 21, Judy Canales, Administrator of USDA’s Rural Development Business and Cooperative Programs, reported to the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development that significant progress is being made in moving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds out to rural communities and that those funds are preserving and creating jobs.

Canales pointed to an announcement made by the USDA earlier that day that 20 projects had been approved for $71.7 million in Business and Industry (B&I) loan guarantees.

When asked by Rep. Conaway (R-TX) how many of those loans were for local and regional food system development projects, Canales did not know the answer.  NSAC worked on a successful 2008 Farm Bill provision to have 5% of the B & I guarantees reserved for regional food system businesses and the program has been one of tools Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has showcased as part of the Department’s Know Your Farmer Know Your Food effort.

Canales announced that permanent regulations for the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) should be published in January 2010 and will be issued in tandem with the Notice of Funds Available (NOFA).  Proposed rules for RMAP were issued on October 7, 2009 and have a 45 day comment period.  Canales explained that the quick turnaround time on the rules, comments, and NOFA was a result of a new “good and aggressive relationship with [the Office of Management and Budget].”

Committee members were interested in hearing about how the USDA is making its programs more accessible in this time of economic downturn, asking particularly whether the Agency was easing restrictions on matching funds required for most grants and whether it was considering simplified forms.  Canales pledged to “be creative” to make sure their funds are doing all they can to stimulate rural economies.

Loan Suspension Petition Delivered to USDA:  On Tuesday, October 20, the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment delivered a letter with over 25,000 signatures to USDA Secretary Vilsack calling for a suspension of Farm Service Agency direct and guaranteed loans to new or expanding specialized hog and poultry facilities.  A CFFE press release with a weblink to the petition letter and its cover letter are posted on the Land Stewardship Project website.

CFFE based its request on the reasoning that FSA direct and guaranteed loans, which amounted to an estimated $264 million for FY2008 and FY2009, contribute to an increase in hog and poultry production in the face of severely depressed prices for hog and poultry growers.

North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Conference:  On Thursday, October 23, the Chair of the Native Pollinators in Agriculture Project, Rudy Rice, spoke at the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Conference in Washington, DC.  Rice has been a conservationist and grain farmer for over three decades, and has recently become a spokesperson about the importance of native pollinators.  Rice’s presentation focused on the honey bee, the most commonly used pollinator, which is in sharp decline.  In an effort to reverse this trend, the Native Pollinators in Agriculture Project has formed the Agricultural Pollination Alliance.  Rice urged everyone to learn more about the Alliance, and to integrate native pollinator habitat into their farmland.  For more information, please see the website at www.agpollinators.org

THIS WEEK

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Climate Change Hearing:  This week, October 27, 28, and 29, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold its first set of hearings to review provisions of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S.1733).  The roster of panelists for each hearing is here.  The bill is companion legislation to H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which passed the House of Representatives in June.

The hearings are the first of several expected in Senate committees to review Climate legislation.  A total of five Senate Committees will be contributing to the final version of a Senate climate change bill.  Senator Deborah Stabenow (D-MI) is the lead for drafting the Senate Agriculture Committee’s contribution to the bill, which focuses on agricultural activities that could be eligible as offsets in a cap-and-trade program.  So far, only Senator Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, has announced that mark up of a climate change bill will happen this year.

USDA NEWS

Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up News:  The 21,000 farmers and ranchers who applied to participate in the 2009 version of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) now have until November 15 to complete the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) that will be used to determined eligibility, ranking, and payments for the new CSP.  Once all the CMTs are complete, there will be a more refined number available for how many acres are applying to the program for the 2009 year.  Currently, USDA estimates the number at 33 million acres.

