Important Press Releases from The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Farm Bill and More…

For Immediate Release: Senate Budget Plan Includes Fix to Farm Bill Extension Fiasco

Washington, DC – The fiscal package announced Feb. 15th 2013 by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) proposes to correct the disastrous farm bill extension measure agreed to by the White House and Senate Minority Leader behind closed doors at the end of last year as part of the New Year fiscal cliff deal. Read more…

For Immediate Release: NSAC Endorses Farm Program Integrity Act

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 12, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a bipartisan bill that would restore integrity and fiscal responsibility in federal farm policy during this time of budgetary constraints.  Read more…

For Immediate Release: NSAC Endorses Protect Our Prairies Act

Washington, DC – On Thursday, February 14, Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Tim Walz (D-MN), along with six additional cosponsors, introduced bipartisan legislation that would protect our nation’s remaining native prairies and prime grasslands.  Read more…

National Young Farmers’ Coalition News January 2013

I’ve posted on all of these things at some point, but the National Young Farmers’ Coalition perspective on the farm bill, new food safety rules, and the FSA micro-loan program is really worth checking out. This is a great organization dedicated to helping young and beginning farmers…

FARM BILL 2012 FIGHT COMES TO AN END

A lot has been happening in the past month around farm policy and programs.  Those who have been following the Farm Bill fiasco know that a nine-month Farm Bill extension was tacked on to the fiscal cliff bill that was pushed through Congress in the final hours before the new year.

The extension ignores many of the programs NYFC has been fighting for, but there is hope that in 2013 we’ll be able to pull them back to the forefront of the campaign for a real five-year bill.

Read NYFC’s summary of the extension here.

USDA FOOD SAFETY RULES AWAITING YOUR COMMENTS

The FDA just released its proposed food safety rules – the first overhaul of these regulations in eighty years!  These new rules cover everything from harvesting practices to equipment cleaning to training requirements.  Most likely, they will have an impact on your farm!

There is an open-comment period extending until May 16th, after which the FDA will issue the final draft of the rules.  NYFC will be issuing an organizational comment after careful analysis of how the rules will affect beginning farmers, but we need your input.  Check out NYFC’s quick summary of the rules and then participate in the discussion at the Young Farmers FSMA Forum.

FSA RELEASES MICRO-LOAN PROGRAM

The Farm Service Agency has published its new Micro-loan Operating Loan program for small farmers.  The program, effective as of January 17th, offers operating loans of up to $35,000 for small and family operations, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers.

This program is something that NYFC has been advocating for since 2011, and we are thrilled that the FSA has listened to the needs of beginning farmers.  Read more about the new program here.

News from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Fiscal Cliff Farm Bill Extension is a Disaster for Farmers

For Immediate Release: January 1 Farm Bill Extension Deal is a Disaster for Farmers
The farm bill extension deal reached in negotiations between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Joe Biden is a disaster for farmers and the American people.  The nine month extension measure was attached to the bigger fiscal cliff bill and passed by the Senate early this morning and is coming up for a vote in the House later today.  Read more…

Congress Includes Awful 2008 Farm Bill Extension in Fiscal Cliff Deal
On New Year’s Eve, the Senate passed a simple extension of the 2008 Farm Bill through September 30, 2013, as part of a much bigger legislative package to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.  The House approved the Senate bill late on New Year’s Day and President Obama signed it into law on January 2.  Read more…

National Farmers Union Urges Congress to Do Its Job: Pass a Farm Bill

WASHINGTON (Dec. 10, 2012) – The National Farmers Union (NFU) Board of Directors passed a resolution today urging Congress to pass a comprehensive, five-year farm bill by the end of 2012 as part a legislative package to avoid the proverbial fiscal cliff. The 2008 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30.

“The 112^th Congress needs do its job. Congressional approval ratings are very low and the inability to pass legislation is alarming. There remains an opportunity to move beyond those problems if lawmakers come together to avoid the fiscal cliff as well as to pass a five-year farm bill,” the resolution stated.

In June, the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012 that saves $23 billion, while the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture passed its version of the farm bill in July, which would save $35 billion.

“The time for obstruction and inaction is over. Family farmers and ranchers need the certainty that only a five-year farm bill can provide. The National Farmers Union Board of Directors strongly urges Congress to pass a five-year farm bill as a part of the legislative package to avoid the fiscal cliff,” the resolution concluded.

Click here for resolution.

Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without mandatory funding. This is the ninth post in the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s 10-week “What’s at Stake?” series that highlights expired farm bill programs and what that means for farmers and communities throughout the country.

- What’s at Stake?: Energy Savings and Renewable Energy for Producers and Rural Businesses
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides guaranteed loans and matching grants to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses to increase energy efficiency or produce energy from renewable energy sources.  In addition, REAP provides grants to organizations, companies, educational institutions, and others to assist with energy audits.  Read more…

- Is a Deal Possible and What Would A Good Deal Look Like?
Last week we tried to briefly summarize the options remaining for Congress on the farm bill.  Since then, there have been some new signs of progress on getting a full five-year bill finished this month, though also signs of continuing confusion and uncertainty.  Read more…

Congress is betting on no one paying attention to the Farm Bill. Let’s show them we’re paying attention.

