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Sign-on Letter to House Appropriations CommitteeJuly 14, 2003 Dear Members of Congress: Today we write to urge all members of the House of Representatives to vote for two critical amendments to the FY 2004 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, HR 2673:
We the undersigned organizations represent community-based organizations and educational institutions that work with small, minority and other limited resource farmers and ranchers to improve the profitability, sustainability and success of their agriculture operations. We urge you to vote for these important amendments. In recent years, the liability against the Department of Agriculture for civil rights violations against farmers and employees has exceeded $700 million. A single settlement in December 2002 in the state of Virginia for discrimination against an African American producer cost taxpayers more than $6 million. Thousands of farmers have lost land and the lives of thousands of employees have been adversely affected by discriminatory practices that still continue at a federal agency. In the 2002 Farm Bill, Congress established the post of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights to provide proactive leadership to the Department in upholding civil rights and treating all farmers and employees fairly. Additional funding is urgently needed to allow the new Assistant Secretary to resolve all pending complaints, but also to institute the procedures and monitoring necessary to root out all continuing discrimination and assure fair service. Minority farmers still face frequent discrimination and continue to lose land at an unprecedented rate. However, minority producers also comprise the fastest growing population of new and beginning farmers and ranchers in the U.S. The future of rural America, as well as our nation's independent family farm sector and community-based food system is increasingly and inevitably more racially and ethnically diverse. Minority-serving institutions have been essential players in providing services to minority producers. Both amendments would increase funding for these institutions, which have received far less support than their 1862 Land Grant counterparts. The Ballance amendment provides an addition $600,000 million to Hispanic Serving Institutions for services to minority farmers. The Davis amendment restores cuts made in support to Historically Black 1890 Land Grant Institutions. Since its creation in 1990, the Outreach and Technical Assistance Program for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program (aka the 2501 program) has helped small and minority farmers gain access to USDA's credit, commodity, conservation and other programs. It targets information on farm management, production and marketing assistance to minority producers through community-based organizations that have experience working with them in their communities and know their assistance needs.
Please vote yes on the Balance-Baca-Thompson Amendment and the Davis Amendment to assist minority farmers. And please accept our thanks in advance for your support. Attached is additional information that highlights our successes and accomplishments of the minority farm outreach program. With your support, we look forward to continuing to work with the diverse farmers that we serve. Sincerely,
Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural, Washington, DC
Minority Farm Outreach and Technical Assistance ProgramThe Minority Farm Outreach and Technical Assistance Program helps minority and other small farmers gain access to USDA's credit, commodity, conservation and other programs. Under this program, community-based organizations and educational institutions with demonstrated experience in serving minority farmers, provide them with training in farm management, production, marketing and other key assistance critical to accessing USDA programs and managing viable farm operations. The Facts:
The Outreach program serves minority communities that have been historically underserved and are in vital need of services. The program has provided outreach to more than 100,000 rural constituents and has been an invaluable resource for the more than 400 counties where it has been implemented, among them some of the poorest in the country, where minority and under-served small and family farmers are concentrated. Technical and outreach staff understand their clients' needs. This program offers minority farmers direct technical assistance and training on farm management, production, and marketing assistance, and cooperative and credit union development from organizations that have experience working with minority producers and have established themselves as members of the community. The Minority Outreach Program WORKS! Communities where this program operates have seen a dramatic increase in the number of minority producers participating in farm programs and staying on the land. Producers in communities with no outreach program have little to no knowledge of USDA programs. Additional funds are needed to extend Outreach services to more eligible organizations to reach more communities and farmers where resources have never been allocated. In order to adequately meet unserved needs, Congress expanded funding authority for the Minority Farm Outreach Program to $25 million in the 2002 Farm Bill. The members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and of the farm bill conference committee quite clearly understood the importance of this program and its urgent need for increased funding. Members of Congress, current grantees and other community-based organizations that support this program urge that the program be funded at $15 million for FY 2004.
