Old Congress / New Congress Ag. Update
By the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Old Congress
Lame “Duckling” Session Limps to a Close:
With minutes to spare before a midnight government-shutdown deadline,
the 109th Congress passed a Continuing Resolution until February 15
which sets funds FY2007 funding levels temporarily at 2006 or lower
levels for the nine of eleven FY2007 Appropriations bills. Only
the FY2007 Defense Appropriations and Homeland Security Appropriations
have been enacted. Never at a loss for words, incoming House
Appropriations Chair David Obey (D-WI) called the need for the
Continuing Resolution “a blatant admission of abject failure by the
most useless Congress in modern times.” The new Congress and new
Democratic leadership will now have the chance to finish this year’s
unfinished appropriations work early next year, most likely in the form
of a large omnibus bill combining all nine unfinished bill.
Congress
then limped to a close early Saturday morning after passing a large
bill reviving expiring tax breaks, increasing offshore oil drilling,
extending trade benefits to certain developing countries, and
protecting doctors from cuts in their Medicare payment structure.
Disaster Aid: This
week saw only limited action on FY2007 Agricultural Appropriations,
with an amendment to the Senate bill offered on Tuesday by Senators
Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND). The amendment would
have added raised emergency agricultural disaster assistance for crop
and livestock producers affected by drought and other disasters in 2005
and 2006 from $3.5 billion to $4.9 billion. Farmers would have the
option of disaster payments or a 25 percent increase in commodity
program direct payments, the latter available if an economic loss
actually occurred. The direct payment option increased the cost of the
amendment from $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion.
The
amendment was blocked Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), chair of the Senate
Budget Committee who raised a point of order under the Budget Act
challenging the amendment for the lack of offsets. Gregg also
noted that some of the assistance is not tied to directly to production
losses. A waiver of the point of order required 60 votes and only
57 Senators voted for the waiver. According to Conrad, three
Senators who were not present – Joe Biden (D-DE), Chris Dodd (D-CT),
and Sam Brownback (R-KS) – would likely have voted for the waiver,
enough to hit 60. Conrad noted that the close vote on the point
of order indicates that the measure may well pass in the next Congress,
even if President Bush continues to threaten to veto agricultural
disaster assistance which is not offset by cuts in other programs.
The only
Democrats to oppose the waiver were Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and
Mark Pryor (D-AR). They did so because they favored the
underlying provision already in the Senate bill which the amendment
would have replaced. That provision would provide a 30 percent
direct payment bonus without having to prove even an economic loss,
much less a production loss.
Senator
Chuck Grassley (R-IA) attempted to amend the agricultural
appropriations bill with a rider prohibiting the EPA from regulating
dust and particulate matter from agricultural operations. EPA
says it will not rule on the matter until finishing a scientific review
and then taking up the matter when the rule comes up for review in
about 5 years. Grassley’s amendment has so far been effectively
blocked by incoming Environment and Public Works chair Barbara Boxer
(D-CA).
Farm Bill Comments from New Chairs:
Incoming House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson (D-MN) spoke
this week at a Farm Foundation Forum on the 2007 Farm Bill.
Peterson reiterated his strong interest in keeping the commodity title
essentially unchanged, adopting a new permanent disaster payment
program, and starting a new program to enroll and pay rental payments
on 5 million acres of land that farmers dedicate to growing switchgrass
and other potential biomass feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol
production. These three points have become the new chairman’s
mantra for the upcoming farm bill. Peterson also mentioned his
lack of interest in adopting a comprehensive competition title, but
noted he realized that Senate Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) would be pushing
that point. In a similar vein, he mentioned that the House
Committee would have to deal with the Conservation Security Program
because of the interest in it in the Senate Committee.
Turning
to Committee structure and process, Peterson confirmed that there will
likely be six rather than five subcommittees, with one likely to deal
with energy, conservation and research. Currently conservation
and research are in the same subcommittee as rural development and
credit, which would now likely be a separate subcommittee or added to
existing subcommittees. Energy is currently in the subcommittee
that handles food stamps and nutrition, so the switch to conservation
and research certainly makes logical sense.
The new
Chairman also reiterated that the new subcommittee chairmen will be Tim
Holden (PA), Mike McIntrye and Bob Ehteridge (both NC), Joe Baca and
Dennis Cardoza (both CA), and David Scott (GA) – making the chairman
himself the only Midwest member of the leadership team. Final
decisions on the names and chairs of each subcommittee are not likely
to be known until January. Peterson has clearly stated his intent
to allow each subcommittee to mark-up its section(s) of the farm bill
independently, before any farm bill legislation is brought to the full
committee. This constitutes a move back to “regular order,” a
practice which has been suspended for the most part during
consideration of the past two farm bills developed under Republican
control in 1995/6 and 2001/2.
New
Senate Chair Tom Harkin met with Peterson this week to start reviewing
farm bill process. In a press conference on Thursday, Harkin said
they agreed to have the farm bill finished in both chambers by the
August recess, and then move to a House-Senate conference committee in
September. That strikes some observers as an optimistic scenario,
but if nothing else clearly signifies an intent for full-scale
consideration of the bill in the committees by late spring.
