CFSC Farm Bill Update
September 21, 2007
Don’t Wait! Call your Senator Today!
Thank you for your continuing support of Community Food Projects (CFP) in the 2007 Farm Bill!
Community Food Project funding has made great progress toward healthy, sustainable food systems in communities around the country, and it’s up to us to ensure that this successful program continues. If you have not yet contacted your Senators to ask for their support of mandatory funding for Community Food Projects, now is the time. To find your Senators’ contact information, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or look it up at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
For more information on how you can help keep Community Food Projects going, see last week’s Farm Bill Update at http://www.foodsecurity.org/policy
Recent Farm Bill Developments
Senate Timing:
According to Congress Daily on September 18, Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced that he intends for the Agriculture Committee to debate the draft of the Farm Bill before Congress goes on recess for Columbus Day on Oct. 8, even if Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has not yet held his own debate session for the proposed agricultural tax package plan.
Congress is expected to pass a resolution to extend the present 2002 Farm Bill for one month because the current bill expires with the end of the fiscal year on Sept 30. There is a chance that instead of voting on a new farm bill, Congress could decide to extend the present bill that was passed in 2002. Harkin said he is not “unalterably opposed to extending the 2002 Farm Bill”, but expressed that he would rather get a new bill passed.
Possible New Funding for Fruit and Vegetable Programs:
Michigan Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of both the Finance Committee and the Agriculture Committee, is leading an effort to win $3 billion in new money for fruit and vegetable growers. Her letter to committee leaders and Senate leadership has 36 Senators’ signatures. There is $1.7 billion for fruit and vegetable growers in the House version of the Farm Bill. (Farm Policy, Sept. 14th).
Controversy in Farm Bill Funding:
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus has said he plans to provide between $8 and $10 billion in farm bill funding. As of yet, the source from which he aims to offset this money is unclear. At this point we do not have any indication that this package includes increases for nutrition programs similar to increases in the House version. We are continuing to push our legislators to support the allocation of significant farm bill funds for nutrition.
Revising his stance, Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) is warming to the idea of a permanent fund to provide disaster relief to farmers. A permanent disaster fund is a high priority of both Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and for Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), both of whom are members of the Agriculture Committee. Harkin is considering including in his draft both a revenue-protection program of the kind sought by corn growers and a ‘modest’ permanent disaster fund, which is a major priority for another influential member of both the finance committee and Harkin's. (Des Moines Register Sept 19th).
Commodity Groups Putting Pressure on the Senate:
On Sept 18, the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition asked Senator Baucus to make changes in the conservation tax credit portion of his proposal. The group noted that there are equity concerns at play here because wealthy landowners are the most likely to be supportive of tax credits while small farmers would be more interested in cash payments. The coalition also urged Baucus to provide more funding for conservation and wildlife habitat protection programs.
Last week, twenty-two commodity groups that included organizations such as the American Soybean Association and the National Association of Wheat Growers wrote to Agriculture Committee and Senate leadership to urge them to pass the farm bill as soon as possible. Senator Baucus is also under pressure from conservation groups and specialty crop growers to provide more assistance for them in the bill. (Congress Daily, Sept. 17th)
The White House Weighs In:
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns met with the National Farmers Union and outlined the reasons why President Bush has threatened to veto the House Farm Bill - mainly because of the proposed tax increase to pay for food stamps and proposed payment limitations that are not strict enough. Secretary Johanns also predicted that the Senate would not uphold the tax increase to pay for food stamp increases. However, Secretary Johanns was also quoted last week as saying that while "there were parts [of the House bill] we didn't like, there were parts we did like. We can get a bill done this year. We've done so much. We've come so far." (Congress Daily, Sept 18th)
Agriculture Secretary Johanns to Run for Senate:
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns has resigned from his current position in order to run for the Nebraska senate seat being vacated by the retiring Senator Chuck Hagel. (Omaha World Herald, Sept. 19)
Connection with the Energy Bill:
Sen. Baucus is reportedly planning on shifting some renewable energy and fuels production tax incentives from the Energy Bill to the Farm Bill. Sen. Baucus said that the agriculture tax package would include provisions to help farmers and ranchers by including tax incentives for the production of wind and other means of alternative energy. Also, Sen. Baucus announced that there would be tax incentives to encourage farmers to grow crops that are used to make ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels. Both the oil and renewable energy industries said that they are in the dark about whether the tax incentives affecting them would be in the Energy or Farm Bill and what exactly the incentives will look like. (Congress Daily, Sept. 18)
Media Report:
Here are links to some interesting articles and editorials about food and nutrition policy, local food issues, and food security that we found this week:
Detroit Free Press by Ken Dahlberg: “Proposed Farm Bill falls short on food security”
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709200360
NY Times article by Kim Severson: "Lunch with Alice Waters, Food Revolutionary"
NY Times op-ed: "Antibiotic Runoff"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/opinion/18tue3.html?ei=5070&en=7d11ba2d2b9a7dcf&ex=1190865600&adxnnl=1&emc=eta1&adxnnlx=1190222301-+iREfXVJeHj1uFr4P3ARug
NY Times article by Andrew Martin: "Sugar Finds Its Way Back to the School Cafeteria"
Washington Post article by Henry C. Jackson: "Americans OK About Buying US Produced Food"
Washington Post article by David Hagedorn: "Better Meals From Humble Ingredients"
Don’t forget to call your Senators about Community Food Projects!
Thanks for your support,
Steph, Kacie, and Sarah
If you would like to be removed from this list, please email Steph@FoodSecurity.org and put “unsubscribe” in the subject line.
--
Community Food Security Coalition
110 Maryland Ave. NE Suite 307
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202.543.8602
Email: Steph@foodsecurity.org
www.FoodSecurity.org