Sadly, the 2009 version of CSP will retain some flaws that NSAC has asked be corrected.  Last week, NRCS indicated the changes could not be made in time to take effect for 2009 enrollments.  Hopefully the necessary corrections will be made in time for the 2010 sign-up.  In the meantime, however, ranking and payment point values remain low for newly adopted management intensive rotational grazing and for existing resource-conserving crop rotations.  Moreover, USDA is allowing rotations to count for special CSP supplemental payments if they are comprised solely of three crops eligible for federal commodity subsidies, or two crop eligible for federal commodity subsidies provided there is one winter cover crop in one year.  NSAC continues to argue for a minimum requirement of at least one perennial in the rotation to be eligible for the bonus payments.

Also this past week, NRCS placed some new documents on their website that help explain the CSP ranking and payment process.  In addition to a short and longer document explaining the scoring process, the new post also includes revised versions of the spreadsheets with all the scores for all the existing conservation baseline questions and the new conservation enhancement and regular conservation practice choices.  Also, as we previously reported, the NRCS CSP website also now includes a special document to guide organic farmers or those transitioning to organic to enhancments and practices that are of particular relevance to the organic system plan required for organic certification.

Rural Development Funds Out the Door:  On Wednesday, October 21, USDA announced it has guaranteed almost $72 million in loans for business projects in rural America through the agency’s Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program. Rural Development received $1.7 billion in stimulus funds that supplements the $1 billion appropriated for the program for 2010.  The Agency is accepting applications for these guarantees through September 30, 2010 and will announce awards in batches every several months.  Five percent of the funds are reserved until April, 2010 for local and regional food system enterprises.

Speak Up About Interstate Meat Shipment:  USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service will hold two national public meetings for comments on the proposed rules for the interstate shipment of state-inspected meat.  The meetings will be held on October 27 and November 5 and will be in a teleconference format.  Participants must register in advance and should indicate that they would like to make a comment on the registration form.  Written comments are due by November 16.

DULY NOTED

Jacob Cowgill Hired as Tester’s Ag Liaison:  Last week, Senator John Tester (D-MT) announced that Jacob Cowgill, a Montana farmer and former board member of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO), a NSAC member organization, will be his new full-time agriculture liaison in the state of Montana.  In the announcement Tester stated “I’m pleased Jacob is on board to help serve fellow Montanans who make their living off the land.  Jacob knows ag issues inside and out, and he’s ready to work hard to expand opportunities for farmers and ranchers.”  Congratulations, Jacob!

Uncategorized | No Comments

Weekly Update – October 19

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

TAKE ACTION

CSP Comments Due October 28!

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is seeking comments on the administrative rules that will govern implementation of the Conservation Stewardship Program.  The deadline for submitting comments has been extended to October 28th.

NSAC analysis and talking points for writing your comments are available here.

You can submit your comment online here.

Special Announcement – New NSAC Policy Brief on Food Safety!

NSAC’s Food Safety on the Farm: Policy Brief and Recommendations is now available!  The brief examines some of the current legislative food safety proposals that have been introduced in the 111th Congress, as well as administrative developments within the Obama Administration, the FDA, and the USDA.  The paper concludes with NSAC’s policy recommendations grounded in the experience and interest of small and mid-sized family farmers.

LAST WEEK

National SARE Meeting:  Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Operations Committee of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program met in Washington, DC, to discuss regional activities and updates, outreach, and budget.  The Committee discussed at length new strategies for growth, as well as how to respond to the changing research climate at USDA.

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan made a guest appearance at the meeting, during which she discussed her history with and hopes for the program, and described USDA’s new ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ Initiatve.  NIFA Director Roger Beachy also attended part of the meeting, and outlined his priorities for research and sought feedback on the role of SARE and sustainable agriculture at the new agency.  NSAC Research, Education, and Extension committee chair, Brise Tencer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, attended the meeting, as did NSAC staff Ferd Hoefner and Ariane Lotti.

NSAC Submits Comments on the Beginning Farmer Program:  On Friday, October 16, NSAC submitted comments to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (formerly called the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service – CSREES) on the 2009 Request for Applications for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.

