Via the National Wildlife Federation.

At close to midnight last night, the House Agriculture Committee voted 36-10 to approve the farm bill. Unfortunately, the bill they passed out of committee lacked key conservation provisions that are priorities of National Wildlife Federation. Unlike the Senate version of the farm bill, this House version does not tie soil and wetland protection provisions, known as conservation compliance, to eligibility for crop insurance premium subsidies. Additionally, it contains only a weak regional Sodsaver provision to protect native prairies that applies to only parts of 5 states in the Northern Great Plains. Finally, we were particularly disappointed that an attempt from Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) to increase funding for practices that benefit wildlife on working lands met opposition from both the Chair and Ranking Member of the committee and the amendment had to be withdrawn.

young farmers win in proposed farm bill extension

YOUNG FARMERS WIN IN PROPOSED FARM BILL EXTENSION

Key farmer training, cost share and farm business support programs would be extended for one year in House proposal

TIVOLI, NY — The National Young Farmer’s Coalition (NYFC) supports the extension to the 2008 Farm Bill, as filed by the House of Representatives on Saturday.  This last minute measure will provide funding for critical farm programs that lost all funding when the Bill expired in October of this year.

“If passed, the proposed House extension package would be a huge relief for the nation’s farmers and consumers,” says Lindsey Lusher Shute, Director of the Coalition. “Congress is standing up for the programs that are strengthening independent farms and local food systems, including beginning farmer training, organic certification cost share, value added processing and farmers market promotion. These support programs can make or break new farm businesses.”

The House introduced the one-year extension of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 over the weekend and is expected to vote on the extension before the end of the year. The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the bill can be found here:

http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/43828-OneYearAgProgramExtension.pdf 

european farmers stage mega protest

Setting fires and spraying thousands of gallons of milk to protest unsustainable milk prices. Prices which are lower than the cost of production.
Europe Milk Quota Protest: Police Sprayed With Thousands Of Litres Of Fresh Milk

 

Here in The United States, we cannot even pass the Farm Bill

glad to be coalitioning with NFU

NFU and Coalition Urges Congress To Pass New Farm Bill This Year

WASHINGTON (Nov. 13, 2012) – National Farmers Union (NFU) and a wide-sweeping coalition of 235 agriculture organizations sent a letter to Congressional leadership today urging for the passage of a new five-year farm bill to be signed into law by the end of the legislative session.

In a letter addressed to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, the coalition noted the paramount importance of the legislation.

ACTION TODAY! I called, did you?

Today, the full U.S. Senate is debating the 2012 Farm Bill.
Organic farmers need you to call your Senators TODAY.

It’s an easy call. Let’s make sure our families receive healthy food for many years to come.

PROTECT ORGANIC FARMERS IN THE 2012 FARM BILL– CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW.

Please call both of your Senators: Visit http://whoismyrepresentative.com/ to find your representative’s phone number.

Here’s what we ask our Senators to do:

• Vote YES on the Merkely Organic Crop Insurance Amendment. This makes crop insurance more accessible for organic farmers.
• Vote YES on the Brown Beginning Farmer and Rural Development Amendment. Where will we be without future organic farmers?!
• Vote NO WAY! on the Toomey Organic Certification Cost Share Amendment. This will deny access to organic certification to thousands of organic farmers.

via the Organic Farming Research Foundation

farm bill infographic

From TakePart: We’ve already pointed out how the Farm Bill currently being debated in Congress is going to have a massive impact on everything that goes on your grocery shelves and dinner plate. But do you know the hidden costs obscured by the bill’s monster $500 billion price tag? And that between 2008 and 2010 the Farm Bill gave 8X more in subsidies to commodity crops than to fruits, nuts and vegetables?  Find out what action consumers can take and check out this new infographic from TakePart.com.

if you haven’t been calling on the farm bill yet,

What’s stopping you? The current draft is up for debate today.

Here are some resources:
http://farmbillprimer.org/maps/
http://www.farmbillfacts.org/
http://sustainableagriculture.net/category/2012-farm-bill/
http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill_feedback.html

Call the senators at the Capitol at (202)224-3121
Senate Ag Committee Members.
Check here for a complete congressional listing including phone numbers.

urgent action alert on the farm bill!

U.S. Senate Ag Committee on Fast Track with Farm Bill:Support for New Farmer Training & Assistance In Peril

The U.S. Senate version of the 2012 Farm Bill will be introduced by Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow in the next few days, and immediately following its introduction it will be marked up and voted on by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Changes to programs and funding levels are being floated — some not so good and some outright bad.
 
