1. Farm Bill 2007 & Sustainable Agriculture

2. Farm Bill Timeline
End of February – marker bills introduced – Feingold, Kind, etc.
Harkin marker bill in May/ June possibly.
Now through spring/ summer – hearings
Wrap up in July? Not likely.
Marker Bills begin to be introduced

3. Sustainable Agriculture Movement & the Farm Bill
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Farm and Food Policy Project
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
SAC – Comes from Midwest roots – MSAWG
SAC is the policy and now national arm of MSAWG.
FFPP- Kellogg funded initiative to bring together diverse groups to work on the farm bill. Community Food Security Coalition, SAC, ED and Northeast – Midwest Institute
Nat’l Campaign – grassroots muscle

4. What does the change in Congress mean for the Farm Bill ?
Senator Tom Harkin (D- Iowa)
Representative Collin Peterson (D- Minn)
Reform or status quo?

5. Research and Extension Title – Priorities
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE)
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems

6. SARE Created by the 1985 and 1990 farm bills
Funding levels below authorized level for Research & Education and Professional Development
Authorized at $60 million - $40 million for research and education; $20 for prof develop. Actual - $12.3 and 4.0/ Bush FY 08 budget brings it down to $9.1 and 3.8 respectively.

7. ATTRA- Nat’l Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Provides sustainable agriculture information and technical assistance for farmers, Extension agents, educators and others
House budget bill eliminated FY ’07 funding
ATTRA is an extraordinarily efficient program. Though its funding has remained far too small, at $2.5 million since FY02, it accomplishes great work for farmers and consumers around the nation! ATTRA’s services are in great demand, exceeding 35,000 technical requests last year and drawing over 2.6 million unique visitors to its website, from which over 673,000 publications were downloaded or printed from the site.

8. Initiative for Future of Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS)
Created in 1998
Mandatory funding of $120 million/ year
Competitive grants
IFAFS – Initiative for the future of agriculture and food systems. Created in Mandatory spending of $120 million. Competitive grants to address numerous current and emerging farm and food issues, with focus on family farm and ranch profitability, environmental performance of farming systems and natural resource management and improvements in future food production systems – food safety, technology, nutrition. Special emphasis on small and medium sized farms. Recent years only received between $30-40 million

9. Sub-programs for IFAFS
Ag in the middle
New Farmers and Ranchers
Agricultural and Rural Entrepreneurship
Public Plant and Animal Breeding and Genetic Conservation
Ecosystem services
Conservation Effectiveness
Climate Change Mitigation
Renewable Energy
Rural Development Strategies
Food System-Public Health Interactions
Local and Regional Food Systems

10. Additional Research & Extension Title Issues
Rural Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Facilitation Program
Outreach & Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
Organic Ag. Research & Extension
Public Plant and Animal Breeding
New- SAC proposal calls for $20 million in annual mandatory funding. Overseen by CREES. Competitive grants program that fund projects that develop entrepreneurial networks, provide technical training and applied research
The 2007 Farm bill should provide mandatory funding to bring the program up to its authorized level of $25 mill/ year (only has $6 million in funding currently).
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, authorized in 2002 farm bill. Never funded. It would fund local, state and federal networks to support financial and entrepreneurial training, mentoring and apprenticeship programs, “land link” programs, innovative farm transfer programs and education and outreach activities to assist beginning farmers. SAC wants $20 million/year.
Public Plant and Animal breeding. Re-authorize the National Genetic Resource Prog. Est. in 1990 farm bill. $ and personnel for collection, preservation and evaluation of germplasm collections and increased public use. Priority funding in the farm

11. Value-Added Producer Grant Program
First implemented in 2001
Increase Funding
Expand to include value chain development
Working capital and planning grant money. $20 million. Authorized at $40 million.

12. Conservation Security Program
Created in the 2002 Farm Bill
Country’s first green payments program
At the center one of the most important debates in the 2007 Farm Bill

13. President’s Farm Bill Proposal - Highlights
Beginning Farmers
Conservation
CSP
Commodity Payments
Beginning farmer – Slash interest rate on beginning farmer down payment loans in half, defer payments for the first year and decrease the size of farmer contribution. Set aside 10 percent of total funding for each farm bill conservation program for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Beginning farmers with farm program base would get a 20 percent bonus on their commodity program direct payments for five years. Does not inlcude the Beg. Farmer and Rancher Development program.
Conservation – Increase acres enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program, Prohibit farm program payements on native prairie and permanent grasslands converted to cropping. Allow cellulosic energy crop production on CRP land
CSP – Propose spending $9.2 billion over the first 15 years of the program instead of the $20 billion called for the 2002 farm bill.
Commodity payments – Those who make over $200,000 would not qualify for program benefits. Could affect 70,000 recipients. Cap payments at $360,000 (more than original cap of $250,000).

14. How to get involved in the Farm Bill?
Attend SAC/ MSAWG meeting March 7- 8, Washington D.C.
Pick 2-4 priority topics
Work with others in the state to build support – research, education and outreach