Welcome to the Organic Farming Exchange
Brought to you by the Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State

2012 Farm Bill
www.ag.senate.gov/issues/farm-bill
What is it?
Every five years, a massive piece of legislation called the Farm Bill determines how tens of billions of dollars will be spent to shape American agriculture and rural communities. The Farm Bill, enacted by Congress in June 2008, included $285 billion for agricultural and farming industries. It is also known as the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act. The 2008 Farm Bill contained 15 titles covering support for numerous programs involving commodity crops, horticulture, livestock, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development, energy, and forestry. It also included tax-related provisions to offset some new spending initiatives in the rest of the bill.

How can I contribute?
Contacting your Senator or Representative is an effective way to have your voice heard and your opinion count. To contact your House Representative, visit the online directory, www.house.gov/representatives.

To contact Senator Levin, www.levin.senate.gov, write to:
The Honorable Carl Levin
United States Senate
269 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DR 20510-2202
Phone: (202) 224-6221

To contact Senator Stabenow, www.stabenow.senate.gov, write to:
The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
United States Senate
133 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC, 20510-2203
Phone: (202) 224-4822

Becoming educated about the Farm Bill is also an important step to take. Visit the following websites for more information:

• Food System Economic Partnership | www.fsepmichigan.org/index.php/farm-bill-2012 | Work on the 2012 Farm Bill has already begun and there are lots of ways to get involved
• FarmPolicy.com | farmpolicy.com/ | A summary of farm policy news
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition | sustainableagriculture.net/blog/take-action-on-the-farm-bill | An alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities
• Organic Trade Association | ota.capwiz.com/ota/issues/alert/?alertid=55057501 | The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy. OTA envisions organic products becoming a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people’s lives and the environment. 
• Organic Farmers Action Network (OFAN) | ofrf.org/action/action.html | Keeps member-subscribers informed about federal policy issues that directly affect organic farmers, and provides educational tools about how to effectively get involved.

FARM BILL NEWS
Sen. Debbie Stabenow tells Michigan farmers to expect changes
March 23, 2012 | WZZM13
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Maureen Groppe, Gannett Washington Bureau) - Support no longer exists for the federal payments that some farmers get in both good times and bad, Sen. Debbie Stabenow told the Michigan Farm Bureau Friday. 
Read the full article: www.wzzm13.com/news/article/205922/14/Stabenow-warns-changes-coming-to-farm-subsidies?odyssey=tab

NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE COALITION (NSAC): FARM BILL ACTION
3 Days, 3 Actions
April 19, 2012 | National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
It’s time to speak out for the future of food and farming – and we need your help!  By the end of this week, we may see the first draft of the 2012 Farm Bill from Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Join NSAC’s call for “Three Days, Three Actions” and make one call each day this week to voice your support for a better 2012 Farm Bill!

Today’s Action: Conservation Stewardship Program
Successful farming and healthy soil, air, and water go hand in hand. The Conservation Stewardship Program, sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/conservation-environment/
conservation-stewardship-program/,  is a unique program that rewards farmers for the environmental benefits they produce.  CSP helps farmers and ranchers manage and expand smart conservation activities on their lands – like restoring native grasses on pastureland to create wildlife habitat or rotating crops seasonally to improve the soil. CSP is extremely popular with producers, with twice as many applicants as there is funding competing to participate in the program! The 2012 Farm Bill gives us an opportunity to improve this successful program so that it works better on the ground. 

Call Today
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is a supporter of conservation and she needs to hear from you that CSP matters. Call her office today: (202) 224-4822.
Tell Chairwoman Stabenow:  “Thank you for your support of conservation efforts. Please retain and improve the Conservation Stewardship Program—we need the 2012 Farm Bill to include a SCP that rewards positive conservation outcomes by: 

• Upgrading the ‘stewardship thresholds’ farms must meet to be eligible to get into the program,
• Ranking CSP applications solely according to the total environmental benefits being achieved, and
• Allowing farmers to renew their CSP contracts provided they agree to increase their CSP environmental benefits.”

Thanks for all you do,

The NSAC Grassroots Team

P.S. If you call—tell us
how it went!