NSAC was a key advocate in helping to create the BFRDP program in 2002 and then secure $75 million in mandatory funding for the program over the next five years in the 2008 Farm Bill.   BFRDP provides competitive grants to community-based organizations, non-profits, universities, and local and federal governments that provide training, mentoring, land-link, and other forms of support for beginning farmers and ranchers.

For more information about the program, visit the NSAC Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill or the new NIFA BFRDP website here.

NSAC Submits Credit Rule Comments:  NSAC submitted public comments on the Farm Service Agency on the proposed rulemaking with respect to farm credit.  The comments emphasized the need to implement strong credit graduation features and to urge Congress to then overturn existing term limits that are preventing otherwise qualified farmers from receiving needed loans.

Hearing Set for Boxer-Kerry Climate Change Legislation:  Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has announced that the Committee will start a 3-day hearing on the Boxer-Kerry climate change bill (S.1733) on October 27.  The first witnesses will be administrative agency and cabinet heads including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff.  Other witnesses have not yet been announced.

Senator Boxer indicated that she would like to have her Committee began markup on the bill early in November.  Other Senate committees, notably the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, are also working on parts of climate change legislation relevant to their Committees.  Senator Lincoln, chair of Agriculture, has not yet set dates for agriculture hearings. Senator Baucus (D-MT), chair of the Finance Committee, has said that his Committee will address the issues of international trade and emission allowance allocations, but has also not announced hearing dates.  The process and timetable for how a final bill will be marked up and melded together has not yet been announced by Senate leadership.

THIS WEEK

NSAC Delivers Petition on Beginning Farmers to USDA:  On Monday, October 19, NSAC delivered a letter signed by 80 grassroots organizations and 7,500 individuals urging Secretary Vilsack and the USDA to move forward with swift implementation of the Conservation Reserve Program Transition Option.  The Transition Option is a new provision that NSAC and others helped to secure in the 2008 Farm Bill.  It provides incentives for CRP landowners who do not extend their CRP contracts or re-enroll in CRP to transfer the land to beginning or minority farmers and ranchers who will use sustainable and organic grazing, cropping, and mixed cropping-grazing systems.

Rather than implement the Transition Option  immediately, however, the Farm Service Agency of USDA is holding up its implementation while it conducts a multi-year supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) to review policies options concerning land enrolled in the CRP.  While the SEIS is relevant for land that remains in the CRP, the Transition Option is only for land that is leaving the CRP, making it inappropriate to include in the SEIS.

To read the final letter submitted to Secretary Vilsack click here.

NSAC to Testify at Senate HELP Food Safety Hearing:  The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold its hearing on pending food safety legislation, over which it holds jurisdiction, on Thursday, October 22 at 10 AM eastern.  Russell Libby, Executive Director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, will be tesifying to present the views of sustainable and organic agriculture and small and mid-sized farms.  Libby will be jointed by witnesses from FDA, Grocery Manufacturers Association, United Fresh Produce Association, and Center for Science in the Public Interest.  You can listen to the hearing from this page on the committee website.

USDA NEWS

Dr. Molly Jahn New REE Deputy Undersecretary:  On Monday, October 12, the University of Wisconsin-Madision announced that Dr. Molly Jahn, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University, will be serving as USDA’s Deputy Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics beginning November 9.  Jahn plans to serve a one-year term and will oversee three of the four research agencies at USDA — the Economic Research Service, the Agricultural Research Sevice, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service.  Before serving as Dean of CALS, Jahn was a professor of plant breeding and genomics and plant biology at Cornell University.  She also directed the Public Seed Initiative and the Organic Seed Partnership to promote genetic diversity and improve use of public plant varities.  Historical tidbit:  Dr. Jahn’s gave one of her very first public speeches as Dean at a 2006 SAC meeting!

Specialty Crop Block Grants Announced:  On Thursday, October 15, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the award of $49 million dollars to fund 745 projects through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program, a program designed to increase the competitiveness of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops.  Merrigan noted that some of the state-selected projects would increase the competitiveness of small farms and producers, support local agricultural interests, and create more opportunities for farmers to market directly to consumers.

