2009 Funding for Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Programs at Stake -
Call Your Members of Congress Today!
Congress is currently considering the fiscal year 2009 (FY09) budget, and funding for several organic and sustainable agriculture programs is at stake! This is different from the Farm Bill, (which continues its stop-and-go process as agriculture committee leaders continue to lock horns with each other and the President). Rather we are talking about the annual Congressional Appropriations Process, which will determine actual funding for many critical agriculture programs for 2009. (Stay tuned for a more detailed update on the Farm Bill later this week.)
Please contact your members of Congress today and urge them to support the following programs during the Appropriations Process:
(Scroll down for more background info on each of these programs.)
***This process is moving very rapidly and the deadlines for Members of Congress to make recommendations to the Chairs of the Appropriations Committees are this week – please contact your legislators no later than Tuesday, March 18th!***
Visit congressmerge.com/onlinedb to find out who represents you.
Please let us know if you make a call or send a letter – contact Tracy Lerman at (831) 426-6606 or tracy@ofrf.org. Thanks again for your advocacy!
Background
Congressional Appropriations Process – Every year Congress, through the annual Appropriations Process, determines funding levels for numerous federal programs, including many organic and sustainable agriculture programs. Agriculture programs are usually created by the Farm Bill and are funded in one of two ways: either they receive mandatory funding, which means that they will be funded at a specific level every year over the life of the Farm Bill, or they receive discretionary funding. Discretionary funding is determined through the Appropriations process on an annual basis. The funding can change significantly from year to year, and not all programs get funded
The process starts every year with the President’s budget proposal and then the House and Senate Appropriations Committees begin their work. The Committees take requests from all Members of Congress as they begin their drafting process. Representatives have until March 19th and Senators until March 20th to make their requests to the Committees. Below is a more detailed description of the programs for which OFRF is advocating during the 2009 Appropriations Process.
Organic Transitions Research Program – This is one of only two USDA competitive grant programs dedicated specifically to organic research and education. It plays a unique and integral role by funding research, extension, and higher education projects that specifically focus on helping farmers address the production and marketing challenges of transitioning to organic systems. Projects funded by the Organic Transitions Research Program are currently underway in fifteen states. The program is working to deliver knowledge that farmers need to successfully transition to organic production, but the number of projects still falls far short of meeting the needs of producers across the country.
After reaching its highest level of funding of $2.1 million in FY03, the Organic Transitions Research Program has suffered a sustained cut over the last five years. In FY09 President Bush proposes eliminating all funding for the Organic Transitions Research Program. We instead urge Congress to fund this program at $5 million in FY09.
Fair Share Funding for Organic Research in the Agriculture Research Service – Over the last two years, the Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s internal research branch) doubled its spending on direct organic research. Out of a total budget of over $1 billion, direct organic activity has gone from a tiny $7 million to $15 million currently. This was a notable increase but still far short of achieving the “fair share” benchmark of matching the organic share of the domestic food retail market, which is now approaching 4%. In FY09, instead of closing this gap, the President’s budget would actually widen it by cutting funding to some of the most important ARS research being conducted on organic systems, as part of an overall 7.5% cut in the ARS budget.
Organic Data Initiative - Data on prices, yields and markets are vital to farmers who are planning what to plant, accessing markets, and applying for crop insurance. Unfortunately, the organic sector is still without vital comprehensive data on par with what is provided by USDA for conventional agriculture, putting organic farmers at a great disadvantage. Despite the growing demand and need, funding for organic data collection has remained stagnant. Although the final 2008 Farm Bill may include some mandatory funding for organic data collection, we urge Congressto provide additional discretionary funding to help address the large backlog of work that is needed to provide a fair playing field for organic producers.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Program - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is a competitive grants program funding producer-driven research, education, and extension initiatives on ways farmers and ranchers can produce, market and distribute their crops and livestock using profitable, environmentally and socially sound practices. Since FY03, Congress has cut funding for SARE four years in a row. For FY09, the Bush budget proposes even more cuts — to $9.1 million for research and education components of the program and $3.8 million for extension and outreach – a 32% cut! SARE is authorized at $40 million and $20 million, respectively. SARE’s longstanding under-funding means it can approve only a fraction of even excellent proposals, e.g., only 10% of research and education proposals submitted last year. For FY09, we seek $20 million in funding — $15 million for research and education and $5 million for extension and outreach.
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas Program - This highly rated national information service answers practical questions from farmers and others about a variety of agriculture questions and summarize technical resources that few farmers have time or ability to access. ATTRA's services are in great demand, exceeding 26,000 technical requests last year and drawing over 2.9 million unique visitors its website.. Currently, due to insufficient funding, ATTRA turns down 3 out of 5 requests for in-person workshops or presentations around the nation.
ATTRA’s funding has averaged $2.5 million since FY02, and this year, President Bush’s budget proposes zero funding for ATTRA. Please ask your senators and representatives for $3 million in funding to respond to the growing and unmet demand for ATTRA's services.
More Information
The FY09 sustainable agriculture funding priorities for the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture..
A briefing on the Congressional Appropriations process at the House Appropriations Committee website.
Join OFRF's Organic Farmers Action Network by clicking on the link at: www.ofrf.org
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