Senate Writes a Farm Bill
April 13, 2012 | NSAC Testimony
The Senate Agriculture Committee is on track to meet its timeline for marking up a farm bill later this month.  Agriculture staffers in the Senate have been meeting throughout the two-week Congressional Easter recess to discuss issues and proposals.  The Senate Agriculture Committee leadership is writing a draft of the farm bill – known as the Chairwoman’s “mark” – that will serve as the vehicle for Committee members to debate and amend when they meet to “mark up” the bill.  Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI) has been working closely with Ranking Member Roberts (R-KS) to produce a bipartisan mark.
Read the full article: sustainableagriculture.net/blog/senate-writes-farm-bil/?utm_source=roundup&utm_medium=email

House and Senate Move Forward on Different Paths with FY 2013 appropriations
March 22, 2012 | NSAC Testimony
On Tuesday, March 20, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) delivered its fiscal year (FY) 2013 agriculture appropriations testimony to the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.  The testimony includes NSAC’s FY 2013 appropriations requests for critical conservation, rural development, marketing, research, credit, and beginning and minority farmer programs.  We will deliver matching funding requests to the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee next week.
Read the full article: sustainableagriculture.net/blog/fy-2013-appropriations/

Stripped Down House Farm Bill by April 27? 
March 22, 2012 | National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Members and readers have been calling and writing asking for insight into what the House budget resolution — introduced on March 20, passed out of the House Budget Committee on March 21, and headed to a vote on the House floor next week— means for the new farm bill. We will do our best to try to make sense of the complex and still unfolding situation in simple terms.
Read the full article: sustainableagriculture.net/blog/farm-bill-by-april-27/

NSAC Releases 2012 Farm Bill Policy Platform
March 19, 2012 | National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its 2012 Farm Bill policy platform, Farming for the Future: A Sustainable Agriculture Agenda for the 2012 Food & Farm Bill. The platform is the culmination of two years of policy work with a broad, diverse coalition of over 90 grassroots organizations from across the country. It reflects the real, urgent needs of farmers, ranchers, and food entrepreneurs.
Read the full article: sustainableagriculture.net/blog/2012-farm-bill-platform/?utm_source=roundup&utm_medium=email

Food Safety Modernization Act
democrats.senate.gov/2010/11/16/s-510-the-food-safety-modernization-act/
What is it?
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (SB 510) was signed into law by President Obama on January 4th, 2011. It aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus of federal regulators from responding to contamination to preventing it. The Act was written largely  in response to the 48 million food-borne illnesses that effect Americans annually. This will be the first food safety standards overhaul in more than a century.

What does it mean for me?
The FSMA will have noticeable implications for almost all farmers. For example, farms with a revenue of over $500,000 will be subject to increased regulation, which could hinder growing farms from wanting to expand. Taking effect sooner than other provisions of the bill is the FDA’s authority to instantly declare a mandatory recall of dangerous food. 

Where can I learn more?

• Food and Drug Administration | www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/default.htm
• FoodSafety.gov | www.foodsafety.gov/news/fsma.html
• Food Safety News | www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/01/fda-food-safety-modernization-act-out-of-the-box/

News & Hot Topics

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
MSU Seeks New Dean of College of Ag & Natural Resources
CANR.msu.edu/canr/canr_dean_search
March 12, 2012 | MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
The CANR Dean Search Committee is pleased to announce that four finalists have been selected for campus interviews and will be visiting campus beginning March 12. Each candidate visited campus for 2 days, meeting with key faculty, staff, and administrators as well as external stakeholders, and providing, in a public presentation, their vision for transporting CANRforward. CVs of each candidate are posted on the CANR Dean Search web site above, as well as web casts of the public presentations given.

UPCOMING EVENTS
8 Diverse Farms Chosen to Host 2012 Breakfast on the Farm Events
Announced February 15, 2012 | MSU Breakfast on the Farm
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Made possible through the support of organizations and businesses at both the state and local level, Breakfast on the Farm gives consumers and farm neighbors a first-hand look at modern food production and the farm families who work hard to produce a safe, wholesome food supply.
Read more: www.breakfastonthefarm.com/

Michigan Good Food Summit
Thursday, June 14, 2012 | Lansing Center
This will be a working meeting to build on the momentum and successes around the Michigan Good Food Charter by bringing people together from across the state who care about good food to learn from each other, to strengthen advocacy networks and to grow our collective capacity to implement and track progress towards the charter goals and agenda priorities. For more information, visit www.michiganfood.org or e-mail Kathryn Colasanti at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).