Implementation and Appropriation

"In agriculture, all roads lead back to the soil, from which farmers make
their living. In the United States, within a comparatively short time, water
and wind have flayed the skin off the earth's surface, causing widespread
losses. The soil problem is really a problem of the well-being of the
people. And not for today only. The well being of future generations must
also be considered. One of the great national objectives is to pass the soil
and water on to our descendants as nearly unimpaired as possible."

This call to action from Henry Wallace, US Secretary of Agriculture, was published 70 years ago in the 1938 USDA Yearbook of Agriculture, Soils and Men. Hambridge, G. (1938) United States Government Printing Office. Somehow, after this was written, the USDA set aside preservation of soil and water as national treasures in favor of public policies, which have endorsed and promoted a non-sustainable, industrialized agricultural system based on fossil fuel inputs.

The sustainable agriculture community has worked hard on the 2008 Farm Bill to promote soil and water preserving policies. The new Farm Bill contains many programs and initiatives that can be the seeds for sowing regenerative and ecological food production systems and practices.

Some of the organic, sustainable, new farmer and local food initiatives and programs include:

•    New conservation initiatives and nearly $4 billion in increased funding for conservation programs that will benefit both farmers and the environment.

•    The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program provides financial assistance to help defray the costs of organic certification. Producers and handlers can receive up to 75% of their annual certification costs up to a maximum payment of $750 per year.

•    The Organic Conversion Assistance program will provide funding and technical assistance for farmers wanting to transition to organic
production.

•    The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative includes a
five-fold increase in mandatory funding. OREI funds research, education, and extension projects that enhance the ability of producers and processors to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products.

•    The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program will provide grants to entities that offer training, mentoring, and land-link opportunities for new farmers.

•    The new Local and Regional Food Enterprise Program will fund enterprises that process, distribute, aggregate, store, and market local and regional foods.

•    The Farmers’ Market Promotion Program funds marketing proposals for community-supported agriculture programs, farmers markets, roadside stands, and other direct marketing strategies.

•    The Outreach and Technical Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program provides grants to work with minority farmers and assist them in owning and operating farms and participating in agricultural and USDA specific programs.

For detailed information about sustainable agriculture programs in the 2008 Farm Bill, visit http://sustainableagriculturecoalition.org/

These new policies and programs in the farm bill are just the first step toward creating farm bill support for sustainable agriculture. Your voice is needed to ensure implementation. Legislative gains in the 2008 Farm Bill will not be realized without informed citizen input in the other critical phases of the policy-making cycle, administrative implementation and annual appropriations.

After Congress has passed the Farm Bill into law, the federal agency
responsible for administering the farm bill programs write the rules for
how these programs will be implemented. Proposed rules and interim final
rules are usually open for public comment for a specific period of time,
often between 30-90 days. Informed citizen comments during the
"implementation" phase are crucial.

The appropriations or "funding phase" of the policy cycle happens annually. It is important for your congressional representatives and senators to hear from you about why you think a particular farm bill program should be funded in the following years' budget and appropriations bill.  Much more influential then signing a mass email are: 1) a phone call to your Member's offices; 2) an in-district meeting with your Representative and Senators or their staff; or 3) a letter that is faxed or mailed to their office.

To sign up for action alerts: http://sustainableagriculturecoalition.org/take-action/

It is equally critical that the word gets out about farm bill programs so
that farmers, ranchers and non-governmental organizations and communities across the county can benefit from them. Requests for proposal notices for competitive grants, as well as sign-ups
for farm bill programs are posted in the Federal Register. www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/

Successful implementation of regenerative and sustainable farming practices on a national basis will depend on two factors: a strong bottom-up demand for change from informed citizens, and a top-down shift in state and national policy to support farmers in this transition.

Comments on this article can be directed to Atina Diffley at atina@organicfarmingworks.com