RAFI E-Bulletin
The Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA

April and May are busy times on the farm, and they've been exciting times at RAFI this year as well. Congress is finishing a draft of the 2007 Farm Bill this week, and RAFI has taken an active role in crafting what goes in. Updates and resources, including most of the links in this bulletin, are available on our Web site's Farm Bill page.

Back home in North Carolina, the Tobacco Communities Reinvestment participants are beginning their projects, demonstrating ways to keep small farms alive and well.

The larkspur outside our office is blooming, and we are looking forward to a successful summer.

Thank you for your continuing enthusiasm and support.

The Structure of the Farm Bill: Finding the Forest in the Trees

Right now Congress is in the middle of developing the 2007 farm bill, the omnibus legislation that determines how the government will interact with food and agriculture for the next 7 years.

As the debate heats up, so do the questions. Why are all these programs mushed together into one bill? Why do taxpayers give corn, soybean and cotton farmers billions of dollars each year? Why do vegetable farmers receive nothing? What are the big issues here? How will they effect what I eat?

As we look to reform the farm bill, we need to understand where it comes from. There is logic and structure to this multi-billion-dollar legislation. We must seek change with understanding and respect for the family farmers who currently depend on Farm Bill programs.

To learn more about why the farm bill includes everything from food stamps to farm financing, where commodities fit into the mix, and how RAFI recommends ensuring fair markets in years to come, read Scott Marlow's new article, The Farm Bill Tree: Understanding the Logic of the Farm Bill.

Disaster Policy: Changes Needed for Organic and Value-Added Farmers

In the months between the Easter freeze and the looming hurricane season, disaster preparedness is on many farmers' minds. For farmers of organic and value-added crops, that weight is heavier than for most.

In Federal disaster programs, organic and specialty crop farmers face a distinct disadvantage, a disadvantage that RAFI is working to eliminate in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Federal disaster programs are based on conventional crop production and prices. Crop insurance currently requires organic producers to pay an additional 5 percent premium. It then calculates benefits based on the lower conventional price, meaning organic farmers pay more to insure less of their income.

The disadvantages are even more extreme for more recently emerging markets like pastured meats and vegetables sold at farmers markets.

Federal disaster programs should encourage, not discourage, farmers to grow for natural food markets.

Click here to read more about disaster policy.

Tell Congress: Farmers Deserve Fair Contracts

RAFI is calling for a new Competition Title in the Farm Bill. The last e-bulletin described this title, which will give farmers the right to a fair contract and will help restore open markets.

Two bills have been introduced since the last bulletin - one in the House and one in the Senate. Both bills meet RAFI's recomendations for ensuring fair contracts for farmers. Support for these bills is urgently needed, and strengthens our campaign for the Competition Title.

Make sure that the Farm Bill is going to work for contract farmers. Sign a letter to your Representative, sign a letter to your Senators .

Contract farmers won a first-round victory this week. The House draft of the Farm Bill includes an amendment that prohibits binding mandatory arbitration. We need to make sure the final bill includes this amendment and a complete Competition Title. Keep the e-mails and calls coming!

Meet This Year's Innovative Farmers

RAFI's Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund encourages transitioning tobacco farmers to find innovative new farm enterprises. This year's cost-share grant recipients represent a diversity of projects. We'd like to introduce you to two of our newest participants.

For more information on this program, visit the TCRF page on our Web site, or download a copy of our Agricultural Reinvestment Report.

Organic Vegetables in Rural N.C.

Scott Farm has been in Trent Scott's family since 1835. Today, Trent and his wife, Rebecca, are bringing their Jones County, N.C., farm back to life with an organic vegetable business. 

The Scotts researched creative ways to market organics in rural areas. The couple will sell to area restaurants and distributors. They will also build a roadside stand and share it with neighboring farms.

"Our project will show other farmers in our area an innovative way to create income using facilities and equipment that they already own," the couple wrote. "The community will benefit by being able to purchase locally grown produce from fellow community members. Being able to work and live off the family farm again will only be a blessing in our lives." 

Biodiesel On The Farm 

Philip Barker will use a RAFI grant to build a biodiesel plant on his farm. The plant will turn used vegetable oil from local restaurants into environmentally-friendly and inexpensive fuel.

Barker is the operator of the only black-owned dairy farm in North Carolina. He hopes to serve as an example for black youth interested in farming. Farm visitors and employees will now have a chance to learn about biodiesel technology as well as dairy management. 

Barker will use biodiesel in his own equipment and sell excess to neighboring farms and farm services. Diesel is currently the third highest expense for Barker's farm. His new fuel will cut costs and provide a model for farmers interested in reaching better environmental and financial sustainability.

Major support for this program is provided by the Golden LEAF Foundation.

RAFI on the Hill

Debate about the Farm Bill is heating up in Washington, D.C. RAFI is making sure that the voices of farmers remain part of the discussion.

Scott Marlow, RAFI's Farm Sustainability Program Director, testified before the House Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on Commodities and Risk Management. Scott recommended changes to crop insurance programs in order to provide better risk-management for farmers with non-traditional products. Read Scott's testimony.

Scott Hamilton, a poultry grower from Alabama, testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Kay Doby, a poultry grower and President of the N.C. Poultry Growers' Association, testified before the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee Livestock, Dairy and Poultry.

Kay and Scott shared their experiences with contract poultry growing and recommended changes to restore justice and equity to agricultural contracts. Read Scott's testimony. Read Kay's testimony.

Join RAFI in making a difference.

Join RAFI in sustaining family farms and help ensure a just and sustainable food supply. Click here to make a contribution to this important work.

The RAFI-USA e-Bulletin is produced by Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA

If you have questions or comments, let us know at communicator@rafiusa.org.
Copyright 2007, RAFI-USA.

For back issues of the bulletin, see the RAFI- USA e-Bulletins page or call (919) 542-1396. You can search our site to find information in back issues.

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