Among the recipients are NSAC members Dakota Rural Action, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), Georgia Organics, Illinois Stewardship Allliance, Kansas Rural Center, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the Alternative Energy Resources Organization, Kerr Center, and Fay-Penn Economic Development Council.  If we have possibly missed you, or you have additional information about block grant awards important to sustainable agriculture, please contact Lucy Evans at levans@sustainableagriculture.net.  A summary of all of the recipients is here.

For more information about the SCBG program, visit the USDA website or the NSAC Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS

Department of Justice Approves JBS Acquisition of Pilgrim’s Pride Poultry:  Though the Department of Justice recently announced that it will hold listening sessions on the concentration of the livestock and poultry processing sector and its impact on farmers and consumers in 2010, in the meantime, it looks like business as usual.  On Wednesday, October 14, after less than a month’s investigation, the Department announced that it does not object to the acquisition of the Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing firm by JBS, which is already  the world’s largest beef processor and the No. 3 hog processor in the U.S.  With the acquisition of Pilgrim’s Pride, JBS will also hold about 23 percent of the poultry processing capacity in the U.S.

Pilgrim’s Pride is undergoing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy workout in a North Texas District Court.  Last year the company netted $8.5 billion.  Under the JBS deal, JBS will pay $800 million for a majority stake and will pay off Pilgrim’s Pride creditors in full.  Remaining shareholders will get new stock worth about $450 million.

There are some losers in the deal.  During the Chapter 11 proceedings, the court allowed Pilgrim’s Pride to cancel contracts with some 300 poultry growers in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Florida and the company also shuttered a number of processing plants.  JBS has not yet announced which plants, if any, it will reopen.  In addition, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the United Steelworkers International Union, and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union had reportedly agreed to eliminate pension plans, change overtime rules and standardize paid holidays in order to save Pilgrim’s Pride about $23.4 million a year

DULY NOTED

Red Ink:  On Friday, October 16, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report estimating the size of the deficit and debt if Congress stays on its current course with respect to big ticket items in the budget.  On the same day, the White House Office of Management and Budget announced that the deficit for FY 2009 is now estimated at $1.4 trillion, or nearly 10 percent of GDP.  The GAO found that without course corrections on entitlements, taxes, war, and health care, within ten years the national debt will exceed 109 percent of GDP, the current all-time high achieved at the conclusion of World War II.

Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Weekly Update – October 12, 2009

Monday, October 12th, 2009

TAKE ACTION

CRP Transition Option Sign On Ends October 13th!
Last Chance to add your organization’s name to our sign on letter urging USDA to implement the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Transition Option NOW.

The option will offer incentives to land owners not intending to renew their CRP contracts to sell or lease the land to beginning or minority farmers using sustainable or organic farming practices.  To sign on, just send an email to Annette@sustainableagriculture.net by Tuesday of this week.

NSAC has also launched a petition for individuals to sign.  Please sign on to the letter and circulate this petition.

The option has been swept up in a CRP program wide Environmental Impact Review expected to take at least two years.  4.3 million acres are expected to come out of the CRP program over the next two years.  That’s 4.3 million missed opportunities to put the land under wildlife-friendly sustainable or organic production and to provide economic opportunity and entry to beginning and minority farmers.

The Des Moines Register ran an article on the issue on Sunday, October 11.

CSP Comments Due October 28!

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is seeking comments on the administrative rules that will govern implementation of the Conservation Stewardship Program.  The deadline for submitting comments has been extended to October 28th.  NSAC analysis and talking points for writing your comments are available here.  You can submit your comment online here.

LAST WEEK

FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Passes:  This week the Agriculture Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2010 was passed by the Senate (76-22) and the House (263-162).  For the bill’s full text, click here.   For an analysis of how sustainable agriculture appropriations priorities fared, read last week’s Weekly Update and NSAC’s final appropriations chart.

House Ag Subcommittee Holds Conservation Hearing:  On Wednesday, October 7, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research held a hearing on implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill’s Conservation Title programs.  Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White and Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Jonathan Coppess were the only witnesses.  Their statements are available here.

