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Southern SAWG Newsletter, Volume 4, #9   |   September 2008
Greetings!

Once again, our hearts are with those who are dealing with serious conditions and threats from hurricanes and floods. We wish everyone in the affected areas safety, protection, and speedy recovery from any damage.

In this issue we continue to shine the spotlight on the Farm Bill. Now that the bill has been passed, it is time for the rubber to meet the road as we work to understand and best utilize the policies that directly affect the lives and enterprises of us all.

And, as usually happens around this time of year, the buzz, or rather, the Chat, about Southern SAWG’s annual conference is beginning. Read on for an update, mark your calendars, and get ready to meet up in Chattanooga in January.

As we prepare to say farewell to summer, we look forward to the Southern SAWG Fun Fundraiser at Dayspring Farm in Virginia on September 20. See below for more details, and be sure to join us if you are in the area.

We wish everyone a safe and productive month, and remember, feel free to drop us a line.

--Your friends at Southern SSAWG

Inside This Issue:

The 2009 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference, January 21-24, 2009 in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Organic Farming and the 2008 Farm Bill: Wins and Implementation Hurdles Ahead

Want to Get on Board with Southern SAWG?

Celebration of Farming, Food, and Community , September 20, 2008 Dayspring Farm, VA

Using Edible Mushrooms as Garden Helpers, Biological Filters, and Recycling Aids

Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference & Organic Field Day

Southern SARE Sustainable Community Innovation Grant Proposals Due Oct 1 

Organic Farming and the 2008 Farm Bill: 
 Wins and Implementation Hurdles Ahead

The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (aka 2008 Farm Bill) that was passed into law over the President's veto in June, 2008, contains a number of significant wins for organic farmers and ranchers across the U.S.
  • The National Organic Certification Cost Share Assistance program has been funded at $22 million over the next five years, a 4.5-fold increase over the 2002 Farm Bill. This cost share will help small and mid-scale organic producers and processors obtain USDA certification. 
  • The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) received $78 million in mandatory funding over four years, a five-fold increase in funding for competitive grants in organic farming research and extension. 
  • The Organic Data Collection Initiative will receive $5 million over five years, and will provide hard data to warrant devoting more USDA resources to serving the growing organic farming constituency, commensurate with its market share in the U.S. food system. 
  • The new Farm Bill sets in motion a process that will gradually phase out existing discrimination against organic in crop insurance programs.
In a partial win for aspiring organic farmers, the new Farm Bill includes an option within the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to offer technical and financial assistance to producers converting to organic production. Organic advocates had hoped for a stand-alone Organic Conversion Assistance program with mandatory funding. In the current arrangement, whether the EQIP provision actually helps transitioning organic farmers depends on the USDA rulemaking process, and subsequently on EQIP implementation within each state. 
        
The Conservation Title of the 2008 Farm Bill includes several other provisions that recognize and support organic farming methods as conservation practices. 
  • Language for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) includes payments for organic practices that promote soil, water and other resource conservation, and a "crosswalk" between the CSP and NOP that seeks to facilitate organic farmer participation in CSP. 
  • Language for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) includes incentives for owners of land coming out of CRP to rent or sell this land to producers who implement high levels of conservation stewardship, including organic production. 
  • The Conservation Loan program includes new priorities for conversion to sustainable and organic farming.
However, the devil is in the details, beginning with rulemaking for each of these new initiatives, a process that the USDA aims to complete by mid-September. Organic advocates need to remain engaged throughout this process to ensure that the farm bill wins bear fruit in practice. 
 
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) took the initiative to organize an historic meeting of organic community representatives with the USDA Farm Bill Implementation Team on August 13 to discuss implementation of organic provisions. OTA, the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Center for Food Safety ,and many other partners, developed a set of recommendations in the form of a letter signed by 17 organizations, including Southern SAWG.
        
This letter, entitled Considerations and Recommendations for Conservation Program Rulemaking and Implementation as it Relates to Organic Agriculture, opens by urging the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to advance conservation goals via organic agriculture, and to develop an effective technical assistance program as the core of the agency's organic strategy. The letter includes a detailed chart developed by NCAT and the University of Minnesota that shows the close correspondence between requirements under the National Organic Program Final Rule and current NRCS conservation practice standards. Detailed recommendations for each major Conservation Title program follow, such as adopting provisions that ensure substantial EQIP funding and support to farmers converting to organic in all states and counties across the U.S.; and implementing organic provisions in the CSP in time for 2009 signup.

In a recent Organic Trade Association press release covering the August 13 implementation meeting, Organic Farming Research Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Mark Lipson was quoted as saying, "This meeting was very important as we shift from legislative advocacy to the hard work of implementation. Our wins in the Farm Bill must be integrated into each agency's work plan as directed by the USDA leadership, but it won't happen automatically."
        
Once the rules are in place (the USDA Implementation team is charged with drafting some 70 proposed rules by September 16), organic advocates will need to turn their attention to the implementation process, which takes place at state and local levels for many of the conservation programs. Oh, the work never ends--yet these can be exciting times for the organic community if we can successfully guide rule-making and implementation along the path laid out in the Farm Bill language.  
We will be discussing these issues during Southern SAWG's monthly policy call on the morning of Wednesday, September 10.
Please join us.  

 Southern SARE Invites 2008 Sustainable Community Innovation Grant Proposals
 Deadline October 1, 2008 

Proposals are invited for the 2008 Southern Region Sustainable Community Innovation (SCI) Grants to fund projects that link sustainable agriculture to rural community economic development. The grants have a funding maximum of $10,000 for up to two years of project activities. Proposals will be accepted until October 1, 2008; awards will be announced in December.

