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Growing Local Food Systems &
Sustaining the Land: The 2012 Farm Bill
Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s Local Food & Conservation Priorities
Illinois Stewardship Alliance promotes environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially
just local food systems through policy development, advocacy and education.
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The “Farm Bill”
The single most important influence over food and
agricultural policy in the United States is commonly
called the “Farm Bill.” Comprehensive legislation is
written every five to seven years to govern food
production and all things regulated by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. This includes food safety,
nutrition programs, row crops, fruit and vegetable
production, rural affairs, commodity programs, trade,
rural development, farm credit, conservation,
agricultural research, and marketing.
Farm-related legislation dates back to the 1800s when
land grant universities were created and subsequent
agricultural experiment stations were established in
conjunction with those universities. Since 1965, there
have been ten farm bills, each with a catchy title but all
basically doing the same thing; setting food and
agricultural policy for a period of time. Crop subsidies
which were set up to provide a safety net for farmers
have caused controversy within the farming community
since subsidies often end up in the pockets of wealthy
farmers, not the small family farmer.
The 2008 Farm Bill, officially called the Food,
Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, authorized the
USDA to spend more than $280 billion over five years
for various programs within its purview. There were 15
titles, or sections, covering topics ranging from
commodity crops, conservation, nutrition, horticulture,
organic agriculture, livestock, agricultural research,
energy, forestry, rural development, crop insurance and
other programs.
The majority of the authorized spending covers food
and nutrition (67%). Commodity programs (15%) are
the second largest spending category, with conservation
and crop insurance (9% and 8% respectively) coming in
at a close third. According to the Congressional
Research Service review of the 2008 farm bill issued in
December 2010, “another $10 billion was expected to
be spent on trade, horticulture and livestock
production, rural development, research, forestry, and
energy, among other programs.”
The 2012 Farm Bill
The 2008 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2012 so a new bill
must be enacted. Negotiations began in spring 2011
and listening sessions and committee hearings are
expected to begin in the fall of 2011. Members of
Congress are currently consulting farming interests and
their constituents on priorities for the Farm Bill.
Our federal fiscal situation is dire; the budget deficit is
huge—in the trillions of dollars, so the fight for precious
tax dollars will be intense as the 2012 Farm Bill is
negotiated. Conservation and sustainable agriculture
programs that are critical to the future of our family
farms and local food systems are at risk of losing
millions of dollars.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance priorities for the 2012 Farm
Bill are divided into two categories, both of which are
equally important. The priorities are Conservation on
Working Lands and Local & Regional Food Systems.
Conservation on Working Lands
Agriculture accounts for nearly half of the landmass in
the United States; therefore, it should be no surprise
that farmers and ranchers have a large impact on our
natural environment. Farm policies can encourage
overproduction and the farming of marginal lands which
can lead to negative impacts on the long term health of
our soil, streams, rivers, and lakes. Farm policies can
also reward agricultural producers that work to protect
and rebuild soil, protect watersheds, and provide
habitat for native wildlife. Agriculture and the
Figure 1 chart developed by Izaak Walton League of America; shows
annual expenditures by category
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“CSP is well suited as the model for national
policy to transition to rewarding farmers for
how they grow, instead of what they grow
(National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition—
Conservation Stewardship Program Guide).”
ISA position:
• CSP should be re-authorized, and
made permanent. Mandatory
funding should be $4 billion over
the course of the 2012 Farm Bill.
• Associated paper work should be
simplified and streamlined.
• Local and regional food
producers should be added to the
current list of specialty crop and
organic producers to enable
participation in the program.
environment don’t have to be competitors, agriculture
producers can successfully work to protect natural
resources and maintain profits over the long term.
The first conservation title that was included in a Farm
Bill was in the 1985 Farm Bill (the Food Security Act of
1985) and a conservation title has been part of every
subsequent Farm Bill since that time. Public tax dollars
should be wisely invested and those receiving farm bill
payments should be held accountable for their
conservation actions. This accountability is addressed
through conservation compliance, which requires that a
basic level of soil, water, and wetland protection is
followed to receive additional farm bill payments.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA) supports incentives
and requirements in the 2012 Farm Bill that will
continue to encourage sustainable conservation
practices on our country’s working lands.
The reauthorization and adequate funding for the
innovative and comprehensive Conservation
Stewardship Program (CSP), and the re-prioritization of
the cost-saving conservation compliance provisions are
ISA’s conservation priorities for the next Farm Bill.
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The Conservation Stewardship Program
CSP is a comprehensive and voluntary working lands
program that promotes the sustainability of agricultural
production by rewarding farmers and ranchers who are
already implementing sustainable conservation
practices on their land. In addition to rewarding farmers
and ranchers for current conservation practices, CSP
requires that additional conservation programs be
implemented over the course of the five year CSP
contract.
