MAJOR CHALLENGES:

• Fairness to Legal Immigrants within the Food Stamp Program: A critical provision eliminating the Food Stamp Program barriers faced by legal immigrants, including a five-year waiting period for many adults is not in the House bill. What this means to NYC is that roughly 180,255 legal immigrants are eligible and not participating in the Food Stamp program and as a result, approximately $162 million in Food Stamp dollars are lost to our city.

• Conservation Security Program: Perhaps the most surprising news was that the while we�??ve been working to make the CSP program available to all eligible farmers, the House voted for enormous cuts to the program ($3.2B over 5 years) and no new program enrollments until 2012.
• Community Food Projects: An amendment for mandatory funding for Community Food Projects submitted by Blumenauer (D-OR) was not accepted by the Rules Committee and was not allowed to be offered on the floor, and mandatory funding did not make it into the version of the Farm Bill that passed the House.

WINS:

• Food Stamps: The House bill increases the minimum food stamps benefit level and includes a number of provisions to increase enrollment such as excluding dependent care expenses, excluding retirement accounts from countable income, allowing for telephonic signatures, and funding for research to improve the enrollment process.
• Geographic Preference/Local Procurement: An amendment offered by Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) to clarify previous language allowing schools to use a geographic preference to request local food in all federally-funded child nutrition programs was adopted by the House Agriculture Committee in its bill and included in the bill passed in the House.
• Healthy Food (Urban) Enterprise Development Program (HFUED): The loan portion of what was formerly called the Healthy Food Enterprise Development was adopted as an amendment (by Rep. Gillibrand (D-NY) to the Rural Development Title in the Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill and was included in the bill that passed in the House. The grant portion of the program was included in the Horticulture & Organic Title of the “Manager’s Amendment,” an amendment by the Chairperson of the Committee (which almost always passes), as the “Healthy Food Urban Enterprise Development” Program (HFUED).

There were a number of other provisions aligned with our priorities that made it into the House Bill:

• Farmers Market Promotion Program- received $25 million over the next 5 years — $5 million for each of the first 3 years, and then $10 million the last 2 years, in mandatory money with 10% to be used for EBT promotion and technology. It was also renamed the Farmers Marketing Assistance Program and the activities under it were outlined more specifically.
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program �?? received $15 million annual mandatory funds and additional discretionary funds increasing each year of the bill up to $75 million in 2012.
• Urban Agriculture- An amendment by Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), which would create a grant program to assist in purchasing operating organic gardens or greenhouses in urban areas for growing fruits and vegetables, was adopted.FSNE (Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program)- a �??Sense of the Congress�?? in support of public health approaches being used as part of FSNE was adopted in the Committee bill and maintained in the bill that passed the House. An additional amendment by Jean Schmidt (R-OH) was adopted, that would require the USDA to create uniform standards for evaluation of FSNE programs across states, and remained in the bill that passed in the House.
• Local Procurement- An amendment by Jack Welch (D-VT) to encourage schools to create plans for procurement of local foods for the Fruit and Vegetable Program was adopted via Peterson�??s en bloc amendment on the floor and included in the bill that passed the House.
• Pigford Claims- The manager�??s amendment includes a provision that would allow people who met criteria in this case (black farmers who were discriminated against by USDA) but were denied a way to appeal their status in this case.
• Diversity Provisions �?? Several other diversity provisions were included in the final version of the Bill, including a Farmworker Coordinator, an oversight office regarding Civil rights, and other provisions for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers included in the FFRP and other conservation programs.
• Food Deserts and Food Access: The Manager’s Amendment Includes a “Sense of Congress Regarding Food Deserts, Geographically Isolated Neighborhoods and Communities with Limited or No Access to Major Chain Grocery Stores”- The “Manager’s Amendment” includes a provision recommending that the NIH, CDC, IOM and faith-based organizations assess the existence of food deserts and develop recommendations to eliminate them.

For more on the House bill, check out the following commentary and editorials:

Community Food Security Coalition

Blog for Rural America

In the News: Check out the excellent farm bill op-ed penned by Kari Hammerschlag, Policy Director of the California Coalition of Food and Farming, in Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle, on the web at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/27/ED4VR86AF4.DTL.

You may also be interested in reading the farm bill editorial in Saturday’s New York Times at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/opinion/28sat3.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

On the whole, however, this remains a status quo farm bill �?? one that does not yet reflect the interests of the broader American public and will not meet the needs of family farms, the environment, rural and urban communities, and hunger and food insecurity alleviation.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

With key votes scheduled for July and August, the time to act is now.

Partner organizations within the Farm and Food Policy Project have set up �??action alert�?? websites and email lists with breaking news and easy to follow action items. Congressional offices consistently tell us that phone calls and faxes do make a difference.

American Farmland Trust
Focus: Farmland protection, conservation, reform farm commodity policy, local markets

Community Food Security Coalition
Focus: Community-based food systems, local foods in schools, reduced food insecurity

Environmental Defense
Focus: Renewable energy, water & air quality, healthy food, reform farm commodity policy

Rural Coalition
Focus: Redress exclusion of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in farm programs

Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Focus: Conservation, beginning farmers, payment limits, farmers markets, organic

*The Food and Farm Policy Project (FFPP) is a collaborative of diverse organizations united by the common vision of a more sustainable agriculture and food system for the United States.

