Obama Budget, Farm Bill Update,
Developments at USDA and More
June 8, 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
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IMPLEMENTING THE 2008 FARM BILL
EQIP Organic Initiative Update
As we have alerted you before, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service has set aside $50 million of funds in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for applications from organic farmers and those transitioning to organic to implement conservation practices as part of a special Organic Initiative. As of June 4, 1500 farmers have applied to the Organic Initiative. The deadline for applying for these funds was May 29th, but as of this writing, 36 states have extended their deadlines. States that haven’t extended their deadlines will still continue to accept applications but may not be able to fund them in 2009.
NRCS has required each state to appoint an organic point person. To find out your state’s organic point person and his or her contact info, download the NRCS Organic State Contact list. Also, a list of the states that have extended the deadline and their new deadlines, as well as up-to-date information about the Organic Initiative and resources for farmers, can be found on our EQIP Organic Initiative Resource Page.
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REPORT FROM CAPITOL HILL
Obama’s 2010 Budget Request for Agriculture:
How does Organic Fare?
In the coming months, the Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations process will scale up and OFRF will be advocating to protect and increase funding for organic agriculture programs, particularly research programs. We expect that much of the Appropriations action will occur in July, and we’ll keep you posted through OFAN.
Earlier this month, the Obama Administration released their 2010 Budget Request. The Administration’s budget request provides funding for some of our key programs but not all of them. On the bright side, the Administration matched our funding request of $6.7 million for the National Organic Program. They also protected (but did not increase) funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. Disappointingly, the Administration did not request any funding for the Organic Production and Market Data Collection Initiative (we requested $5 million for FY10) and they requested a cut to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program of $250 million (this is the program that includes the EQIP Organic Initiative mentioned above).
Following the release of the Administration’s budget request, OFRF revised our House Appropriations Testimony and resubmitted it to the Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Our testimony focuses on protecting and increasing funding for organic programs, particularly organic agriculture research. You can also read the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s Agriculture Appropriations Chart, which compares the FY09 final funding levels for agriculture programs to President Obama’s FY10 Budget Request.
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Resolution to Support Organic Farming Introduced in
House of Representatives
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) recently introduced House Resolution 458, which “expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government should encourage organic farming, gardening, local food production, and farmers’ markets.” (To read the text of the resolution, go to thomas.loc.gov, select “Bill Number” from the drop down menu to the left of the search bar, and type H. Res. 458 into the search bar.) While resolutions are not legally binding, it is encouraging to see more Members of Congress come out in support of organic agriculture. The resolution was co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) and was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. We will keep you posted on the progress of H. Res. 458.
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New Food Safety Bill Introduced by Rep Waxman
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced a discussion draft of a food safety bill. This bill is based heavily on previous food safety bills introduced by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). Waxman’s discussion draft was heard before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on June 3. You can read the discussion draft and a summary of the draft on the House Energy and Commerce Committee website. Testimony from the June 3 hearing will also be posted to the Committee website.
Also, our friends at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association have written this piece on the issues surrounding food safety and organic farming. We will continue to keep you posted on relevant food safety news and updates.
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REPORT FROM USDA
USDA Deputy Secretary Pledges Full Organic Integration
Across Department
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan pledged that organic will be integrated across all agencies at the USDA. Merrigan made these comments in a pre-recorded speech that was presented to attendees at the third annual Organic Summit on Wednesday, June 3. Read OFRF’s press release and watch a video of her speech on the OFRF website.
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OFRF Submits Comments on the USDA Roadmap for the Research, Education and Extension Office
The USDA Office of Research, Education and Extension recently requested comments on the preparation of a roadmap for agricultural research, education, and extension at USDA. This document will ostensibly shape the direction of USDA agricultural research and determine the research areas that USDA will prioritize. OFRF submitted comments to USDA encouraging them to make the national research purpose the achievement of “highly productive, diversified, zero-waste, non-toxic, socio-economically healthy, ecologically resilient, regenerative agricultural systems.” Read our full comments on our website.
OFRF also endorsed the comments submitted by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Pesticide Action Network of North America.