Through CSP “An annual payment is available for
installing new conservation activities and maintaining
existing practices. A supplemental payment is available
to participants who also adopt a resource conserving
crop rotation (USDA/NRCS CSP fact sheet).” CSP is
designed to address specific resource concerns as
identified by the Natural Resource Conservation Service
(NRCS), with goals to improve water and soil quality,
increase biodiversity and wildlife habitat, sequester
carbon and reduce greenhouse gases, and conserve
water and energy use. The program is available
nationwide and is a continuous sign up program, so
operators can apply at any time of the year. Contracts
are renewable and are paid based upon the benefits
provided and the number of acres enrolled. For
operators who are not quite at the conservation level
needed to enroll in CSP, assistance is available through
the Environmental Quality Incentive Program to bring
them into compliance with CSP requirements.
The 2008 Farm Bill provided CSP with $4 billion in
mandatory funding for FY 2008-2012 which allows an
estimated 13 million acres over 5 years to be enrolled in
the program. More than 400,000 acres in Illinois are
currently enrolled in CSP. Interest in CSP nationally and
in Illinois has consistently outstripped the available
funds for the program.
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ISA position:
• Re-establish compliance
requirements for federal crop
insurance benefits.
• Conservation compliance should be
a key component in all requirements
for enrolling in any farm bill
programs, not just highly erodible or
other environmentally sensitive
lands.
Conservation Compliance
Conservation Compliance (CC) provisions protect
taxpayers’ interests by requiring basic levels of
protections for soil, water, and wetlands by farmers
who participate in farm bill programs. Currently, under
the “sodbuster” provision, before producers clear,
plow, or otherwise prepare highly erodible land (HEL)
areas not presently under crop production for planting,
they are required to develop and implement a
conservation plan on the affected acreage that will limit
erosion to not greater than the soil loss tolerance level,
before bringing land into production. Under the
“swampbuster” provision, farmers will lose program
benefits if they fill or drain wetlands or expand the
scope of existing drainage on farmed wetlands. 1
CC requires that farmers and ranchers meet a minimum
level of environmental protection on environmentally
sensitive land in order to be eligible for federal farm
program benefits (including commodity and
conservation program benefits or a Farm Service
Agency loan).
To further protect the public interest and taxpayer
investment, federal crop insurance requirements should
include conservation compliance.
1 National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition,
http://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/conservation-
environment/conservation-compliance/
Local & Regional Food Systems
There is a growing interest and demand for food and
agricultural products from local and regional farmers.
Whether it is the rising demand for healthy food or rural
economic development, the “local food movement” is
one to the fastest growing and most vibrant sectors of
American agriculture. The 2008 Farm Bill included
historic new programs and incentives for overcoming
the obstacles to meeting the demand and interest in
local and regional food and farm products.
The 2012 Farm Bill should continue and build upon the
historic investment in local and regional food systems
and rural development that were made in the last Farm
Bill.
ISA’s Local & Regional Food System priorities for the
next Farm Bill include re-authorization and adequate
funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program
and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development
Program; increased funding for the Specialty Crop
Block Grant Program ; re-authorization and adequate
funding for the Value-Added Producer Grant program ;
reforms to support wireless SNAP/EBT technology for
all farmers markets; and new planting flexibility
provisions.
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ISA position:
• The FMPP should be re-authorized and
include mandatory funding at the level of
$20 million per year, an increase that
reflects the demand for, need and success
of the program.
• Criteria should be tiered in a system so
that proposals of varying sizes (local,
state, regional) can be reviewed with and
compared to similar proposals.
• Create a 10% set-aside for technical
assistance.
• Revise the eligibility definition to apply to
groups of individual producers, for
projects such as community supported
agriculture (CSAs) and roadside stands,
rather than having to be a legally formed
entity.
• Prioritize producer-only farmers markets.
• Shift the focus of the 10% set-aside for
SNAP/EBT from technology to outreach
efforts, in order to increase direct market
vendor participation in SNAP.
ISA position:
• Considering vigorous demand, positive
outcomes and continued need, BFRDP
should be re-authorized and mandatory
funding should be doubled to $150 million
over the next 5 years.
• Include an additional grant purpose on
agricultural rehabilitation and vocational
training programs for returning military
veterans.
On May 26, USDA Secretary Tom
Vilsack addressed members of the
Senate Agriculture Committee at
the Committee’s first hearing on
the 2012 Farm Bill, where he
asserted that while the BFRDP
program has been successful it
has not been enough to reverse
the trend of an aging and
shrinking base of farmers and
ranchers.
Farmers Market Promotion Program
The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) aims
to increase and strengthen direct producer-to-
consumer marketing channels. Through a competitive
grant application process, FMPP funds marketing
proposals for community supported agriculture
programs, farmers markets, roadside stands, and other
direct marketing strategies. The FMPP program has
been a widely popular program, during the last program
grant cycle 509 applications were received, however,
there were only enough resources to award funds for
81 of the applicants. In Illinois, FMPP grants have
supported infrastructure purchases and capacity
building and outreach activities for the use of SNAP/EBT
(formerly Food Stamps) at farmer markets. The 2008
Farm Bill included $5 million in mandatory funding for
2009 and 2010 and $10 million in mandatory funding
for 2011 and 2012.