Our nation’s food and farm policy, the 2008 Farm Bill, has officially expired leaving critical programs high and dry with no funding. Can Congress still finish a farm bill this year?  YES!  Will they do it? Only if they hear from us.

There is a short window of time for Congress to finish the bill when they return to DC after Election Day.  We need YOU and other farmers and advocates across the country to tell them loud and clear:  we need an equitable, sustainable 2012 Farm Bill!

Michael Fields has launched a major grassroots effort in collaboration with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and allies across the nation to make our voices heard. Sign onto the citizens’ petition today – and mark your calendar for a national day of action on November 15!

Sign your name and tell Congress we need a 2012 Farm Bill that:

• Invests in the future of healthy farms, food, and people
• Protects our precious air, soil, and water
• Reforms farm subsidies and levels the playing field

Click here to sign the petition. And thanks!

The Farm Bill has now expired. What follows is the excerpt of an article from Food and Water Watch (By Patty Lovera) which explains the process, the implications, and what’s next. It’s worth a read:

October 1 is an important date around Washington, DC, because it’s the first day of the government’s fiscal year. So for the federal government, it is now 2013.

While that might seem irrelevant unless you’re an accountant, it does matter for how government agencies run their programs. And like so many things happening in D.C. this year, budgets have not been done in a normal process. One thing Congress did manage to do before leaving town was to deal (kind of) with the budget situation, by passing a “continuing resolution” that extends the 2012 budget for another six months instead of passing a new one. This means they will have to re-examine the budgets for the rest of 2013 after the election, in the new Congress. (And this will happen after the budget cuts required by last year’s deficit reduction deal, called “sequestration,” kicks in. Which is a topic for a different day.)

But one thing that did NOT get done was to pass a new Farm Bill. And the 2008 Farm Bill expired yesterday. We are now running without a Farm Bill, a situation that most ag policy veterans swore would never happen because it was just too disruptive to contemplate. But here we are.

Read the full article at: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/farm-bill-update-the-farm-bill-expires-now-what/#more-21090

Also see Beginning Farmer’s Farm Policy and Agricultural Politics Page

Press Release: House Speaker Boehner Prolongs Uncertainty for Family Farmers, Holds Farm Bill Hostage 

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner’s announcement that action on the farm bill would take place following the Nov. 6 general election.

“NFU is deeply disappointed with Speaker Boehner’s comments this morning. It is crystal clear that Republican leadership is what is holding the farm bill hostage. While the announcement comes as no surprise, punting the farm bill into the lame duck session is a transparent political maneuver that leaves rural America holding its collective breath about its livelihood and future.

“The lame duck session will be dealing with many very significant tax and funding issues which have also been left undone by this Congress. We worry about whether the farm bill might become a pawn in that process.

“We are confident that there are enough votes to pass the farm bill now. We strongly urge the Speaker to reconsider the recess and take up the bill and deal with it now. Congress should not leave town early while leaving U.S. farmers and ranchers facing enormous uncertainty. Read more »

What is going on with the Farm Bill? Action is needed now to put pressure on Congress to bring the legislation passed by the House Ag. Committee to a floor vote. We need to pass a new farm bill before the current one expires in order to preserve beginning farmer programs as well as many other crucial programs that help farmers to stay afloat, and promote agricultural sustainability

Here is the latest, and important information about how you can take action to help:

Members of the House of Representatives are in Washington for a few more days. They’ll come home to your district next week to campaign, and won’t go back until after the elections. Meanwhile, if Congress does nothing, the programs that help farmers, ranchers, and rural communities will be threatened.

Will you click here to call your representative and tell them you want them to pass a Farm Bill extension that includes critical funding for beginning farmers and ranchers, and rural development?

Unless Congress takes action to protect these programs, they will expire on September 30. Hundreds of millions of dollars for sustainable agriculture, rural economic development, and beginning farmer support will literally disappear.

This is unacceptable – take just 5 minutes to call your Representative today!

The message is simple: “Don’t walk away from America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Pass an extension to the Farm Bill now that fully funds programs for beginning farmers and ranchers, and rural economic development. These programs create jobs in rural communities, help farmers seize market opportunities, and invest in the next generation of farmers.” Thanks for your help!

Speakers, Endorsers of Rally for Farm Bill Passage Announced 

WASHINGTON (Sept. 10, 2012) – Members of National Farmers Union will be on hand at the “Farm Bill Now!” rally as legislative representatives, agricultural leaders and hundreds of farmers and ranchers come together in chorus on U.S. Capitol grounds Sept. 12 to encourage Congress to pass a new, comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire at the end of September.

“The sheer magnitude of the diversified support for this rally is a testament that, while we may all have wide-ranging and oftentimes divergent policy priorities, our primary policy at this critical moment in time is to see a complete, five-year farm bill passed into law by the end of September. I’m hopeful that our unified voice gets heard by Congress loudly and clearly at Wednesday’s rally,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. Read more »