Farm Bill Update
July 2, 2007
Larger Farm Bill Issues Affect CFSC Priorities
I. Action Needed During July 4 Congressional Recess (July 2-5)
With Members of Congress in their home districts this week, it is an important time to contact your Member at a local event or at the district office, and request his or her support for maintaining the $30 million mandatory authorization of Community Food Projects, and the inclusion of geographic preference language in the final version of the Farm Bill.
This is an important moment to emphasize the value of our healthy and local food priorities for a cross-section of groups now interested in the Farm Bill- farmers, urban districts, rural communities, etc.; all this at fairly low cost legislative requests. As the Farm Bill process becomes increasingly complex, we must emphasize the value of policies to support healthy food systems to our legislators.
Talking points on CFSC main issues—for Community Food Projects, Geographic Preferences, and Healthy Food Enterprise Development program—will be available shortly on our website: www.foodsecurity.org/policy
II. New Timeline; Two Farm Bills
Chairman Peterson announced last Friday, June 29, that there will be two Farm Bills drafted by the House Agriculture Committee to account for the lack of new funding included in the Budget. One bill will include all of the items that fit in to the existing Farm Bill budget, and the other will include other items that are contingent upon offsets being found. The Chairman has indicated that he hopes this will make the process of moving a bill out of Committee easier. For more information about the 2 Farm Bill proposals, see this week’s Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Weekly Update at
Both bills will be released by Chairman Peterson on Friday July 6th, and the committee will meet on July 17th to debate the proposals, with space reserved for the Farm Bill on the House floor the week of July 26th.
The Senate schedule has not been released, but it is expected that the Senate Agriculture Committee will likely meet in mid-late July to review their own draft of the Farm Bill.
III. Groups Weigh In on Farm Bill
a. Last week, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution sponsored by 12 Mayors from around the U.S. which resolved their support for reforming U.S. agricultural policy in support of health and nutrition for citizens and communities. The text of the Resolution is available at http://usmayors.org/75thAnnualMeeting/resolutions_full.pdf
Several groups are working to capitalize on the momentum of the resolution via a press release and coordinated op-eds with quotes from Mayors around the country.
b. Additionally, a letter to the Congressional Agriculture leadership from the Governors of Texas, New York, Florida and California outlined similar goals for a reformed Farm Bill to support the health of communities and farming. Click here for Press Release and the text of the letter: http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2007-06-26.5150
c. A group of interested organizations and individuals has been working on bringing a health-based perspective to support healthy food & communities provisions in the Farm Bill. A series of calls during the past several weeks has helped to steer the IATP sign-on letter from health professionals that was released several weeks ago, and will be organizing a series of meetings with target Congressional staff next week. Please contact Thomas@foodsecurity.org or aliza.wasserman@gmail.com for more information or to get involved with this coordinating group.
IV. MEDIA Update
CFSC- supported Media
Seattle Post Intelligencer Editorial link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/321838_farmed.html
WVTF Public Radio: The following is a series of excerpts from public radio commentary on June 26th on the Farm Bill from Appalachian Sustainable Development Association’s Anthony Flaccavento:
“The genius of [the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program] is that the same dollar simultaneously helps small family farmers and people of limited means. So often, federal programs seem designed to help one population, while creating problems and costs for others. But SFMNP is different, one of a new generation of federal programs that some
characterize as “multi-stakeholder”. That’s because they’re designed to serve
two or more groups at the same time, turning one person’s need into another’s
opportunity. Local farmers, for instance need better and more secure markets.
Lower income people, including seniors, need access to healthy, affordable food.
SFMNP helps both.
“Around here, we might call this multi-stakeholder approach “neighborliness”, or
just good common sense. But common sense is no small thing, when it comes to
federal farm and food policy...
“But there’s good news - and great opportunity -- at our doorstep. Programs
designed to assist small farms while improving food access to those most in need
are gaining support.
“With less than 2% of our population involved in raising food, it only follows that the other 98% of us need to get involved and contact our representatives if we want to create a food and farming system that’s good for farmers, good for people and good for the environment. Now --and I mean now -- is the best opportunity we’ve had to do that in more than 20 years.”
Other Media
-NYTimes Op-ed by Timothy Egan link:
Times Select subscribers: http://select.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/opinion/28egan.html?hp OR Full Text Available at: http://www.chefann.com/blog/?p=765
-Des Moines Register Editorial link: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/OPINION03/707010301/1110
-Pittsburgh Post Gazette link: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07165/793909-109.stm
V. Other Farm Bill News
a. According to the National Journal’s Congress Daily, Senate Agriculture Chairman Harkin said last Tuesday he intends for Congress to pass a new Farm Bill with moderate reform, wanting to find money for conservation, rural development and nutrition priorities by limiting individual farm subsidy payments and by cutting back the program of direct payments to farmers.
b. With the expiration Saturday of the Fast Track Presidential authority over international trade negotiations, Rep. Kaptur says she will introduce legislation in July that would suspend NAFTA.
c. With the failure of the Senate immigration reform bill, according to Congress Daily last week, Senator Feinstein hopes that the AgJobs agricultural worker provisions may be potentially attached to the Farm Bill, although Congressional Agricultural leadership has expressed reservations about adding any additional components to an already complicated Farm Bill.
Thanks for your support and remember to CONTACT your Members of Congress during their recess THIS WEEK.
Happy 4th of July,Steph & Aliza
THE FINAL WORD
"Can somebody run down to the Energy and Water markup?"
-- Senate Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., when the lights went out briefly during her panel's subcommittee markup Tuesday.
--
Community Food Security Coalition
110 Maryland Ave. NE Suite 307
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202.543.8602
Email: Steph@foodsecurity.org
www.FoodSecurity.org