The Beginning Farmer & Rancher
Development Program
The Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program
(BFRDP) – is a competitive grant program that funds
education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance
initiatives directed at helping beginning farmers and
ranchers. The BFRDP is targeted to collaborative local,
state, and regionally based networks and partnerships
to support financial and entrepreneurial training,
mentoring and apprenticeship programs, as well as
“land link” programs that connect retiring farmers with
new farmers. More than 220 groups have applied for
BFRDP funds in just the first two years of the program,
and to date, the
program has
enabled nearly 70
organizations and
institutions to
assist new farmers
and ranchers
across the
country. Through
regional
collaborative
partners the BFRDP has helped to fund Beginning
Farmer Programs throughout the state in central,
southern and northern Illinois. The 2008 Farm Bill
included $18 million per year in mandatory funding for
2009 and $19 million per year in mandatory funding for
2010, 2011, and 2012.
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ISA position:
• SCBGP should include an increase
in mandatory funding from $55
million to $80 million annually.
• Create a $20 million per year
allocation targeted specifically to
supporting local and regional food
systems activities.
ISA position:
• The next Farm Bill should restore a
mandatory funding baseline of $30 million
annually for VAPG and continue to
support its priority for small and medium
sized family farm operations.
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The Specialty Crop Block Grant program (SCBGP)
provides grants annually to assist State Departments of
Agriculture in enhancing the competitiveness of
specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and
nursery crops). States that receive funds use them to
supplement state programs and/or make grants
available to enhance the competitiveness of specialty
crops. In Illinois the SCBGP has helped to build and
support local food systems development by providing
grants to farmers markets for advertising and outreach,
grants to local specialty producers and organizations for
research, and to fund the annual specialty crop
conference. In 2010 and 2011, the program received
$55 million each year in mandatory funding, the SCBGP
has been widely popular and in Illinois very effective in
helping to promote, support, and grow local food and
farm systems.
Value Added Producer Grant
The Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program
provides competitive grants to individual independent
agricultural producers, and groups of individual
independent producers, producer controlled entities,
organizations representing producers, and farmer or
rancher cooperatives to create or develop value-added
producer-owned businesses. Grants may be used for
developing business plans and feasibility studies needed
to establish viable market opportunities for value-added
products or to acquire working capital to operate a
value-added business venture or alliance, and must
include matching cash and/or in-kind funds. In 2009,
five Illinois producers and groups of producers received
approximately $500,000 in total to help fund feasibility
studies and acquire working capital. The 2008 Farm Bill
authorized $15 million per year in mandatory funding
and $40 million a year in discretionary funding for the
VAPG program.
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ISA position:
• Farmers Market Technology
Improvement is an important new
policy reform that will increase access
to fresh local food for underserved
populations while expanding and
opening new markets and
opportunities for direct market
farmers.
• The Farmers Market Technology
Improvement initiative should be
authorized and provide d adequate
mandatory funding.
ISA position:
• Adding a limited planting flexibility option
for local fruits and vegetables to the
commodity program would help to meet
the growing demand for local and
regional fresh fruits and vegetables while
creating new opportunities for family
farms.
• A planting flexibility option would
increase opportunities for beginning
farmers interested in producing for local
markets to gain access to land.
The Farmers Market Technology
Improvement
The Farmers Market Technology Improvement reform
would level the playing field for farmers markets, CSAs
and roadside stands by requiring State electronic
benefit transfer (EBT) contracts to treat wireless
program retail food vendors in the same manner as
wired program retail food vendors. USDA’s Food and
Nutrition Service and States should be required to cover
a 50-50 cost share of the wireless EBT terminal costs as
well as fixed and variable fees associated with operating
SNAP at direct marketing outlets, as they do with other
retailers. States should be allowed to choose the most
appropriated technology (i.e. point-of-sale device,
smart phone), with the funds covering up to the cost of
the wireless terminal. In addition, authorize contracts or
memorandum of understanding between States and
non-profits to provide training and technical assistance
on implementation.
Planting Flexibility
Planting flexibility provisions allows commodity
program participants to plant a portion of their acreage
to alternative crops or pasture for livestock without
sacrificing payments. A limited (capped) local fresh fruit
and vegetable planting flexibility provision, allowing
commodity program participants to plant up to 30 base
acres in fruits and vegetable for local and regional
markets, should be included in the next Farm Bill. Base
acres and commodity payments would be reduced on
an acre for acre basis each year the producer uses the
flex option.
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Illinois Stewardship Alliance, www.ilstewards.org, (217) 528-1563
Wes King, Policy Coordinator (local & regional food systems), [email protected], (271) 528-1563
Claudia Emken, Conservation Policy Advocate, [email protected], (309) 358-1504
Illinois Stewardship Alliance promotes environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially
just local food systems through policy development, advocacy and education.