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| Southern SAWG Newsletter,
Volume 5, #5 | May 2009 |
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| Dear
Friends, Breaking news… It may seem lately that our newsletter is filled more than ever with information about USDA programs. That’s because, as mentioned last month, things are changing for the better for organic and sustainable farmers even more quickly than many of us could have hoped. Proof of the pudding came on May 5 from Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, as she announced $50 million for a new federally funded organics initiative through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). “Assisting organic producers is a priority of the 2008 Farm Bill as well as for Secretary Vilsack and the Obama Administration,” said Merrigan. “The objective of this initiative is to make organic food producers eligible to compete for EQIP financial assistance.” This is a new dawn and a new day, ushered in through the vision and hard work of many in our sustainable agriculture community. Read on immediately for details—you'll have to act fast. The very short window of time for application begins May 11! --Your friends at Southern SAWG |
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On March 15-17, 2009, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) held its first annual meeting in the Washington, DC area. This group, which is committed to looking after the interests of the sustainable agriculture community, such as working to get money for organic producers through the EQIP program, is the newly formed coalition of two long-standing advocacy organizations. Representatives of about 70 local, state, regional and national organizations gathered to hear about recent farm policy developments, discuss the fast-changing landscape of challenges and opportunities, and set priorities for the coming year's work. In another unprecedented show of government support, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the group, outlining the new Administration's agricultural priorities, which include sustainable agriculture, rural development, beginning producers, child nutrition, renewable energy, food safety, and civil rights. The Secretary's announcement of a People's Garden Program (organic vegetable gardens at USDA facilities) and his appointment of organic veteran Kathleen Merrigan as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture brought standing ovations. Participants from the South included: Southern SAWG Board member Marty Mesh; Becky Ceartas, Michael Sligh, and Scott Marlow of Rural Advancement Foundation International (NC); Southern SAWG Policy Coordinator Lydia Villanueva, who also represented Casa del Llano (TX); Mark Schonbeck, another Southern SAWG Board member who represented the Virginia Association for Biological Farming; Jim Worstell of Delta Land and Community (AR); Teresa Maurer of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (AR); and Kate Fitzgerald (TX). The meeting included a brief history of how NSAC was formed through a merger of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (SAC). Over the past year, a fourteen-member committee developed the principles, forms, and process for this new organization to combine the "big tent" forum provided by the National Campaign with the focused policy analysis and the advocacy of SAC. Southern SAWG will be actively working with NSAC to ensure that sustainable agriculture issues from the South are addressed at the national level. The new NSAC Policy Council worked on NSAC priorities for 2009. With the 2008 Farm Bill completed, advocacy efforts now turn to ensuring full funding of key programs like the Sustainable Agriculture Research Education program (SARE), and to rulemaking and implementation of Farm Bill "wins" such as the nationwide Conservation Stewardship Program, NRCS program support for farmers converting to organic, and programs for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. One new emerging issue is food safety legislation now pending in Congress, and NSAC formed a Food Safety Working Group. During the regional breakout meetings, Southern SAWG representatives and several others from the South met to assess current resources (including action alert e-mail lists), to discuss how to build our region's capacity for effective advocacy, and to more fully engage minority and limited resource farmers. The group also spent time on Capitol Hill meeting with Congressional staffers to advocate for Farm to School and other key funding priorities, and with USDA officials to discuss rulemaking and implementation issues. "The tone of these visits was generally quite positive," said Southern SAWG Board member Mark Schonbeck. "We found decision makers better informed and more supportive of sustainable agriculture and family farms than in past years." For more on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, or to receive the excellent NSAC Weekly Update by e-mail, click here… Listening sessions throughout the U.S. are being held by the USDA about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). There is much concern over the hardships that NAIS would impose on small-scale farmers and homesteaders. According to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, “It's going to take a lot of people speaking up loud and clear to keep a mandatory NAIS from being imposed on every livestock owner in America! These listening sessions are a critical opportunity to get media attention on NAIS and demonstrate the level of opposition to the program.” Three of the listening sessions are scheduled to take place in Southern states: Austin, Texas on Wednesday, May 20; Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, May 21; and Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, May 22. Visit the USDA website for more details, updates, and instructions on submitting your views if you are not able to attend a listening session. Additional information is available from the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
Helen Fields of John’s Island, South Carolina graduated from the Small Farmer Agriculture Leadership Institute on March 27, 2009. She is the second member of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund to earn this honor. The first to graduate was Frank Taylor, a member of the Winston County Self Help Cooperative, in 2007. The Institute began in 2005 and is an 1890 Land Grant initiative. It provides socially disadvantaged farmers with the training, information, and experience necessary to help them become not only better producers but also effective leaders in their communities. The 2009 graduation ceremonies were held at the United States Department of Agriculture where Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack spoke. He gave a ringing endorsement of the Institute and spoke of the need to have a diverse agriculture system with small farmers playing a major role. Helen Fields and her husband Joseph are third generation farmers who farm 70 acres of assorted fruits and vegetables. Fifty-eight of those acres are certified organic. Like their production, the Field‘s marketing is diversified. They sell high quality produce to several farmers’ markets, restaurants, and commercial markets such as Whole Foods. They are innovative in their approach and are always searching for ways to improve their operation. Helen has traveled internationally to learn from and share with small farmers. The Field’s farm is becoming well known throughout the Southeast and serves as a teaching tool for new and emerging farmers, especially women. Helen is chairperson of the Sea Island Farmers Cooperative and a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. |