One high-quality program under threat is the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.  Passed in the 2008 Farm Bill with dedicated funding, this program helps resource groups and institutions assisting new farmers. 

Thousands of beginning farmers have received support though these Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program funded projects. You probably know an organization or institution that received a grant or you know a new farmer that participated in a project.

sensible commentary from community food security coalition

With the Super Committee Failure, Advocates Look Toward the Farm Bill
Yesterday, the chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction announced that the panel was unable to reach an agreement on a deficit reduction plan to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal budget over 10 years. In the past few weeks, both the Democrats and Republicans on the panel have put forward several plans. At the last minute, Republicans offered a plan to reduce spending by $643 billion with only $3 billion in tax increases. This proposal would have cut $216 billion in domestic spending, $100 billion from defense, raised non-tax revenues through fees and sales, and saved $98 billion interest. The plan was far from ideal because it targeted programs that provide education, job training, housing, and public health that serve low- and moderate-income people.

online forum for young farmers re: farm bill

Greenhorns, weigh in!
Online forum a chance for young people to sound off on Farm Bill

Here’s a special opportunity for young people to speak out on the 2012 Farm Bill.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has initiated “The Secretary’s Challenge,” an online forum geared toward Future Farmers of America (FFA) members and other young people.

“These responses will help us educate Congress on what the younger generation is considering and thinking about,” Vilsack said in an exclusive interview with this correspondent for Dairy Herd Management.

take action on the farm bill

In two ways.  First, from the Organic Farming Research Foundation:
Please sign our online petition to demand that Congress supports organic agriculture in the 2012 Farm Bill. The Congressional Agriculture Committees will be proposing a 2012 Farm Bill by November 1st! Please sign this petition addressed to the Senate and House Ag Committee Chairs and Ranking Members, demanding that the 2012 Farm Bill supports organic farming and farmers for the health and prosperity of our communities and environment.

To sign the petition, just click here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/chairman-of-the-us-house-agriculture-committee-support-organic-farming-in-the-farm-bill

Second, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition tell us that the bill could be rushed through in two weeks, with no input from constituents.  Read more here: http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/take-action-on-the-farm-bill/

Gillibrand Announces Priorities For Next Farm Bill

View the press release HERE

First New Yorker To Serve On Senate Agriculture Committee In Nearly 40 Years – Held Listening Sessions With Local Farmers Across NYS

September 20, 2011

Washington, D.C. – As Congress prepares to write and debate the next Farm Bill, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York’s first member of the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, today announced her priorities to make sure the next Farm Bill is a good deal for New York. Senator Gillibrand spent time over the last year visiting farm communities across the state, holding listening sessions to gather input from New York’s own local farms on their needs from the broad and sweeping agriculture legislation.

understanding the farm bill

A Facebook page wants to help.

Understanding the Farm Bill
The support for local farmers, fresh and healthy food, gardening, and farmers markets has reached new levels of enthusiasm. That enthusiasm for a new food system, however, has yet to be translated into new food policy.

All of us have seen the impacts of bad food and agriculture policy. From low prices in the early 2000s that drove huge numbers of farmers out of business, to the price spike in 2008 that led to food riots in parts of the world, to the continued problem in many communities of poor access to healthy foods, to the epidemic of childhood obesity, poor choices in Washington, DC hurt real people.

a great resource on ag policy

Keith Good of FarmPolicy, Inc. Tune in and turn on your farmbill mojo.

Farm Bill; Ag Economy; Trade; and Animal Agriculture

Posted By Keith Good On May 27, 2011

Farm Bill: Senate Ag Committee Hearing

Sara Wyant reported yesterday at Agri-Pulse Online that, “Citing the need to focus on ‘principles, not programs,’ Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich, kicked off the first official 2012 farm bill hearing today. An ‘all-star’ cast, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and former Secretary Dan Glickman testified during the event, which focused on ‘The Role, Risks and Challenges for American Agriculture and the next Farm Bill in meeting the demands of a Growing World.’”

(FarmPolicy Note: A video replay of yesterday’s hearing, along with submitted testimony from the witnesses is available here.  Recall that a summary of House Agriculture Committee hearings on the Farm Bill from last spring and summer, prior to the November 2010 elections, can be viewed here.  And a summary of Senate hearings relating to the Farm Bill from last summer, under the previous Congress, can be found here.  The next Senate Farm Bill hearing, “Opportunities for Growth: Michigan and the 2012 Farm Bill,” will be on Tuesday at Michigan State University.)

read the very full post HERE

michigan democract leads the ag policy parade

Senator Stabenow’s Statement on Becoming Next Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee

WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today made the following statement on becoming the next Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.