permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Make a Call for Organic Farmers Today.
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:12:01 -0800
From: Tracy Lerman <tracy@OFRF.ORG>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Friends,

The House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee is currently determining its
priorities for the 2011 budget. Please call those Representatives and
urge them to support organic research and conservation programs. Action
alert for more information and forwarding is below.

Thanks,
Tracy Lerman
OFRF Polixy Organizer

March 11, 2010


 Make a Call for Organic Farmers Today


*Cultivating organic farming should be a top priority in the USDA
budget.* To accomplish this goal, two USDA program areas are critical.
USDA _conservation programs_ bolster today's organic farmers by paying
them to improve their conservation activities. Investing in _organic
agriculture research_ fosters tomorrow's organic farmers.

*Unfortunately, while President's Obama's 2011 proposed budget increases
funding for some important organic and sustainable farming programs, it
makes significant cuts to both conservation and organic research programs.*

Congress is now starting the 2011 budget process, and the *House
Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee*
<http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_ardf.shtml>, the
committee responsible for funding agriculture programs, is deciding next
year's priorities right now. *If your representative sits on that
committee, please call and urge him or her to support organic farmers
and invest in organic knowledge.* (Visit *www.congressmerge.com*
<http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm> to find out who
represents you.)



*Capitol Switchboard*

(202) 224-3121 - ask to be transferrred to your representative's office

Talking Points
"Hi, I am a constituent of Representative _____. Supporting organic
farmers and conservation programs in the 2011 budget is a top priority
for me. I am calling to urge Representative _____ to support three
important areas in the 2011 budget:

   * * Reject President Obama's proposed $5 million cut to the Organic
     Transitions Integrated Research Program (ORG)*and increase funding
     for dedicated organic agriculture research programs to $35 million.
   * * Increase funding for the Organic Market and Production Data
     Collection Initiative to $5 million.*
   * * Reject President Obama's $1 billion cut to conservation programs.

     *

Let us know how your call went -- contact Tracy Lerman, OFRF Policy
Organizer: *tracy@ofrf.org* <mailto:tracy@ofrf.org>

Background

Following the release of *President Obama's proposed 2011 budget*
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview/> on February 1, Congress
began its process to decide which federal programs will be funded and at
what levels for the next fiscal year. President Obama's budget proposes
cuts to several critical organic agriculture and conservation programs.
*It is important that constituents, especially farmers, contact the
members of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Appropriations
Committee <http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_ardf.shtml>
and urge them to restore those cuts.*


       Organic Agriculture Research Funding

USDA has two competitive grants programs dedicated to organic
agriculture research: the *Organic Transitions Integrated Research
Program (ORG)*
<http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/integratedorganicandwaterqualityprogramicgp.cfm?pg=3> 

and the *Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)*
<http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/organicagricultureresearchandextensioninitiative.cfm?pg=4>. 

Both of these programs consistently receive significantly more
applications than they can fund. Yet, President Obama's proposed 2011
budget makes no increases to either program and cuts all funding for
ORG. Given the crucial role that research plays in supporting and
improving organic farming systems, it is imperative that Congress ramp
up its investment in dedicated organic research programs.

OFRF advocates that Congress maintain 2010 funding levels of $5 million
for ORG. We are also advocating for a $10 million increase for OREI,
bringing that program's 2011 funding level to $30 million. Fully funding
these requests would still represent less than 2% of USDA's total
research budget.


       /*Organic Marketing and Data Collection Initiative*/

The Organic Marketing and Data Collection Initiative (ODI) provides for
the collection and analysis of data about organic production, prices,
and markets. There is a huge backlog of organic sector information
needs. *This backlog has led to denial of bank loans and crop insurance
for organic growers, because creditors and insurers do not have reliable
organic industry information.*
<http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/odi_farmer_stories.pdf> The
2008 Farm Bill provided $5 million to jumpstart USDA's data collection
for the US organic industry, and also authorized up to $5 million
annually at Congress' discretion. As there is still considerable need
for expanded data collection and analysis, Congress should continue to
give significant support to organic industry data collection efforts.
OFRF recommends increasing funding for ODI to the full Farm Bill
discretionary level of $5 million.


       /*Conservation Programs for Farmers*/

USDA conservation programs, such as the *Conservation Stewardship
Program (CSP)*
<http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/farm_bill_implementation/csp_resource_page.html> 

and the *Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)*
<http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/farm_bill_implementation/eqip_oi_resource_page.html>, 

provide financial assistance and technical support for farmers to
improve conservation performance on their farms. These programs lead to
cleaner water, erosion reduction, carbon sinks, improved wildlife
habitat, and other essential environmental services.

The 2008 Farm Bill provided over $4 billion for these and other USDA
conservation programs. Currently, OFRF is working with USDA to better
integrate organic farming into these programs so that organic farmers
are rewarded for the conservation benefits of their farming systems. The
*$50 million EQIP Organic Initiative*
<http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/farm_bill_implementation/eqip_oi_resource_page.html>, 

which is available exclusively to organic and transitioning-to-organic
farmers, is a focus of these efforts.

More Information

*OFRF's Priorities for the 2011 Budget*
<http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/fy11_approps_priorities.pdf>

*National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's FY2011 Appropriations
Chart* <http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/odi_farmer_stories.pdf>

*Making the Case for Funding Organic Data Collection*
<http://ofrf.org/policy/federal_legislation/odi_farmer_stories.pdf> -
stories from farmers highlighting the need for better organic industry data.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's blog postings on Obama's
budget:

   *2011 Budget Drilldown: Sustainable Ag Research

<http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/2011-budget-drill-down-research/>
   2011 Budget Drilldown: Organic Programs

<http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/2011-budget-drilldown-organic-programs/>
   Farm and Conservation Groups Oppose Obama's Proposed Farm Bill Cuts

<http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/farm-and-conservation-groups-oppose-obama%E2%80%99s-proposed-farm-bill-cuts/>*

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**************************
Tracy Lerman
Policy Organizer
Organic Farming Research Foundation
PO Box 440 * Santa Cruz, CA 95061
p: (831) 426-6606 x 108 * f: (831) 426-6670
www.ofrf.org * tracy@ofrf.org

"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all
our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a
sterner sense of justice than we do." - Wendell Berry

Join the Organic Farmers Action Network today! For more info, visit
http://ofrf.org/subscribe/ofan.html