Dispelling the Myths about the Minority Outreach ProgramMYTH: All Farmers Have Equal Access to USDA Programs FACT: The majority of USDA farm program funds benefit the largest farmers. Without technical assistance through the Minority Farm Outreach and Technical Assistance Program, there is little chance many minority farmers will know about, qualify for, or benefit from USDA farm programs. FACT: In 2001, the scant $3 million provided by Congress helped USDA support 32 outreach programs in 23 states and Puerto Rico, reaching hundreds of minority farmers and ranchers. A funding increase to $15 million would allow the expansion of current programs to reach more farmers, and would allow more eligible institutions with demonstrated experience to reach the thousands more eligible farmers they seek to serve. FACT: Payments to some of the largest individual and corporate farmers exceed the grants provided to whole institutions that serve sometimes hundreds of minority producers who receive no other federal agriculture benefits or services. MYTH: The Program is Just a Subsidy for the 1890 Land Grant Universities FACT: Hundreds of African American and other farmers receive critical services under this program through the 1890 Land Grant Institutions. In addition, the program serves a diverse group of African-American, Latino, Asian and Native American community- based organizations that have assisted socially disadvantaged producers for many years, and in some cases, decades without federal support. These groups have provided services substantially similar to those provided with federal support in other outreach and extension programs for mainstream farmers. FACT: In 2001, an improved outreach and peer review process resulted in grants to more than a dozen CBO's and Tribal and Community College, and 6 new programs west of the Mississippi. MYTH: The Program Has Not Produced Results
FACTS: "Since 1998 we have worked with over 150 new immigrant farmers to help them
adapt their agrarian skills to provide food for their families as well as to provide an avenue
to self-sufficiency. The New Immigrant Agriculture Project (NIAP) has helped add over 40 new
immigrant farmers onto the FSA records and helped the first Hmong farmer in Minnesota to own land
get an FSA farm loan and purchase 56 acres."
"The Center for Latino Farmers' primary focus is on farm worker to farm owner initiatives.
The Project is providing outreach and assistance to 150 Latino farmers to increase their access
to USDA programs, develop the farmers' understanding of computers and train them in how to set up
their own computerized accounting systems."
"H.A.C. is the first CBO of its kind that focuses on economic development in the Hmong
immigrants in California's central valley. HAC helped establish the Hmong American Farming
Cooperative and is working with 100 farmers to cooperatively market specialty Asian vegetables.
Our Small Farm Resource and Training Center offers producers one-stop assistance in farm planning,
using new technology in their operations, and in navigating USDA programs and services, as well
as training and assistance in their native language."
"Since 1995, we have helped African-American farmers save more than 4000 acres of land valued
at more than $3 million, and helped to secure financing for the purchase of more than 1600 acres,
valued at more than $1 million. In 2000 our outreach efforts helped 192 farmers participate in USDA
programs. In 2000 87% of our farmers grew alternative crops, 92% had developed record keeping
systems, and 8% were using computers. Average gross income of our farmers has increased by $15,000
since1995. Only 52% continue to depend on off-farm income, down from 64%.
More Minority Farm Outreach and Technical Assistance Program Successes and Achievements" The Small Farm Outreach and Technical Assistance Project in Mississippi assists and supports cooperative development; works with producers to find markets for their products; helps producers and cooperatives in developing business plans and financial management skills; and conducts workshops and trainings in areas such as technology and land management. Our loan training assists producers in applying for loans from both traditional and non-traditional sources, and prepares them for maintaining these loans. Through this program, we have seen a 20% increase in producers being approved for loans, and a 90 % decrease in loan delinquency. Our producers have been approved for nearly $2.5 million in farm ownership and operating loans and we have stopped minority farmers from losing more than 19,730 traditional crop acres, and 1,425 alternative crop acres, together valued at more than $12 million. Our Beauregard Sweet Potato Production and Value Added Processing program is now
helping minority producers market their sweet potatoes to MS public schools. We are most proud
of our Youth Loan Program, which has given out more than $135,000 in loans to assist young
entrepreneurs in starting small businesses."
The 2501 Project at Ojibwa Community College, known as the Guiding Resource Opportunities with Tribal Heritage -- GROWTH, is making tremendous strides in its outreach initiatives. Project GROWTH provides students with practical learning experiences in agriculture and is improving several community services utilizing the Geographic Information Systems -- GIS, a computer tool that combines demographic information and roads for future land use planning. As a result of the GIS laboratory at Ojibwa Community College, the students can now participate in interesting and interactive projects with several community entities.
"The Center for Latino Farmers' primary focus is on farm worker to farm owner initiatives. The Project is providing outreach and assistance to increase their access to USDA programs, develop the farmers' understanding of computers and train them in how to set up their own computerized accounting systems. A Spanish/English survey was developed by the 2501 Project staff and USDA Outreach personnel in Washington State to learn about the needs of this new generation of limited English speaking Latino farmers and their knowledge of USDA programs. Preliminary results from the survey found 37% were beginning farmers and 90% prefer communicating in Spanish. 50% were involved in fruit production, and 13% in vegetable and livestock production. The 2501 Project has identified 150 Latino farmer participants in five rural East Central Washington counties of Yakima, Grant, Chelan, Adams and Benton." The Milwaukee Small Farmer Distribution Center, Growing Power, Inc., developed a market basket approach for improving the distribution of fresh produce and healthy foods to the inner-city areas of Wisconsin. As a result, Growing Power, Inc., is contributing to the development of the urban markets for the Wisconsin farmers while providing quality food products for city residents. Locally, several socially disadvantaged farmers have started or increased their scale of truck farming to supply the market for Growing Power, Inc. The increased size of these produce farmers with their specialty crops will be able to increase their income.
