June 18, 2007
Nutrition Sub-Committee Draft Completed
Thank you for your interest in the Farm Bill and the efforts of the Community Food Security Coalition. This is our second in a weekly series of updates that contain a summary of relevant happenings around the country related to food security, local food, and the Farm Bill.
Sub-Committee Has Completed its Work on the Nutrition Title: Last Thursday the Nutrition Sub-Committee marked-up the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill, including the following on CFSC priority issues:
* Community Food Projects (CFP) was in the mark at $30 million. We will continue working on this to ensure that the money is mandatory as it moves through the full committee.
* Geographic Preference/Local Procurement: The language that would clarify policy to allow schools to include a "geographic preference" in their bids for school foods, which would give schools flexibility to work with local farmers and pursue Farm to Cafeteria programs. This language was not in the mark because of a jurisdictional issue between the Agriculture Committee and Education & Labor Committee. An amendment was prepared but not introduced because of this jurisdictional issue. We will continue to work with staff and members from both committees to insure this can be introduced as an amendment in full committee.
* The Healthy Food Enterprise Development Program (HFED), which would provide funding for local food infrastructure, was not in the mark, nor does it have a firm champion yet. We are working with a number of members to see if this can be introduced as an amendment at full committee. Northeast Midwest Institute has been doing much of the advocacy for this new program.
* We have not asked anyone to offer an amendment funding Farm to Cafeteria in the Farm Bill at this point.
* The Direct to Consumer Marketing Assistance Program (formerly the Farmers' Market Promotion Program) has a number of members ready to offer an amendment at full committee, which would include a percentage of the funding for EBT at farmers' markets. The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition does the majority of the advocacy for this program.
Timeline for Legislative Action on the Farm Bill: Although schedules frequently change in Congress, here is our latest information on the timeline for the Farm Bill:
* June 26-28: House: Full Agriculture Committee meets to continue negotiations
* Week of July 9: Senate Full Agriculture Committee meets (very tentatively)
* Week of July 23: Scheduled Farm Bill debate on the House Floor
Other points of interest from the Nutrition Sub-Committee Bill:
* The Food Stamp Program was renamed the "Secure Supplemental Nutrition Access Program" (SSNAP).
* TEFAP has "reserve funds" to increase funding to $250 million
* Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) extended to 2012
* DoD Fresh will not spend less than $50 million in 2008, $75 million in 2009 and 2010, $100 million for 2011, and $125 million for 2012.
* The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program was expanded to $100 million
* The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program has mandatory funding of $15 million through 2012, and authorized discretionary funds of $20 million (total) for 2008, $30 million for 2009, $45 million for 2010, $60 million for 2011, and $75 million for 2012.
* The Congressional Hunger Center was authorized at $3 million
Media Update: To date, CFSC introduced op-eds have run in dailies around the country, including the Albuquerque Journal, the Des Moines Register, the Hartford Courant, the Detroit Free Press and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. In the next couple of weeks, other newspapers are expected to run op-eds and related farm bill stories. CFSC supporters are encouraged to submit op-eds and LTEs as soon as possible. Model op-eds and LTEs are available.
Cleveland Plain-Dealer link: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1181897161245060.xml&coll=2
Other Farm Bill News
Agriculture Committee Chairs Split on Commodity & Conservation Titles:
Commodity Subsidies- Early last week, in response to efforts at farm bill reform by environmental and anti-hunger advocates converging in Washington, DC, Chairman Peterson, said "grain, soybean and cotton subsidies should not be siphoned to other programs." Previously, Chairman Peterson had announced plans to cut farm subsidy eligibility for farmers with 10 acres or less, citing their off-farm livelihoods and income, and this provision was included in the draft of the Commodity title released today on the House website. However, last week Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Tom Harkin said he was worried about this proposal, because it "could hurt specialty crop, organic, minority and socially disadvantaged farmers."
Conservation Payments- Harkin also split with Peterson on limitations for conservation payments. Whereas Peterson wants limits placed on conservation payments if they are also placed on payments for commodities, Harkin recognized the public good done by conservation, and only made an exception for EQIP- he followed up on past statements that large livestock operations should have to pay for their own environmental cleanup rather than receiving large amounts of government funding, saying that he's interested in proposals that would cut current aggregate limits for EQIP money.
Tomorrow, June 19, the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management will meet to mark-up the draft of its bill. Today, Chairman Peterson announced that the Sub-committee may vote on alternative farm bill proposals presented by Reps. Kind and Flake, the President's proposal and a buy-out proposal presented by Citigroup.
If you'd like to continue to receive CFSC Farm Bill Updates, please contact Steph Larsen at steph@foodsecurity.org or Aliza Wasserman at aliza.wasserman@gmail.com
Best,
Steph and Aliza
--
Community Food Security Coalition
110 Maryland Ave. NE Suite 307
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202.543.8602
Email: Steph@foodsecurity.org
www.FoodSecurity.org
