USDA’s Deputy Secretary Addresses Southern SAWG Conference

An enthusiastic crowd greeted USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan at an early Saturday morning session at the Southern SAWG conference on January 21. Merrigan told the group that, “We have a problem in American Agriculture. It is not a Sustainable Ag problem, it is an Ag problem. We are an ageing workforce on our working lands.” Noting the strong presence of young people in the audience in Little Rock, she commented, “As I look across the room and I see a lot of young people, I have to tell you that it is just heartwarming, and I really applaud you for taking on the challenges in American agriculture, perhaps as an avocation, hopefully as an occupation.”

One of the first actions that Merrigan took after joining the Obama administration was to launch USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative. She described this initiative as a response to a renaissance of interest in American agriculture.

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Senate Agriculture Committee Resumes Work on Farm Bill, Schedules Hearings

With the failure of the Super Committee Process last fall, Agriculture Committee leaders now resume work on the 2012 Farm Bill through a more normal process that involves hearings, committee mark-ups, and a committee and floor amendment process, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). 

Chairwoman Stabenow announced four Senate Agriculture Committee hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill in February and March.

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Late-breaking Program Addition to Our Conference!

USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will join us for a breakfast talk 7:30 a.m., Saturday morning, January 21, 2012. This is an opportunity to hear from the country’s most prominent sustainable agriculture advocate!

Kathleen Merrigan was appointed second in command at the USDA by President Obama in 2009. In this position she has remained a fearless fighter for programs and policies that support sustainable agriculture.  

She manages USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, which emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers while revitalizing rural economies by supporting local and regional food systems in rural America.

Come to the conference and learn about the important work Deputy Secretary Merrigan is doing at USDA. A question and answer period will take place after her presentation. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the discussion. 

We are honored to have Deputy Secretary Merrigan join us!

New Program to Fund Food Retail Outlets in Food Deserts

As reported by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Congress included $32 million in funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) in the recently passed “megabus” appropriations bill for FY 2012. The initiative aims to fund food retail outlets in food deserts.

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2012 Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up

On Friday, December 9, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that the fiscal year (FY) 2012 ranking period cutoff for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is January 13, 2012.

Interested farmers and ranchers have until January 13, 2012, to complete the initial application form to compete for a spot in the 2012 enrollment class for the program.

To sign up, producers should visit their NRCS local service center.

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Information About Black Farmers/USDA Settlement

A $1.25 billion settlement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was recently approved by the United States District Court in the District of Columbia.  This Settlement will pay cash and provide farm loan forgiveness to those who qualify. 

The original Pigford Settlement in 1999 provided benefits to certain African Americans who farmed or attempted to farm but experienced farm loan discrimination by the USDA. But many eligible people did not file claims until after the original claims deadline. The current settlement provides benefits to some of those late filers including African American who:

1) Experienced farm loan discrimination by the USDA between 1981 and 1996; and

2) Whose late claim or request to participate in the original Pigford case was denied or never considered because it was submitted after October 12, 1999, the late claims deadline.

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Nominations sought for Growing Green Awards

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announces its fourth annual Growing Green Awards to recognize individuals who have demonstrated original leadership in the field of sustainable food.  Through this national award, NRDC will recognize extraordinary contributions that advance ecologically integrated farming practices, climate stewardship, water stewardship, farmland preservation, and social responsibility from farm to fork.

An award, including both cash and recognitions, will be given to an outstanding individual in each of four categories:  Food Producer, Business Leader, Food Justice Leader, and Young Food Leader. Award selections will be made by an independent panel of sustainable food experts.  Additional information , including award eligibility, the application process, selection criteria, and the award selection panel are available online.

Applications will be accepted until close of business on December 9, 2011. 

Farm Bill Dies Under Collapse of Super Committee: What’s Next?

On November 21, the Agriculture Committee leadership in Congress decided to scrap the deal they had nearly reached on a 2011 Farm Bill with $23 billion in net cuts.  Last week they were putting the finishing touches on a bill that they intended to send to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “Super Committee”) for inclusion in the big government-wide deficit reduction bill.  But when the Super Committee process collapsed, the Agriculture Committee leaders decided to discontinue their process, too.

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