+

Jennifer Obadia, PhD & Rebecca Nemec, MSOn behalf of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

January 14, 2012

The 2012 Farm BillOpportunities for

Massachusetts

+ Workshop agenda

1. Farm Bill overview

2. Farm Bill process

3. Outlook for 2012 Farm Bill

4. Two bills that help support local/regional food systems

5. How to get involved in the 2012 Farm Bill

6. Questions

+ Farm Bill: Fact or Fiction

The Farm Bill is a piece of omnibus legislation that is passed approximately every five years.

+ Farm Bill: Fact or Fiction

Over half of the funds allocated through the Farm Bill go to commodity payments.

+ Farm Bill: Fact or Fiction

Approximately 2/3 of all funds allocated through the Farm Bill go to nutrition assistance programs.

+ Farm Bill: Fact or Fiction

The 2008 Farm Bill was the first to provide support to specialty crop producers.

+ Farm Bill Overview

The Farm Bill is a piece of omnibus legislation that is passed on a five year cycle

The Farm Bill is cumulative, originating with the Agricultural Act of 1949

Throughout the last 80 years farm policy has swayed between encouraging more or less, depending on the social/ political context of the time

+ Evolution of the Farm Bill

1949: Introduction of the National School Lunch Program

1970: Introduction of WIC

1977: Introduction of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

1985: Introduction of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

1990: Introduction of the National Organic Program (NOP)

1996: Introduction of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

2002: Introduction of counter-cyclical payments

2008: Introduction of specialty crops program

+ Current Farm Bill Titles

Commodities: direct payments, counter-cyclical payments and marketing loans

Conservation: Conservation Reserve Program, Conservation Stewardship Program & EQIP

Trade & Food Aid

Nutrition: SNAP, WIC and NSLP

Farm Credit: loan programs

Rural Development: business and community programs

Research: research and extension programs including biosecurity, biotechnology and organic

+ Current Farm Bill Titles

Forestry: forest management and agroforestry programs

Horticulture & Organic Agriculture: specialty crops and organic programs

Livestock: livestock production and country of origin labeling

Crop Insurance & Disaster Assistance

Commodity Futures

Miscellaneous: beginning farmer and socially disadvantaged farm resources

Trade and Tax Provisions

+ Farm Bill Spending

+ The “Normal” Farm Bill Process

USDA holds Farm Bill forums across the country

House and Senate Agriculture Committees hold Farm Bill hearings

USDA releases Farm Bill recommendations

CBO releases baseline spending estimates

Marker bills are introduced

Comprehensive bill is introduced

House and Senate Committees hearings markup vote

Congress debates vote

+ Marker Bills

Hundreds of specific bills are introduced to Congress starting approximately two years in advance of the Farm Bill

The intent of these bills is to get specific content incorporated in the ultimate Farm Bill

Support for specific market bills is often demonstrated through the number of co-sponsors

+ The 2012 Farm Bill Process

Momentarily fast tracked because of the Super Committee

Agriculture Committee leaders aimed to develop a Farm Bill that would reduce spending by $23 billion This bill was to be included in the Super Committee’s budget reduction

proposal

The Super Committee failed to reach compromise on plan to reduce spending ($1.2 trillion over ten years)

The fast track Farm Bill process was brought to an end

+ The 2012 Farm Bill Process

What we know about the fast tracked Farm Bill$15 billion in cuts to commodity programs$6 billion in cuts to conservation programs$4 billion in cuts to SNAP$2 billion freed for new programs and those that

lacked secured budget baselines

For more detail on the Farm Bill that wasn’t visit: http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/2011-farm-bill

+ The 2012 Farm Bill Process: Moving Forward

Option 1

Congress will take up the Farm Bill in early 2012

The 2012 Farm Bill will be passed in the summer, in advance of the elections

Option 2

Congress will seek a one-year extension of the Farm Bill and start the process from the beginning The election will be over and

new committee members will be in place

There will be more clarity of the budget and availability of funds

+ The 2012 Farm Bill Process: Moving Forward

Most advocacy organizations are working under the assumption that we will have a Farm Bill in 2012 (better safe than sorry)

The most likely changes to the Farm Bill include:Elimination of direct paymentsConsolidation of programs where possible to

reduce costs

+Two Marker Bills

Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act

(S. 1773, H.R. 3286)

Beginning Farmer and Rancher

Opportunity Act

(S. 1850, H.R. 3236)

+ Local Farms, Food & Jobs Act Summary

Introduced by Representative Chellie Pingree (ME) Senator Sherrod Brown (OH)