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New Leaders in the USDA
This month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of Rayne Pegg as the Administrator of the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS, the agency that houses the National Organic Program). Prior to her appointment to the USDA, Pegg served in the California Department of Food and Agriculture as the Deputy Secretary for Legislation and Policy. Before that, she was an advocate for the California Farm Bureau.
Also, to help you track the flurry of new USDA appointments, our friends at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition have put together this helpful webpage with bios of all of the USDA appointees to date.
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National Organic Program Seeks New Director
The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) is seeking a new director. The NOP is responsible for developing, implementing and administering national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.
The new director of the NOP will oversee a stand-alone division under the Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS – one of the agencies within USDA). This is a change to the structure of AMS – previously NOP was housed within the Transportation and Marketing Division, and now it will be on the same level as that division. View an organizational chart of AMS for more information.
Visit the USA Jobs website for the NOP Director job description.
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New Data on Organic Prices Available on Economic Research Service Website
The Economic Research Service (ERS), one of the research agencies within USDA, recently released data sets containing wholesale, market, and retail price information for a variety of organic agricultural products. The products listed include poultry, eggs, grains, feedstuffs, and select fruits and vegetables. Visit this ERS webpage to view and download the data sets.
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Reminder: National Organic Standards Board Seeks Applicants – Deadline to Apply is July 17
We’ve reported on this in previous OFAN updates, but just wanted to remind you that the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is looking for grassroots candidates to fill 5 vacancies. The NOSB is a 15-member board responsible for developing and recommending to the USDA a proposed National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances and to advise the Secretary on all other aspects of the National Organic Program. The USDA is specifically looking for 2 producers, 1 retailer, 1 organic handler, and 1 environmentalist to fill the vacancies on the NOSB. Applications must be received by July 17. For more information, read the Federal Register Notice. If you are interested in applying, please let Tracy Lerman, OFRF Policy Organizer know: tracy@ofrf.org.
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Reminder: Remember to Send in Your Organic Production Survey by June 17
We’ve also reported in previous OFAN updates that the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Survey is conducting its first-ever, wide-scale survey of organic agriculture. Survey questionnaires were sent to all known US organic producers, and responses are due by June 17. For more information, visit the USDA Census of Agriculture website.
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RESOURCES FOR FARMERS
Crop Rotation Manual Coming Soon
Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual is going to be available this summer from the Natural Resource, Agriculture and Engineering Service (NRAES) and funded in part by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE). The manual will provide an in-depth review of the applications of crop rotation as well as information for how to make rotation planning maps and on the transition to organic farming. For more information visit the NRAES website.
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Rodale Institute Offers Online Course on Organic Transition
The Rodale Institute has available a free online course to help farmers understand the National Organic Standards and use them as a framework for making the transition to organic production. In addition to the 15 hour Organic Transition Course, Rodale also has an online Organic System Plan template and a Crop Conversion Calculator. For more information, visit the Rodale Institute website.
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DULY NOTED
Comments Sought on Draft of First Agricultural Soil Credit Standard
The Agricultural Carbon Sequestration Standard Committee, facilitated by the Novecta Company has developed a draft standard for validating carbon offsets and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from soil-based carbon sequestration. The committee is seeking comments on the draft standard until June 26th. Comments should be noted by page number and section as appropriate, and should be emailed to Gary DeLong, Managing Director of Novecta: garyd@novecta.com. For more information, read the press release announcing the comment period, and visit Novecta’s website.
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New Academic Paper Published on Genetic Engineering Industry
The International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food recently published a paper on the development of the industry that created genetically engineered food and the failure of the scientific community to properly oversee genetic engineering in agriculture. The paper, entitled "The Genetic Engineering of Food and the Failure of Science" was published in two parts: “The Development of a Flawed Enterprise,” and “Academic Capitalism and the Loss of Scientific Integrity.”
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American Academy of Environmental Medicine Calls for a Moratorium on Genetically Modified Foods
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine released a paper on Genetically Modified (GM) foods, stating that “GM foods pose a serious health risk” and calling for a moratorium on GM foods. This is the first statement of its kind from a professional medical association. Read the press release on the AAEM website.
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Again, many thanks to all of you for your advocacy on behalf of organic agriculture. If you have any questions, thoughts, comments, concerns, ideas, or just want to say hi, please contact Tracy Lerman, Policy Organizer at tracy@ofrf.org.
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