1. Food Stamps: a) Ensure an increase to the minimum Food Stamp benefit is funded within the Agriculture Committee mark-up. The Chairman’s Reserve Fund Amendment includes an increase, but funding must be secured for the provision to make it into the full Committee mark-up. b) Include a critical provision ensuring “Fairness for Legal Immigrants.” This was not included in the Chairman�??s mark. The Farm Bill must ensure that persons who are lawfully residing in the United States are not ineligible for food stamps on the basis of their immigration status or date of entry in to the US. This includes eliminating a five-year waiting period that now affects many adults.

2. Geographic Preferences: Critical language in support of local procurement preferences is IN the Chairman’s mark. This provision allows institutions to prioritize regional suppliers in bid specifications when purchasing food for school meal or other federally-funded institutional programs. Our representatives should thank Chairman Peterson and continue to build support in the House to ensure this provision is in the final bill.

3. Community Food Project (CFP) Competitive Grants Program: CFP is in the mark at $30 million in discretionary funding. While we applaud the Chairman for increasing CFP funding to $30 million, it is critical that our representatives demand this $30 million be mandatory versus discretionary. Congresswoman Boyda (KS) is readying an amendment for full Committee. Support from NYC representatives is critical, especially due to NYC’s history of successful CFP projects.

4. Conservation Security Program (CSP): Our goal is for the Farm Bill to fully fund the CSP program. This is critical to protecting our drinking water supply. While the program is currently underfunded, the Chairman�??s mark proposes to slash it by another $4.3 billion over the next ten years and stop new CSP enrollments for the next four years. Ask your representatives to contact Congresswoman Gillibrand (NY) and encourage her to offer an amendment during full committee to protect this program.

5. Healthy Food Enterprise Program (HFED): This program is new. It would provide loans to fund infrastructure to bring more food from regional family farms into our cities. Loans could be used for local processing and distribution improvements that are currently not funded within the Farm Bill. HFED was NOT included in the Chairman’s mark. Congresswoman Gillibrand (NY) is readying an amendment for full committee. Please request that your representatives contact the Congresswoman in support of HFED.

Find out who your representative is here.  For more details on our priorities, download Status of NYC Farm Bill Workgroup Priorities.

He was one of 12 mayors to sponsor a Farm Bill resolution for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The group stressed how the Farm Bill can support urban and rural areas working together to tackle issues such as food security, public health, and climate change. The Mayor was in good company as a sponsor, joined by his counterparts from San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, and our nearby Providence. The U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously adopted the resolution (courtesy of California Food and Farming).

Then, just last week, Mayor Bloomberg sent a letter of his own to the House Agriculture Committee. Here, he stressed how the Farm Bill can do more for the city’s low-income working familites in the Food Stamps Program by increasing minimum allotments, boosting household limits, and simplifying administrative practices.

Here’s hoping the Mayor stays on the offensive for the rest of the summer.

The governors’ letter lays out six priorities for consideration as Congress deliberates on the 2007 Farm Bill. The issues include: increased funding specialty crop programs; protection for invasive species; crop insurance; funding for conservation programs; flexibility in administration of nutrition programs; and support for organic agriculture.

�??Together we represent a substantial segment of the nation�??s agricultural economy,�?? said Governor Spitzer. �??As our leaders in Washington consider the 2007 Farm Bill, we have joined together to speak with one voice on a critical issue that affects the jobs and lives of our citizens. These six priorities along with our number one priority of protecting the economic well-being of New York’s dairy farmers will help to build a solid foundation to strengthen and secure the state’s agriculture sector into the 21st Century”�??

The �??Big 4�?? states represent the largest agricultural economies in the country — representing more than one third of the nation�??s farmers, more than 174 million acres of cropland, and more than $60 billion in annual revenue.

�??I hope that this initial effort to influence Congress on issues of critical importance to our states will allow for similar future bipartisan collaboration with the ‘Big 4′ Governors,�?? Governor Spitzer added.

This effort follows Governor Spitzer’s June 7 letter to New York’s congressional delegation outlining his farm bill priorities for the state as well as his announcement earlier this year of $50 million in aid to New York State’s struggling dairy farmers who suffered record low dairy prices during the 2006 calendar year.

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand needs to hear messages of support for expanded funding of conservation programs, and full funding of the Conservation Security Program (CSP).  Although House Ag Committee Chair Peterson’s Conservation Title has additional funding for expanding conservation programs [It increases funding for EQIP and Farmland Protection], it includes but NO FUNDING for new enrollments into CSP until 2012. Other conservation programs are to be funded out of the “reserve” fund which requires offsets, so there is no guarantee they will be funded.

The House Ag. Committee will put forth amendments on Monday and vote on Tuesday. Rep. Gillibrand is one of only two NYS representatives participating on the Committee.  As individuals, please call or write a short email in support of expanded funding in Conservation title and full funding of CSP. Cite the importance to all farmers and forest owners of NY, and particularly the landowners protecting the quality of drinking water for New York City.

Send emails to Ben Rosenbaum, ben.rosenbaum@house.mail.gov, the new ag aide for Rep. Gillibrand or call (518) 743-0964.