Please Call Senator Kohl Immediately – Tell Him To Protect Funding for Sustainable Ag Programs!
Senate appropriators are scheduled to vote on Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) agricultural funding tomorrow afternoon (Thursday, July 16, 2008 at 2PM EDT) and are threatening to cut funding to two crucial Farm Bill programs: the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP).
Please call Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) right away and tell him protect funding for these two programs!
Senator Kohl's DC Office Phone Number is (202) 224-5653.
When you call, ask to speak to the aide that works on Agriculture Appropriations. If you are a farmer and/or live in Wisconsin, let him or her know. Make sure to leave your name and phone number as well.
Message to Senator Kohl
I live in Wisconsin and support sustainable agriculture. I am opposed to the proposed cuts to the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program during the Senate Agriculture Appropriations markup. Both of these programs will support efforts to get important information to farmers and should retain the full mandatory funding they received in the 2008 Farm Bill. Even with their full mandatory Farm Bill funding, these programs still fall far short of fair share funding.
Let us know if you’ve made a call! Contact Tracy Lerman, Policy Program Assistant, at tracy@ofrf.org or (831) 426-6606 x 108.
Background
Senator Kohl chairs the Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee and responsible for drafting the Agriculture Appropriations bill. The Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, July 16, 2008 to mark-up the draft Agriculture Appropriations bill, which sets funding for agriculture programs for FY09. The draft bill proposes to cut funding for several programs funded in the 2008 Farm Bill that was just passed in May and which Senator Kohl voted in favor of. Congress funded these as “mandatory-funded” programs in the Farm Bill, meaning just that: they “SHALL be funded” at the amounts designated in the Farm Bill. But among the Farm Bill programs that Senator Kohl voted for but nonetheless now proposes to cut less than two months later are:
• Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) – This program funds competitive grants for organic farming research and extension to support the fast-growing organic industry. The Farm Bill funds OREI at $18 million in MANDATORY funding per year; Senate appropriators plan to cut it tomorrow to $16 million!
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) – This brand new program offers competitive grants to fund education, extension, outreach and assistance to foster new farming opportunities. The Farm Bill funds BFRDP at $18 million per year in mandatory funding; Senate appropriators plan to cut it to $16 million!
These cuts are a dangerous precedent! Rarely are mandatory programs cut in their first year, and in fact, the House agricultural appropriators did not cut them. We strongly protest the signal the Senate Subcommittee is sending about the priority it places on sustainable agriculture programs.
Once again, thank you for your important advocacy efforts!
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