House Releases Not One, but Two Draft Farm Bills

Farm Bill Update
July 10, 2007

House Releases Not One, but Two Draft Farm Bills


While Congress has been in recess, Agriculture Committee staffers in both the House and Senate have been busy crafting the Farm Bill. Late Friday evening, Chairman Peterson released the full House Agriculture Committee’s draft of the Farm Bill, which includes a primary Farm Bill that is similar to the current levels of funding, and an amendment with additional cost priorities that will be included if offsets for the funding are found. On the House Farm Bill homepage, http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/2007FarmBill.html there is an explanation of the “En Bloc Amendment”, which contains all of the provisions that would come from the $20 billion Reserve Fund. For the purposes of this update, “Farm Bill 1” refers to all other components of the draft besides the En Bloc Amendment, and “Farm Bill 2” refers to the En Bloc Amendment.

The glass is both half full and half empty for many Farm Bill interests including nutrition, conservation, small farmers, and healthy food and communities. The analysis of specific CFSC priorities in the Farm Bill draft is outlined below. In general, the draft maintains the status quo, which is to say that it doesn’t do many of the changes needed to promote community food security or make relationships between farmers and consumers closer—favoring instead large-scale factory farms and corporate agribusiness.

GOOD NEWS!
In a late-breaking development, staff at CFSC today found out that the jurisdictional issue related to geographic preference language in the Farm Bill has been cleared up. We’d like to extend our thanks to Chairmen Miller and Peterson in the House for working this issue out. Rep. Kagen (D-WI, 3rd) will be offering an amendment in collaboration with other members on the committee to insert this language into the Farm Bill.

Analysis of the Farm Bill Drafts

At this point in the process, it is important to continue to emphasize mandatory funding for Community Food Projects, support for the amendment to insert geographic preference language, and introduction of the Healthy Food Enterprise Development program as utmost importance with members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees as well as the Democratic Leadership. The drafts include the following:

* Community Food Projects was reauthorized with $30 million in Farm Bill 1. We expect Rep. Boyda to offer an amendment to make the funding mandatory (i.e. not subject to the appropriations process).
* Geographic Preference language was not included in either Farm Bill, but will be offered as an amendment during the full committee meeting by Rep. Kagen.
* The Healthy Food Enterprise Development was not included in either Farm Bill. We expect Rep. Gillibrand (D-NY, 20th) to offer it as an amendment.
* The Farmers Market Promotion Program was authorized at $5 million in mandatory funding for each year of 2008-2010, and $10 million mandatory for 2011 and 2012, with greater than or equal to 10% of these funds to be used for EBT access at farmer’s markets.
* The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program is maintained at $15 million in annual mandatory funding with an authorization for an additional discretionary $20 million in 2008 increasing annually to $75 million in 2012.
* Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program is in Farm Bill 2 at $100 million in reserve funding (offset required).


For more information on the conservation aspects of the Farm Bill, see the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition website (www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org) for the latest analysis.

In order for the Farm Bill to be a fair bill, CFSC and many of our partners need to see increases in funding for small farmers, conservation, nutrition and anti-hunger, none of whom fared particularly well in the House draft that was just released by Chairman Peterson. We will continue to update you as things move related to the Farm Bill.

Timing Update:
According to Congress Daily PM on July 10, Harkin said he will not call a meeting of the full Senate Agriculture Committee to review and debate the Senate draft of the Farm Bill unless floor time was given to deal with the Farm Bill before the August recess. If this is the case, the Senate draft of the Farm Bill would not be debated until September.

Media & Other Opportunities

Online Farm Bill Town Hall with Rep. Kind and Blumenauer

On Thursday July 12th, Rep. Kind (D, WI-3rd) and Rep. Blumenauer (D, OR-3rd), who are both on the Ways and Means Committee will be hosting an online radio call-in show about Farm Bill reform. You can email in questions in advance to BlumenauerOnAir@mail.house.gov to be included in the conversation about the Farm Bill.

Listen to the show starting at 2:30 PM EST on July 12 at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/earl

Boston Globe link: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/07/09/a_pro_food_farm_bill/

SF Chronicle link: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/10/MNGNUQTQIT1.DTL

Baltimore Sun link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.farm09jul09,0,1517718.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines

If you are receiving this update from another list and would like to be added to the CFSC Farm Bill update list, please go to www.foodsecurity.org and submit your name.

Thanks for your support and for contacting your members of Congress!

Take care,
Steph & Aliza

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Community Food Security Coalition
110 Maryland Ave. NE Suite 307
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202.543.8602
Email: Steph@foodsecurity.org
www.FoodSecurity.org