 On May 5, 2009, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced $50 million in funding for an organic initiative to meet the Obama Administration's promise to encourage more organic agriculture production. This money will be available as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The 2009 Organic Initiative is a special initiative to provide financial assistance to National Organic Program (NOP) certified organic producers as well as producers in the process of transitioning to organic production. In order to complete contracts and commit funds within the 2009 fiscal year, the application period for this year's program closes on May 29, 2009. The program will be offered again next year. However, it is important to demonstrate strong interest in the program during the current signup in order to ensure continued funding at current levels in future years. If you feel you can make good use of this program to help effect a transition into organic production, transition more acres or more head of livestock, or strengthen your conservation program on certified organic land, by all means apply. And if you are not in need of this program, but know someone else in the South who might be interested or might benefit from it--especially any farmer who is initiating or considering organic transition--please forward this to them. If you are a farmer and you are:
If you would like to apply for funding during the current fiscal year, contact your local NRCS office immediately to get more details and to initiate your application process. Sign-up begins May 11 and goes through Friday May 29 (three weeks). Additional information about the 2009 EQIP Organic Initiative is available from the from the NRCS, as well as from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Southern SAWG welcomes three new members to our Board of Directors: Mila Berhane, Josh Hardin, and Cassi Johnson. We are fortunate to have these accomplished and innovative sustainable agriculture practitioners, professionals, and advocates on our leadership team.
Mila Berhane has been actively involved in sustainable agriculture for many years. She is a Senior Research Associate in the area of sustainable agriculture at the Southern University Ag Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has been involved with Southern SAWG since 1992. In addition to attending our conferences annually and getting Louisiana farmers to the event, Mila presented and hosted a farm tour for our conference in 2005. Mila and her husband own and operate Greenhand Nursery, and are founding members of their local farmers’ market. She is an active member of the umbrella organization Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA), and serves on the BREADA Board of Directors and the Farmers Advisory Board. Mila also brings international experience to our organization, including her work in El Salvador, helping develop sustainable agriculture programs such as cut flowers, soil conservation, composting, ecotourism, and organic farming. Josh Hardin operates Laughing Stock Farm, a 5 acre section of the 2,000 acre farm that has been in his family for five generations in Grady, Arkansas. While still working on the larger part of the farm, which he is gradually transitioning to sustainable organic practices, he is establishing a sustainable fruit and vegetable operation, including an acre of blackberries. Josh has served for the past nine years as vice-president of the Southern Arkansas Vegetable Growers’ Association. This group oversees the Pine Bluff Farmers’ Market, and has been responsible, along with the city, for building a modernized local market. His commitment to sustainable agriculture was catalyzed during his participation in 2007 in the renowned Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Josh says that was where he underwent the transformation from conventional to creative, sustainable farmer. Cassi Johnson is the director of the Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee, and has worked closely with Southern SAWG through our Community Food Systems program. The mission of her organization is to bring people together to create a more healthy, just, and sustainable food system for Middle Tennessee. They work with more than 130 partners ranging from non-profit organizations and faith groups to businesses, farmers, and concerned individuals. FSP staff, Partners, and Advisory Council members have participated in the Southern SAWG intensive leadership trainings for the past two years and they recently joined our Local Food for Local Power program. Cassi brings her experience and expertise in community food systems work, grassroots policy development, local food policy work, urban food systems issues, and food advocacy coalition and partnership building to our Board. Southern SAWG also welcomes three new Board officers: Stephan Walker, President; Tom Dierolf, Vice President, and Steve Hodges, Treasurer; and we thank Mark Schonbeck for his continuing service as Secretary. Our deepest gratitude also goes to Marty Mesh and Jeanette Abi-Nader for serving this past year as Board President and Vice President, respectively. The Southern SAWG Board sets the organization’s goals through a periodic strategic planning process incorporating the evolving needs of our constituent organizations. These goals determine the projects and activities of Southern SAWG. Visit What We Do to learn more. The Southern SAWG Board reflects the full diversity of Southern SAWG. If you are interested in serving on the Southern SAWG Board, or would like to recommend someone, please contact us for more information.
As we welcome three new board members, we also say goodbye and thank you to Scott Marlow for his many years of service and leadership as member and president of Southern SAWG’s Board of Directors. Words often seem inadequate to convey the measure of appreciation for someone who has contributed so much to the success and direction of Southern SAWG, but Charley Maloney, owner of Dayspring Farm in Virginia and Southern SAWG Board member, has captured the essence in his thoughts and remembrances of Scott’s dedicated service to the organization:
Thank you, Scott. On behalf of the Southern SAWG community, we wish you well in all of your future endeavors and look forward to continuing to work with you. |
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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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