What’s New in Michigan Organic AG? Sept 7-14, 2007
1. URGE SENATE FINANCE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRIORITIES IN THE FARM
BILL.
2. Cottage produced
farm products-HB 4568
3. Sewage Sludge
may be allowed in compost production! Will it end up in compost used on
organic farms?
4. INSECT NEWS
INFESTS IPODS
Notice of Position Opening
5. Position:
Director of Communications at The Rodale Institute
6. Lansing City
Market Supervisor Position available (Salary/with Benefits)
7. . Blandford Nature
Center & Mixed Greens are looking to fill several AmeriCorps*VISTA
positions.
Events
8The Urban Forager-Workshop Series Sept 22-Oct 20th on Fridays
and Saturdays
9. EAT LOCAL, KALAMAZOO!"
is a celebration and exploration of local foods (September 23 - 28)
10. Growing Your
Business 1 day Conference
On November 2, 2007
11. The future of
technologies in the dairy industry…Which path shall we take? The choice
is ours. Join the discussion on rbST in most of our milk supply and Kroger’s
desire to not allow it.
Dinner
Meeting: Tuesday, September 18th beginning @ 4:45 PM
~OR~
Lunch
Meeting: Wednesday, September 19th beginning @ 10:00 AM Call 1-800-233-2999 to
RSVP no later than September 14th!!!
12. Study finds organic soil
will produce better crops
13. Local Food Events-Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas
ACTION ALERT
September 10, 2007
1. URGE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO SUPPORT
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRIORITIES IN THE FARM BILL
The Senate
Finance Committee is expected to hold a tax title markup on September 19 to
help pay for the upcoming farm bill. The funding provided by the Finance
Committee is the only additional resource for the farm bill other than the
savings that can be achieved through cuts and reforms to the existing farm bill
baseline. As it stands, the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Max Baucus
(D-MT) has stated he will include $5 billion for a permanent disaster relief
fund. He has made no definitive public commitment to fund other farm bill
programs, though he and his panel have a variety of ideas under consideration.
Phone calls
or faxed letters directed at Senate Finance Committee Members are needed immediately, urging them to fund
conservation, new markets, rural development, research, organic, beginning
farmer, and other core sustainable agriculture priorities in the next farm bill
(in your message to Senators, discuss the two or three sustainable agriculture
priorities that are most important to you and your organization). Our
chances of winning increased funding levels for sustainable agriculture
programs will be determined in large part by the action of the Senate Finance
Committee.
The Senators
that are members of both the Finance and Agriculture Committees hold particular
weight. The dual membership Senators are: Chairman Baucus (D-MT), Conrad
(D-ND), Lincoln (D-AR), Stabenow (D-MI), Salazar (D-CO), Ranking Member
Grassley (R-IA), Crapo (R-ID), and Roberts (R-KS). Also of note is that
in addition to Stabenow, Salazar, and Crapo, other Finance members from strong
specialty crop states include Wyden (D-OR), Smith (R-OR), Cantwell (D-WA),
Schumer (D-NY), and Snowe (R-ME).
PLEASE CONTACT MEMBERS OF THE
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE TODAY
The message is simple. I am a constituent and I am calling to
ask Senator_______________ to vote for a tax bill that funds sustainable
agriculture priorities in the farm bill at no less than $10 billion over the
next five years. I believe we need to invest in conservation, sustainable
and organic farming, rural value-added and entrepreneurial development,
beginning farmers and ranchers, and local and regional food systems.
It’s easy to call or
write. Please
call your Senator’s office (see below for Senate Finance Committee
Member’s contact information). Ask the receptionist for the
legislative aide who covers agriculture (listed on the chart below). If
the aide is unavailable, leave a message with your name, phone number and the
message above on the aid’s voice mail or with the receptionist.
If
you prefer to write, fax a brief letter with the points above, along with you
name and address and contact information, to the fax number listed in the list
of Finance Committee members.
Background
The Senate
Finance Committee’s vote on the tax title is a critical step before the
Senate Agriculture Committee can take up the Farm Bill. With adequate
funding provided by the Senate Finance Committee, we can make substantial
progress in fostering new farming opportunities, expanding new markets,
leveling the playing field for sustainable and organic farmers, increasing food
access and improving health, reducing hunger, ensuring fair access for socially
disadvantaged farmers, promoting rural entrepreneurship and community
development, rewarding farmers to help meet the nation’s most pressing
environmental challenges, and investing in sustainable farm-based energy
conservation and production systems.
It is Finance
Chairman Baucus’ intention to pass farm bill-related tax provisions in
the Finance Committee, rather than supply tax offsets to the Agriculture
Committee. This makes the situation much more complicated than it was
when the House passed its farm bill earlier this summer. In the House,
the tax committee supplied the offsets directly to the Agriculture Committee to
help pay for the farm bill. In the Senate, they plan to use the tax
offsets to pay for new tax expenditures that will serve the same or a similar
purpose as programs in the farm bill.
Advocates for
rural development, nutrition, agricultural research, conservation, renewable
energy and other farm bill areas are generally pleased the Finance Committee is
considering tax measures that might address those issues in a positive
fashion. However, they are also quite concerned that addressing the tax
bill in this fashion will not supply or free up enough funds in the farm bill
to allow for robust conservation, nutrition, rural development, research,
specialty crop, and energy titles. It is clear that the bare minimum
needed – over and above the $5 billion the Chairman is committed to
spending on a permanent disaster program – is another $10 billion over
five years. Hence it is imperative that Finance offices hear from
constituents about the need for at least this level of funding for these
priorities. Please call or write today!
Vicki Morrone
Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist
Michigan State University
C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems
303 Natural Resources Bldg.
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-3542
517-282-3557 (cell)
517-353-3834 (fax)
For information on organic
agriuclture produciton please visit:
http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/
P Please
consider the environment before printing this email