"The Hmong American Community, Inc. is the first community-based organization of its kind founded with a focus on economic development in the Hmong community. HAC serves new immigrant producers in California's central valley, reaching farmers in four counties - Fresno, Merced, Tulare and Butte. HAC helped establish the Hmong American Farming Cooperative and is currently working with 100 Hmong new immigrant farmers to cooperatively market and sell produce, including a wide variety of specialty Asian vegetables. HAC also established a Small Farm Resource and Training Center. This one-stop center offers producers assistance in farm planning, using new technology in their operations, and in navigating USDA programs and services, as well as training and assistance in their native language." Our 2501 Outreach and Assistance in the Delta Program has worked closely with individual producers, local community based organizations and various USDA agencies to bring new opportunities to producers in our region. Through assistance from 2501 staff approximately 60 of our clients have obtained close to $3 millions dollars annually in operation loans, and 20 have been able to purchase almost 2500 acres of land, valued at $1.8 million. We have worked closely with producers to address immediate needs such as telephone service and to clean out drainage ditches - a joint effort with the county judge and the local NRCS that gave minority producers access to 500 acres of formerly unusable land. Our staff worked with the local NRCS office to do outreach to limited resource and minority farmers for EQIP. From that campaign 20 new limited resource farmers received EQIP assistance, a record in our region, and the state received an additional $350,000 for EQIP. Together with the Arkansas Chapter of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalist Association we succeeded in getting the governor to sign an executive order requesting all state agencies to purchase 25% of their fresh produce from small farmers. Two African American farm families that we serve were voted "Farm Family of the Year" in their respective counties. "Since 1995, we have helped African-American farmers save more than four thousand acres of land valued at more than $3 million, and helped to secure financing for the purchase of more than 1600 acres of land, valued at more than $1 million. In 2000 our outreach efforts helped 192 farmers participate in USDA programs, up from 125 in 1995. We have helped our farmers secure $13,708,070 in loans for operating, livestock, equipment and farm ownership. In 2000, 87% of our farmers grew alternative crops, 92% have some type of record keeping system, and 8% use computers. By 2000 average gross income of the farmers we serve increased by $15,000 from 1995, and only 52% continued to depend on off-farm income, down from 64%. Because of the 2501 program the Federation has been able to collaborate on projects with NRCS, FSA and the Risk Management Agency. These collaborations have dramatically increased participation in and knowledge of all of the above agencies' programs by underserved farmers." "Over the last three years, the Minnesota Food Association has worked with over 150 new immigrant farmers to help them adapt their agrarian skills to provide food for their families as well as to provide an avenue to self-sufficiency. The New Immigrant Agriculture Project (NIAP) has worked with new immigrants to address economic, health, safety and nutrition concerns in their communities and to develop community-based education and training programs in areas such as production techniques, harvesting techniques, marketing, and farm business management skills. Through the NIAP producers have identified new niche markets for culturally appropriate foods, and have connected with their Minnesota communities, as well as with other sustainable agriculture organizations and numerous USDA agencies. The program assisted in adding over 40 New Immigrant farmers onto the Farm Service Agency records and helped the first Hmong farmer in Minnesota to own land to get an FSA farm loan and purchase 56 acres of farm land."
Prairie View's 2501 Project focuses on helping minority agriculture producers in Texas overcome barriers to participating in USDA programs and other barriers to having successful and sustainable operations. University extension agents meet with clients to assist them in understanding FSA programs and developing sound farm management techniques. The program provides translated program information in Spanish and helps producers one-on-one with USDA applications. In 2001, the program assisted 1129 minority producers in 13 counties in Eastern and Southern Texas, and assisted 108 borrowers to apply for over $4 million in loans. Project FORGE focuses on providing technical and business assistance to socially disadvantaged, mostly Hispanic, farmers, ranchers and rural businesses in South Texas. The program works to help producers gain access to USDA and other programs, including FSA loan programs, SBA guaranteed loan programs, and a variety of micro-loan programs, that will improve the profitability of their farming operations. Project FORGE also provides Hispanic farmers with beginning computer and Internet training and helps them to apply these new skills into their businesses. The project has done 100 computer and Internet training sessions involving over 750 participants and has partnered with Valley Telephone Cooperative and Texas State Bank to provide training in on-line banking The Project also provides advanced training in applications like Quicken for bookkeeping and web page design for marketing. Project FORGE collaborates with community based and other organizations in order to leverage funding and provide as much training and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers as possible. In 2001 Project FORGE worked with the Texas/Mexico Border Coalition to organize a Farm Bill Forum to provide Hispanic farmers and ranchers with information on farm bill legislation and food & agriculture policy in general. For further information, contact Lorette Picciano or Quinton Robinson at the Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural at (202) 628-7160.
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