Applications are encouraged for projects that seek to increase knowledge, build capacity, and make connections among on- and off-farm sustainable agriculture activities, economic and community development efforts, value-added activities, civic engagement, and local government policy. For example, a recent SCI project in Bath County, Kentucky, is helping farmers to cooperatively sell foods processed in a local community kitchen to four state parks during peak tourist season.

Sustainable Community Innovation Grants are open to individuals and organizations in the Southern Region, which consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Proposals must be submitted through an online template. Click here for the call for proposals. 

SCI grants are a partnership of the Southern Region Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education Program and the Southern Rural Development Center .
Southern SAWG 2009 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference logo

The 2009 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference will be held January 21-24, 2009 in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Conference planning is in full swing and this is shaping up to be a great event in a great location! We can’t wait to tell you all about it. All the details, including conference schedule and registration information, will be available in early October on the Southern SAWG website. Brochures will be mailed in November. If you are not on our mailing list, click here to request a brochure.

The conference offers sustainable production and direct marketing information for horticultural and livestock producers, enterprise management lessons, farm policy education, community food systems development training, and the opportunity to have a nice, long visit with peers from across the South. Throw in a trade show, silent auction, video show, Taste of Tennessee dinner, and you have something to chat about.

Note to institutional and organizational leaders: It’s not too early to start securing funds for producers in your area to participate in the pre-conference and conference activities. We’re happy to provide a letter of support, if needed. Click here to request a letter of support.  

 Want to Get on Board with Southern SAWG?

Southern SAWG is growing, and so is our Board of Directors. The Board’s nominating committee is seeking people who would like to be considered as candidates for board membership. To qualify, applicants need to embrace the mission and support the goals of Southern SAWG; live in the Southern region (Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia); and be willing to serve a three-year term. Board responsibilities include fiscal oversight, strategic visioning and direction, active participation in board meetings and select committees, and strong support for the Executive Director.

The Board seeks a membership that reflects the diversity of Southern SAWG and includes individuals who have specific skills, such as planning, fiscal management, personnel management, fundraising, and communication. Members of the board  play key roles in planning and developing the goals, strategies, and activities of Southern SAWG.

October 15, 2008, is the deadline to submit a letter of interest and resume. To send materials, or for more information, e-mail Charlie Maloney, Nominating Committee Chairperson, or write to him at Dayspring Farm, 942 Buena Vista Rd., Cologne, VA  23181-4010. You can also call Charlie at 804.785.9401.

 Celebration of Farming, Food, and Community
Saturday, September 20, 3 - 8 pm
Dayspring Farm in King and Queen Co., VA

Dayspring Farm

Join Southern SAWG Board member Charlie Maloney and his family, along with many other great folks, for a fun fund-raiser for Southern SAWG.

This delightful celebration will feature:
  • A special dance performance by choreographer Heather Maloney
  • A delicious dinner prepared by professional caterer John Lowenthal from produce and meats grown at Dayspring Farm and nearby Four Winds Farm
  • Live dinner music
  • A screening of one of Southern SAWG’s Natural Farming in the South videos
  • ·A U-Pick Raffle, featuring items from fine art to fine food to practical items
Share inspiration and nourishment while supporting Southern SAWG’s work in assisting family farms and promoting a sustainable, life-affirming food and farming system throughout the South.

Registration is $25 for adults and teens, and $15 for children 12 and under. Please pre-register by September 15. Send a check, made out to Southern SAWG, along with your name(s) and number of adults and children attending, to:  Charlie Maloney, Dayspring Farm, 942 Buena Vista Rd., Cologne 23181-4010. Or call Charlie or Miriam at 804.785.9401 to let them know you are coming, and pay at the door when you arrive.

Funds raised at this event will be used to help farmers with limited financial resources attend Southern SAWG's 2009 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference.
   
Dayspring Farm is located 6 miles northeast of West Point, VA. Take Rt. 33 east until it merges with Rt. 14 east. Where Rt. 14 again splits off from Rt. 33 then turn right on Rt. 14 east towards Gloucester, where it is also called Buena Vista Road. Continue one mile; Dayspring Farm is on your right at 942 Buena Vista Road.  Map to Farm
 Using Edible Mushrooms as Garden Helpers, Biological Filters, and Recycling Aids
Tuesday, September 9, 2008; 7 pm
(6:30 social gathering)
Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain will discuss how edible mushrooms can clean the environment, improve soil fertility, protect watersheds, and break down paper waste. Some can safely destroy termites and carpenter ants. Hay bale gardening using mushrooms helps with drought conditions. Demo using oyster mushrooms to recycle paper. If interested, bring a cardboard egg carton to learn how to simultaneously grow food and recycle your cellulose waste.

Room 360, Sanford Atwood Chemistry Building Emory University Campus, 1515 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322. Due to campus construction, please check www.gamushroomclub.org for directions. For more information contact Mary Woehrel: 678.457.4026.
 Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference & Organic Field Day
October 8-9, 2008,  
Shenandoah Valley, VA

Conference will include visits to pasture-based organic dairy farms, grazier panel discussion, and other workshops on grazing.

For more information contact Steven Washburn at 919.515.7726; or steve.washburn@ncsu.edu.











Field of crimson clover, Dayspring Farm, Virginia
 Field of crimson clover, Dayspring Farm, Virginia 
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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.