The two issues of greatest concern at the hearing were  Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding and the prospects for a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up in 2010.  In addition, Chair Tim Holden (D-PA) asked about the Conservation Stewardship Program sign-up to which Chief White replied that over 21,000 applications were received covering about 33 million acres during the first sign-up which ended on September 30.  Chief White also noted that the next CSP ranking and sign-up would likely occur in January 2009.

Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) stated at length his objection to the new Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative announced by NRCS on September 23.  Goodlatte objected because, unlike the Chesapeake Bay watershed program that benefits farmers in his district, the new Initiative was not specifically authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill.  He also objected to the Mississippi Initiative funding through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative because the funding was in addition to the minimum level specified in the Farm Bill.

Larry Kissell (D-NC) and Bobby Bright (D-AL) expressed concern about the concentration of the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program in the West, with awards for 15 out of 63 projects going to California.

Representative Jerry Moran (R-K) questioned FSA Administrator Coppess at length about the CRP environmental impact review which will likely delay a CRP general sign-up until 2011.  Coppess responded that FSA could extend expiring contracts and conduct signups for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and the continuous CRP without having to complete the environmental review.  However, the 2008 Farm Bill changes to the CRP are on hold and there will be no general sign-up for the CRP in 2009 or 2010.

Innovations in Child Nutrition Act?:  On Thursday, October 8, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities held a hearing on innovations that are improving the way the national school breakfast and lunch programs work.  Witness testimony and questions and comments by Representatives  focused on how to make the meals better so that children will actually eat and be nourished by them and how to use meals as a catalyst for effective, participatory nutrition education that could affect how whole families eat.  The testimony is available here.

The two recurring themes from the witnesses were the importance of breakfast and increasing fresh fruits and vegetables in the school meals.  Westbury, NY and Baltimore, MD saw school breakfast participation surge after they introduced new healthy menus and a boxed breakfast that can be eaten in the classroom. Subcommittee Chairwoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), a  nurse, emphasized the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables several times in her opening statement and subsequent witnesses reinforced the message. Deborah Yargar-Reed of Biglerville Elementary School in Ranking Minority Member Rep. Platts’ district in southern PA talked about school and family nutrition events the school sponsors, including a fall apple festival with all locally grown apples.

The star witnesses were undoubtedly Baltimore City School Food Service Director Tony Geraci and Alice Sheehan, a Baltimore City Public School 8th grader and member of her school’s lunch committee.  Ms. Sheehan summed up the wisdom of many.  “Everybody deserves to have fresh, tasty and yummy food.  If possible, why not make it local food?  Why buy apples from Washington State when you can get them right here in Maryland at a cheaper price?  We should think about our meals not as nutritional packages, but as food that people like and want to eat, with fresh ingredients and tasting like it should.”  The audience in the staid Rayburn Building hearing room gave Ms. Sheehan a round of applause when she finished her testimony.  The Baltimore City schools now source all of the fresh produce used locally, according to Mr. Geraci.

Locally-sourced food also got resounding support from Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN) who pointed out that his rural district has child obesity rates about equal to those of Mr. Geraci’s inner city Baltimore students.  A doctor, he emphasized the critical importance of starting good eating habits early in childhood and said that school’s purchasing locally is a “tremendous thing to do.”

Matthew Sharp of California Food Policy Advocates encouraged lawmakers to permit direct certification for free school lunch for children receiving Medicaid or State Child Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). California already does direct certification for children receiving SNAP (food stamp) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which has saved California schools “tens of millions of dollars” that can be spent on improved food.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture Launched:  On Thursday, October 8, Secretary Vilsack joined Research Under Secretary Shah, NIFA Director Roger Beachy, and the President’s Science and Technology Advisor, John Holdren, in launching USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the new name of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).  A USDA press release on the event is available here.

