Ag Bill and Ag Appropriations passed out of committees

U.S. Senate committees were busy on agriculture issues last Thursday, April 26. While the Senate Agriculture Committee was busy passing their version of the 2012 Farm Bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee was also meeting and approving the Fiscal Year 2013 Agricultural Appropriations bill. When enacted into law, these two pieces of legislation direct, fund, and limit the myriad of federal agriculture and food policies and programs.

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Applications Open for Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant Program

For fiscal year 2012, approximately $3 million in grants are available through USDA Rural Development's (SSDPG). Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday that USDA is now accepting grant applications to this program, which was authorized in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). The program is designed to assist small, socially disadvantaged agricultural producers and cooperatives in rural areas to spur job creation.

Will Congress Complete a New Farm Bill in 2012?

This has been a strange Farm Bill process so far, and it may get stranger before this key piece of legislation is complete. Last fall, the Agriculture Committee leadership in Congress worked behind closed doors to craft a 2011 Farm Bill with $23 billion in net cuts requested by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “Super Committee”). But this unusual process was scrapped in November when the Super Committee process collapsed.

Building on their proposal from last year, the Senate Agriculture Committee released a new draft of the 2012 Farm Bill on April 20. Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI) says that the bill still achieves $23 billion in savings. Over the next few weeks, the Agriculture Committee members will mark up and then vote on the bill.

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ATTRA Project Resumes Services For Sustainable Agriculture Producers

The ATTRA program is back. Federal funding that was cut last year has been restored. A full complement of technical assistance services for farmers and ranchers is again available at no charge, including toll-free English and Spanish hotlines, and information and advice by email.

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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.”

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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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