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Provisions Supported in the Farm BillMay, 2002 - The House and Senate have each passed very different versions of the farm bill. Then agriculture committee members met in conference committee of to hammer out the final version of the law that will govern family farmers and shape the food system for the next five to ten years. TAKE ACTION to protect key provisions that support small, independent farmers and ranchers, minority and woman producers, hungry families and low-income consumers, Farmworkers and the environment.
Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program - Section 2501Both the House and Senate farm bills included an increase in funding authority for this program to $25 million. The Senate version also included new language to strengthen the program by allowing other agencies and programs with in the USDA to fund and coordinate collaborative outreach efforts. Both sides, however, continue to make this an authorized program, meaning Congress has to appropriate money each year for this program. Despite the current $10 million authority, the bill has never been funded above $3 billion. The campaign is supporting the Senate language for this program and wants funding for the program to be made mandatory. The Rural Coalition and the Missouri Action Research Connection of the University of Missouri conducted research with minority farmers and found that the majority of producers who participated in this study had little to no knowledge of the USDA programs that were available to farmers and ranchers. Minority farmers receive fewer payments, fewer and lower-valued loans, and less outreach and training. The 2501 Outreach Program was created by Congress to proactively address these inequities, and is one of the few efforts to focus on these gaps. Further research shows that farmers who have received assistance from institutions or community-based organizations funded by this program have higher rates of participation and understanding of USDA programs. Talking Points:
[Top] Transparency and Accountability from USDAFailure to address inequities in USDA programs and services in any comprehensive fashion has led to litigation and costly settlements for the Department, but still almost nothing has been done to make structural changes to resolve discrimination and civil rights abuses and prevent future problems. A provision in the Senate Bill authored by Senator Lugar and supported by Senator Harkin creates the tools necessary to make the outreach and services delivery efforts more transparent and hold USDA accountable to farmers, ranchers, taxpayers and Congress.
We are urging the conferees to include these provisions in the final bill in order to ensure more equitable service and improved access for minority, women and other small farmers and ranchers to all programs of the Department. Talking Points:
[Top] Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at USDAThe Department of Agriculture has been an endless source civil rights abuse and discrimination for producer and its employees. Despite ongoing promises and statements from the Department declaring a commitment to address past and on going complaints, abuses continue unabated and complaints go unaddressed. The Senate farm bill included a provision to establish an Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at USDA who would oversee all civil rights compliance monitoring and enforcement, assure that all complaints are fully settled, and allow the Department to better fulfill their commitment to assure that all services are delivered equitably and all employees are treated fairly. We are urging all conferees to follow the leadership of Senators Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) and to support the establishment of this much needed position at USDA. A new Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights would have the authority to keep the Secretary and the Congress informed on the status and challenges of achieving equity within the USDA system, to take action on complaints, to perform proactive reviews and training, to find out why complaints continue to be generated, and to recommend changes that will root out discriminatory behaviors from the structure and function of USDA. Talking Points:
[Top] NutritionThe Senate farm bill contains many critical measures for
increasing food access and enhancing food security for low-income
consumers - including Farmworkers, seniors and children - through many
different programs. Conference committee leaders announced a tentative
spending outline for the farm bill that notes $6.4 billion for nutrition
programs. While this is below the Senate recommendation of $8.2, it is
nearly double House farm bill spending levels and is being noted as a
reasonable compromise for the two bills. There are many nutrition measures
that we are supporting related to both food stamps and other nutrition
programs. Though funding is tight, it is vital that all of these measures
are adopted in order to improve public nutrition as well as benefit the
independent producers who can offer the greatest response to food
security needs. WIC and Seniors Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)Allows women, children, and seniors who are on public assistance to purchase local fresh produce from independent family farmers. This is a critical program for many low-income producers who without it would lose a valuable source of income, and possibly their farms. This program allows food stamp dollars to be recycled back into farmer's pockets - allowing the tax dollars spent on food stamp and WIC programs to serve a double benefit - feeding hungry families as well as increasing and ensuring small farm income. Talking Points:
[Top] Community Food ProjectsThis is a federal program aimed to carry out multi-purpose community food projects designed to meet the needs of low-income people, increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food needs, and promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues. When a non-profit has been accepted for this grant, it is awarded a one-time infusion of funds for a period of one to three years to bring components of the food system together to improve food security in the community. We urge the conferees to reach an agreement between the two bills by providing graduated funding for this program from $4 million to the House level of $7.5 million over the life of the farm bill. Talking Points:
[Top] Institutional Buying of Locally Produced FoodsThe Senate bill includes a measure that requires USDA to advise institutions participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to purchase local produce for these programs. All of these measures support food and farm policy that is beneficial to both farmers and low-income food insecurity communities. The program offers small grants to cover the initial costs of implementing this policy. We urge the conference committee to adopt this provision from the Senate bill. Talking Points:
[Top] Food StampsThe Senate farm bill includes critical improvements to food stamp programs, including the restoration of benefits to legal immigrants, changes in determining eligibility, simplified application process, and allowing people who have lost their jobs to receive food stamps for 6 months - instead of the current 3 months. The Senate showed over whelming support for improvements to the food stamp program, particularly the restoration of benefits to legal immigrants, which passed 96-1 on the Senate floor. A commitment to fairness and equity in food access requires that the stronger food stamp provisions in the Senate bill be preserved. Talking Points:
[Top] Ban on Packer Ownership of LivestockThe Senate farm bill includes a measure to limit meat packers from owning livestock and thereby monopolizing the livestock industry and unfairly controlling market price. Amendments on the ban were brought to the Senate floor TWICE, and passed both times! The bill prevents packers from owning livestock directly or through a subsidiary. The bill will not affect forward contracts or marketing agreements. It will not affect joint ventures unless a major packer actually owns the livestock. It also exempts: (1) cooperatives and (2) farmer controlled packers with less than 2% of the national market. As of August 2001, Smithfield owned 711,000 sows and Cargill, Tyson, and Premium Standard Farms each owned well over 100,000 sows. Packers also use captive supplies - hogs they buy using premium long-term forward contracts that are kept secret between them and the largest producers - to control the market, reduce fair competition, and keep prices to independent producers down. The packers' goal is to take the whole industry, leaving little or nothing for independent family farmers. We are asking the conference committee to ensure that the packer ownership ban is included in the final farm bill. There is no excuse for any other position, unless they support the corporate takeover of agriculture. Talking Points:
[Top] Commodity Payment LimitationsThe Senate farm bill included a measure to limit the amount that individuals and corporations can receive from commodity payments. Currently 80% of farm payments are going to 10% of the largest producers in the country. This means that a small group of largely corporate producers are receiving payments in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The new measure caps direct and counter cyclical payments at $75,000 and loan deficiency payments and marketing loan gains at $150,000 and allows large farms to gain only an additional $50,000 by dividing their operation with their spouse. The bill does not allow corporations to receive payments and limits the ability for non-farming landowners to receive payments. The Senate provisions for payment limitations should adopted into law, and not that House language which leaves loop holes for corporations to avoid being affected by limits. Talking Points:
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Take Action to Support Equity and Fairness for Small Farmers and Hungry People in the 2002 Farm Bill!
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