The Administration is using this name change as an opportunity to try to elevate government agricultural research to the stature of health and scientific research under the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, respectively, as well as to push for greater funding for competitive grant research programs and to reorganize the agency.

While continuing the programs and responsibilities of CSREES, NIFA will be divided into the following four institutes plus one center:  food production and sustainability; bioenergy, climate, and environment; food safety and nutrition; youth and community development; and the Center for International Programs.  The institutes reflect the Administration’s agricultural research priorities and will focus research efforts on the accompanying challenges — ensuring global food security and eliminating hunger, overcoming climate change, producing sustainable energy, eliminating childhood obesity, and ensuring food safety.

While NSAC supports the renewed interest in funding agricultural research, there is significant concern that the Administration is taking a limited, narrow approach to addressing these challenges through its appointment of Roger Beachy and the subsequent strong focus of Thursday’s event on the use of biotechnology and nanotechnology in addressing these challenges and in enabling agricultural sustainability.

Travels with Leafy (Greens):  The third week of hearings on the proposed national Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement took place this week in Columbus, Ohio and Denver, Colorado.  Last week, a hearing was held in Jacksonville, Florida and the previous week, as reported on by the NSAC Weekly Update, the hearing was held in Monterey, California.  NSAC members Carol Goland (Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association) and Brian Snyder (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) testified at the Ohio hearing.  Marty Mesh, (Florida Organic Growers) testified in Florida.  Allies from the National Organic Coalition and Food and Water Watch have also been testifying at each of the hearings.

Three more hearings are scheduled in Yuma, AZ (Oct 14-15), Syracuse, NY (Oct 20), Charlotte, NC (Oct 22).  Please contact Kate Fitzgerald in the NSAC office if you would like copies of testimony.

USDA NEWS

RMAP Proposed Rule Published:  A proposed rule on the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, October 7.  Public comments on the proposed rule must be received by November 23, 2009.  Details for submissions are included at the beginning of the proposed rule.

NSAC and its members helped to create RMAP in the 2008 Farm Bill.  It is authorized for $4 million in annual mandatory funding for 2009 through 2011.  The just-passed agricultural appropriations bill provides $5 million in additional funding.  Because the program was not implemented in 2009, for 2010 there will be a total of $13 million available.

The new rule proposes both grants and loans be awarded to Microenterprise Development Organizations which will provide technical assistance, loan serving, and marketing management to rural microenterprises, including agricultural businesses.  For more detailed information on RMAP, please see NSAC’s Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill.

A future edition of the Weekly Update will carry an action alert and key talking points to help guide public comments on RMAP.

33 Million Acres in 2009 CSP Applications:  In a press release and in congressional testimony this past week, USDA announced tentative totals for stage one of the 2009 Conservation Stewardship Program sign-up — over 21,000 farmer and rancher applications representing a total of nearly 33 million acres of crop, pasture, range, and forested land.  The USDA press release stated that the state-by-state acreage breakout was available on the Natural Resource Conservation Service CSP website, but that actually turned out not to be the case.  For 2009 as for future years, 12.8 million acres are available for enrollment.  The 25.6 million acres to be enrolled in 2009 and 2010 and those producers will receive the first of their five annual CSP payments in October 2010.

Advance Conservation Payments for Beginning and Minority Farmers Due to Start Soon:  One of NSAC’s farm bill wins to assist beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers with conservation assistance was allowance for up to 30 percent of the cost of conservation improvements to be paid upfront, in advance of the implementation of the conservation practice.  In order to implement the 2008 provision, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has needed to re-tool computer software and program business tools.  NRCS expects to be finished with the work within the next month and will then be able to start implementing the provision to help beginning and minority farmers with advance assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

EPA NEWS

EPA Undertaking New Review of the Herbicide Atrazine:  The EPA has issued a public notice that it is commencing a review of the effects of the widely used herbicide atrazine on human health.  The review, to be conducted by an EPA Science Advisory Panel, will begin in November 2009 and continue through most of 2010.  It will focus on scientific studies since the completion of an EPA review in 2003 which concluded that the levels of all triazine pesticides, including atrazine, were below the level of regulatory concern.  Atrazine is applied to about 60 percent of U.S. corn and its use has increased recently as farmers use it on weeds that have developed resistance to Round-Up and other glyphosate herbicides.

