Five years has passed since the US Congress last passed the nation's farm bill in 2002, and it's up for reauthorization again this year. This piece of legislation addresses virtually all aspects of food and farming. Southern SAWG encourages everyone to get involved in the 2007 Farm Bill discussion, and is working to provide farm policy information, including recommendations from the sustainable agriculture community.
We've included some information on the upcoming farm bill in this issue, and additional information is available on our web site. The 2007 Farm Bill will affect more than just farms and farmers; it also affects food and anyone who eats. Share this information widely so that producers and consumers alike can enter the discussion as knowledgeable participants.
As always, we'd like to hear from you, so drop a line at ssawg@aol.com.
-Your friends at Southern SAWG
Inside
This Issue:2007 Farm Bill Policy Information |
| 2007
Southern SAWG Conference Wrap-up |
By any standards, our 2007 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference held in Louisville, KY can be rated a terrific success. The number of programs offered during the January annual event increased over last year to include eight intensive short courses, three Community Food Systems mini courses, six field trips and fifty-three sessions. A record-setting 1,250 attendees participated – over 300 more than last year. Beyond the statistics, responses received on evaluation cards indicate a positive reception to all aspects of our conference.
Southern SAWG trade show participants and silent auction donors deserve a share of the credit, as do this year's supporters and partners in this effort. Among our longtime program partners is the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program (SARE PDP), which offered scholarships for over five hundred farmers from throughout the Southern region. Several other regional and community-based organizations also coordinated and sponsored attendance of farmers and farm advocates.
Other partners included USDA Risk Management Agency, Commodity Partnerships Program, USDA Risk Management Agency Small Sessions Program, USDA RMA Civil Rights and Community Outreach Program, Southern Region Risk Management Education Center, USDA CSREES Community Food Projects Program, and American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA).
Additional conference sponsorship was provided by Farm Aid, Clif Bar, Conservation Partners Foundation, Kentucky State University, and USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, and by Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which included their ongoing support and their work in coordinating the Taste of Kentucky banquet (see below for more information).
We have posted some online versions of powerpoint presentations, downloadable PDF's of presenters' notes, and other helpful documents from several of the regular conference sessions on our web site. This information can be found on our 2007 Conference program page, http://www.ssawg.org/conference-program.html by scrolling through the session descriptions and clicking the links.
Details of our 2008 conference will be published in this newsletter and on our web site as soon as they become available.
| Kentucky
Department of Agriculture Rewards Restaurants for Buying Local |
The Commonwealth of Kentucky has plenty to be proud of, and they're not afraid to show it. Kentucky Department of Agriculture has for years promoted local products using their "Kentucky Proud" marketing campaign. A recently developed component of that effort now offers direct financial incentives for the purchase of local products by food service establishments within the state. Among the beneficiaries of this restaurant rewards program in 2007 was the Galt House, the 2007 Southern SAWG conference host-site. The popular Taste of Kentucky Banquet during the conference highlighted locally grown foods, and was eligible for Restaurant Rewards.
Made possible with funds from the tobacco settlement, the program reimburses restaurants up to $1,000 each month for their purchases of Kentucky grown produce, as well as meats, poultry, seafood, dairy products, and other food items produced in the state. Restaurants then use the reimbursed funds for Kentucky Proud promotions, such as table tents, signs, posters, and even advertising.
Learn more about this innovative program at
http://www.kyagr.com/kyproud/restaurant.htm
| Farm
Policy Education Get Involved in the 2007 Farm Bill Discussion |
Southern SAWG is working on several fronts to share information about the upcoming Farm Bill and to encourage anyone and everyone with an interest in food, agriculture, and nutrition to get involved in the discussion. We will regularly post food and farm policy updates on our home page and on our Farm Policy Education web pages.
Among the tools we are sharing is a presentation from Scott Marlow of Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) originally delivered at our 2007 conference. Marlow took full opportunity of his conference session to help clarify Farm Bill issues and processes. The online version of his presentation clearly explains the "how-to" of getting involved in the Farm Bill debate and in farm policy issues in general.
Other helpful information can be found in a document published as the results of the US Food and Farm Policy Project (FFPP). The FFPP recommends a series of broad goals and specific measures that address issues of prosperous farms and ranches, healthy people, vital communities, sustainable lands, and equality and diversity. The document can be accessed in PDF format through Southern SAWG's Farm Policy Education page.
As an additional aspect of Southern SAWG's Farm Policy Education effort to facilitate conversations about farm policy, we host open conference calls on a monthly basis. Follow the link below to Southern SAWG's Farm Policy Education page for the schedule of calls and links to the presentation and documents referenced above.
| Southern
SAWG Announces Professional Development Programs |
Two of seven trainings that are to take place under a Southern SAWG SARE-PDP project have been scheduled for April, 2007. Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing will be held on April 9 in Spartanburg, SC and Grass-Fed Ruminants will take place on April 25 in Tifton, GA.
Alex Hitt of Peregrine Farm in Graham, NC will lead the April 9 Organic Vegetable workshop. Topics for this day-long program include farm planning and design, soil building, and all aspects of production. Marketing and record keeping will also be covered in detail. During the last 20 years, Alex and his wife Betsy have worked as successful independent farmers, using sustainable agriculture practices to operate a small farm that allows them to meet their economic goals while maintaining a good quality of life. Alex and Betsy are 2006 recipients of the prestigious Patrick Madden Award for Sustainable Agriculture. This workshop is presented in partnership with Clemson Sustainable Agriculture Program, with local arrangements provided by Fran Davis of Windmill Hill Farm in Inman, SC.
The next all-day training, a Grass-Fed Ruminants Workshop will take place in Tifton at NESPAL (National Environmentally Sound Production Center) on
Please contact Southern SAWG PDP Project Coordinator,
Visit Southern SAWG online at
http://www.ssawg.org
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Inc. (Southern SAWG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to promote sustainable agriculture in the Southern United States.
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