Update on
the Farm Bill - House Begins Markup
On May 21 the House Agriculture Committee
began drafting language for the 2007 Farm Bill. Committee
Chair Colin Peterson (D-MN) released several titles
(sections) of his initial proposal (covering Conservation,
Credit, Energy, Research and Livestock). These drafts
were then “marked up” (reviewed and amended)
by the relevant Subcommittees and forwarded to the full
House Agriculture Committee. This is only the opening
round, but two things are clear: organic growers can
have a grass-roots impact, and we have a lot of work
to do as the legislation proceeds through the summer
and fall.
Below are some key highlights of the first
week’s action:
- The Conservation Title language would limit funding
for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) to existing
contracts only, with no new sign-ups until 2012. CSP
is a program that supports high level conservation
practices, including organic systems.
- The proposed Research Title provides $25 Million/year
in authorized funding (subject to the annual Appropriations
process) for organic agricultural research and extension,
but eliminates the $3 Million/year in mandatory funding
that is currently available.
- The markup renews the “limited” component
of the Organic Certification Cost Sharing Program,
which applies only to 16 states. There is not yet
a provision renewing the national program for all
states.
- The markup does not provide for a “stand-alone”
organic transition support program, but includes a
provision to prioritize USDA real estate loans and
loan guarantees when they are used to finance conversion
to organic production. There is also a provision for
targeting the Conservation Innovation grants program
to “outreach” for organic and specialty
crops.
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) was instrumental
in increasing the amount of authorized funding for organic
agricultural research to $25 Million/yr from $5 Million/yr,
which was Rep. Peterson’s initial proposal. We
now look to further Subcommittee markups and then the
full Agriculture Committee to strengthen these and reinstate
other organic provisions that are not yet included.
For more information about last week’s
mark-ups and the Farm Bill process, read the Farm Bill
update on our website.
Memorial Day Recess
Week –
Call Your Representative at Home!
Memorial Day marked the start of a week-long recess
for Congress, when Members are in their home districts.
Although this Alert is going out well into the break,
there is still time to call your Representative in his
district office to offer your views on the 2007 Farm
Bill. This is especially important if your Representative
is a member of the Agriculture Committee.
Contact info for your Representative and
some suggested talking points are below. You can also
ask about setting up a meeting for the July 4th Recess.
If you do talk with your Representative, send us an
email at action@ofrf.org and tell us how it went.
Talking Points for Calls or Meetings
- Advocate for at least $15 million in mandatory funding
for organic farming research.
- Restore full funding to the Conservation Security
Program.
- Restore the National Organic Certification Cost
Sharing Program.
- Share your own concerns about organics in the 2007
Farm Bill.
OFAN Members Tell Their Own Stories
In a previous OFAN alert, we asked you to send in written
testimony to the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture
and Organic Agriculture for the hearing held on April
18th. We received responses from several OFAN members
and posted their testimonies
on our website. Send us your communications with
Congress and the USDA, and let us know the responses
you receive. Our email address is action@ofrf.org.
If you would like to join OFRF's Organic
Farming Action Network, visit ofrf.org/subscribe/ofan.html.
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