Atrazine is the leading pesticide contaminant of surface and groundwater.  In addition, a number of scientific studies indicate that atrazine is highly mobile and can travel hundreds of miles from its application point in snow and rain.  It is highly toxic to a number of aquatic species and has been implicated in a steep decline in amphibian species.  EPA indicated in the announcement that after the review for human health effects is completed, the agency will commence a review of atrazine’s effects on amphibians and aquatic habitats.  Detailed information about EPA’s review of atrazine is available on the EPA’s Atrazine Update website.

DULY NOTED

OCM Report Challenges GAO Report on Concentration:  On Monday, October 5, the Organization for Competitive Markets released a Special Report, entitled The Debilitating Effects of Concentration in Markets Affecting Agriculture, which demonstrates that market concentration for major raw food products hurts both producers and consumers.

The report is in response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in June that concluded that the concentration of buying power for farmers’ products in the hands of a few processing firms does not adversely affect producer or consumer prices.  Both the OCM report and the GAO report are posted on the OCM website.

The OCM report was prepared by OCM Senior Legal Fellow & General Counsel, David A. Domina, and OCM Senior Economic Fellow, Dr. C. Robert Taylor and reviewed by more than 20 academics, antitrust lawyers, and producers.  The report concludes that GAO’s methodologies were flawed, leading to incorrect conclusions.  It provides documentation that U.S. farmers and ranchers face market concentration for both inputs they purchase, like seed and fertilizers, and for harvested goods and livestock which they sell.  This concentration ultimately raises the cost of food to consumers.  The authors also point out the economic risks of having a food system dependent on a few large food processing companies considered “too big to fail.”  They note that as with the U.S. and international banking systems, the failure of one of these mega-firms can reverberate throughout the food system.

New Study on Successful Food Companies:  On Wednesday, October 7, the Crossroads Resource Center published a new study exploring the Minnesota food system and concluding that there is an emerging group of successful food companies that are built on more than just the economic bottom line.  According to Ken Meter, the study’s author and President of CRC, “these firms value trusting relationships.  Second, they plan for an uncertain future – especially the fact we don’t know if we will have oil, or at what cost, in a few years.  Third, successful firms build a business that recycles resources within the state, rather than exporting them.”

Loni Kemp a Farm Foundation Policy Competition Winner:  On Tuesday, October 6, the Farm Foundation announced the winners of a competition for essays on public policy development to meet agriculture and food system challenges over the next 30 years.

Among the winners is Loni Kemp for her climate change essay Greener Biofuels Tax Credits: A Policy to Drive Multiple Goals.  Until recently, Kemp served as the long-time Senior Policy Analyst for the Minnesota Project during which time she testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on the need for a comprehensive, sustainable bioenergy program in the 2008 Farm Bill, which ultimately emerged into the new Biomass Crop Assistance Program.

Loni is now an independent consultant whose projects include writing the recently released NSAC publication The Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program.

Loni’s essay is posted with the other winning essays on the Farm Foundation website.

Congratulations Loni!

Awards and Scholarships for Sustainable Agriculture! The Natural Resources Defense Council (NFDC) announced that it is accepting nominations for its second annual “Growing Green” awards.  A cash prize of $10,000 is given to the outstanding individual in each of four categories: Food Producer, Business Leader, Thought Leader, and Water Steward.  Last year’s winners included Will Allen of Growing Power, Fedele Bauccio of Bon Appetit Management Company, and James Harvie of the Institute for a Sustainable Future. Nominations are due December 4, 2009.

Also, Annie’s Homegrown is awarding $50,000 in scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students studying sustainable and organic agriculture.

Uncategorized | No Comments

Subscribe to RSS