Goals

1. Provide support for those engaged in the development of local/regional food systems

2. Increase access to healthy products for consumers

Food system sectors addressed in the bill Production Aggregation Processing Marketing Distribution

+ Local Farms, Food & Jobs Act Major provisions

1. Income and financial support for local/regional producers

2. Financial support to build local/regional food system infrastructure

3. Expand access to healthy local foods for consumers

4. Enhance research and extension services

+ Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act Highlights

Income and financial support for local/regional producers

Expand Value-Added Producer Grant Program to food hubs and underserved states/communities

Create whole-farm revenue insurance product for specialty crop producers, livestock/mixed-grain farmers

Fund the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program at an annual amount of $7 million and raising the maximum cap per participants from $750 to $1,000

+ Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act Highlights

Financial support to build local/regional food system infrastructure Increase the Business and Industry Loan funding set-aside for local

and regionally produced agriculture products and food enterprises

Local Marketing Promotion Program – formerly the Farmers Market Promotion Program plus funding for larger scale, non-direct local marketing – at $30 million per year

+ Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act Highlights

Expand access to healthy local foods for consumers

Improve SNAP participant access to farmers markets, CSAs, and other direct marketing outlets by creating a level playing field for electronic benefit transfer among vendors

Allow schools the option to use a portion of their AMS school lunch commodity dollars or DoD Fresh program dollars for the purchase of local and regional foods

+ Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act Highlights

Enhance research and extension services Direct USDA Research, Education, and Extension Office to coordinate

classical plant and animal breeding research activities and projects to develop locally-adapted cultivars and breeds

+ Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act

Summary

Introduced by Representative Eric Walz (MN-1) &

Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1) Senator Tom Harkin (IA)

Enhances federal programs to support economic opportunities for young and beginning farmers and ranchers

Strategic collaboration among many individuals and farmer advocacy organizations across the U.S.

Beginning Farmer Video

+ Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act

Major provisions

1. Conservation

2. Credit

3. Rural development

4. Research, education and extension services

5. Crop insurance and risk management

6. Coordination provisions

+ Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act Highlights

EQIP and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Funding Set Aside

Raise the reservation for BFRs from 5 percent to 10 percent of the total EQIP funds and 10 percent of total CSP acres.  Also, give USDA authority to increase the rate at which technical assistance is provided when assisting BFRs.

Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP)

Give discretionary authority to the eligible entities that implement the program to give priority to easements with an option to purchase at the agricultural use value, deals that transfer the land to beginning farmers and ranchers, applicants with farm succession plans, and other similar mechanisms to maintain the affordability of protected land.

+ Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act Highlights

Young Beginning Farmer and Rancher Microloan Program

Create a new simplified loan category within direct operating loans to provide flexible capital through operating microloans for beginning farmers and ranchers from 19-35 years old who also receive borrower training.

+ Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act Highlights

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

Reauthorize this highly successful flagship training program, increase mandatory funding from $75 million to $125 million over the next 5 years to help meet growing demand for the program, and include a new priority on agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training programs for military veterans.

+ Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act Highlights

Veterans Agricultural Liaison

Create a new Veterans Agricultural Liaison Position at USDA charged with facilitating the process of educating returning veterans about and connecting them with BFR training and/or agriculture vocational and rehabilitation programs as well as ways to use veterans educational benefits for purposes relating to beginning a farming career.

+ How can YOU get involved?

Call, email or leave a message for the co-sponsors of the two bills

Recruit your Congressional delegation to co-sponsor each bill!

Has your organization signed on to the support letter for each bill?

Sign up for NSAC action alerts and Weekly Roundup

+ Call to Congress

Hello, I am a constituent and I am at the NOFA/ Mass conference with hundreds of other constituents who care about the Farm Bill. 

I am calling to urge Senator/Congress(wo)man __________  to co-sponsor the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act. They are both job creators that will help boost farm income and meet consumer demand.  Can count on Senator/Congress(wo)man_________ to be a co-sponsor?

If Senator ______ wants to co-sponsor or wants more information please contact Senator Sherrod Brown’s office.

If Representative ______ wants to co-sponsor or wants more information please call Representative Chellie Pingree’s office.

+ Call to Congress

Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121

1 Olver, John 202-225-5335

2 Neal, Richard E. 202-225-5601

3 McGovern, James 202-225-6101

4 Frank, Barney 202-225-5931

5 Tsongas, Niki 202-225-3411

6 Tierney, John 202-225-8020

7 Markey, Ed 202-225-2836

8 Capuano, Michael E. 202-225-5111

9 Lynch, Stephen F. 202-225-8273

10 Keating, William 202-225-3111

11 JOHN KERRY

12 SCOTT BROWN

Questions?