Cochran Aid Keenum Confirmed in Number 3 Slot at USDA: The
Senate this week confirmed Mark Keenum, long time agricultural
assistant to Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), as the new Under Secretary
for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, generally considered the
third most important position at USDA. Keenum, who has handled
farm bills and agricultural appropriations for Cochran since 1989, has
a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Mississippi State. The
move to USDA, widely supported by general farm and commodity
organizations, is widely viewed by observers as a move by farm bill
interests to keep more reformist elements around the Secretary from
going too far. Keenum has been a leader in formulating cotton and
rice commodity provisions in the last three farm bills.
NEW CONGRESS NEWS
Democratic Leadership Sets Opening Agenda for 110th Congress: Democratic
leadership has set an ambitious agenda for the opening days of the
110th Congress which begins Jan. 4, 2007. The plan calls for
approval of the Democratic “100-hour” legislative agenda by the time of
the President’s State of the Union address to Congress, tentatively
scheduled for January 23. The legislative agenda will start with
the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade and
advancing federally-funded stem cell research. These measures
will be followed by legislation to given Medicare the right to
negotiate drug price discounts, make college loans cheaper, and roll
back oil industry tax breaks. The agenda also includes a House
ethics package, which might include earmark reform.
House Republicans Ratify Committee Ranking Members: On
Thursday, the House Republican Conference confirmed its slate of
committee ranking members for the 110th Congress. As expected Bob
Goodlatte (R-VA) will be the ranking member of the House Agriculture
Committee and Jerry Lewis (R-CA) will take the position on the House
Appropriations Committee. Rep. Don Young (R-AL) will be Resources
ranking member and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) takes over as Judiciary
ranking member. Contested ranking memberships included the House Budget
Committee with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) a relatively new House member
beating out Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL). As Budget Committee
ranking member, Ryan will have key GOP role in the debate over the farm
bill spending.
Congressional Recesses Announced: Attention
all organizers! We now have the rough congressional schedule for
the coming year. Mark your calendars now for the times to be
asking for meetings in the state/district with your Senators and
Representatives!
Contrary
to normal practice, Congress will be in session for most of January, as
the Democratic leadership attempts to pass its first 100-hour
agenda. The first major recess will be President’s Day week, from
Feb. 19-23. The House will be home for two weeks at Easter – the
weeks of April 2 and 9, with the Senate only taking the first of those
weeks. Both houses will be off the week of May 28 for Memorial
Day and the week of July 2 for the Fourth. Both expect to go on
summer recess August 6 for four weeks. All told, the new
leadership plans on many more working days in Washington than has been
true in recent years, leading some Congressmen this week to complain
about the reversal of the “family friendly” three day a week work
schedule and additional recess weeks of recent years.
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
Reminder
– Sign onto the Competition Agenda Letter: We are continuing to
circulate for sign-on the letter calling on the new Congress to enact a
comprehensive farm bill competition title. Please sign on and
also circulate the letter to other groups you work with for their
consideration. The letter is now available on our website at
http://www.msawg.org.
USDA NEWS
Conservation Innovation Grants RFP: On
Monday, the Natural Resources Conservation Service issued the FY2007
Request for Proposals for up to $20 million for Conservation Innovation
Grants (CIG). The CIG program is designed to stimulate the
development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and
technologies. Funds for single- or multi-year projects, not to
exceed three years, will be awarded through a nationwide competitive
grants process. There are three CIG categories available in FY
2007: Natural Resource Concerns, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and
Technology. Applications are due Feb. 2, 2007. The RFP is
posted on the web at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig.
USDA Taking Comments on Label for “Natural” Meats: In
a news release that seems to have caught many groups by surprise, the
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced plans to
develop a new definition for the “natural” labeling claim used on meat
and poultry products. FSIS has scheduled a public meeting on
December 12 to initiate discussion of the issue, and will be accepting
general public comments until January 11, 2007. Following this
period of information gathering, the agency will issue a proposed rule
for a new standard. See http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ to view the complete
announcement.
Interest
in revisiting the 24-year-old definition of “natural” has peaked since
a 2005 FSIS decision to allow products containing chemical
preservatives (including sodium lactate) and synthetic ingredients
appearing on the National Organic Policy list (NOP list) to carry the
“natural” label. This past October, Hormel Foods, marketer of the
well-known Spam products, submitted a petition to FSIS requesting the
agency codify the definition of natural, and clarify the circumstances
under which a meat or poultry product may use the label. The
petition echoes earlier calls from trade industry groups and consumer
organizations for FSIS to resolve what many describe as significant
inconsistencies created by the exceptions for preservatives and NOP
list synthetic ingredients, which seemingly contradict “natural” claim
regulations prohibiting “any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring
ingredient, or chemical preservative…or any other artificial or
synthetic ingredient.”
In
addition to the FSIS decision to initiate a new rulemaking for the
“natural” labeling claim, the Agricultural Marketing Service will
conduct several public listening sessions on the proposed development
of a voluntary marketing claim for “naturally raised” livestock
beginning Monday, December 11 (see
http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/283-06.htm). This flurry of labeling claim
activity may be further complicating USDA’s ongoing development of
standards for a grassfed beef label (a final rule is expected early
next year) and three associated labeling claims addressing livestock
pasture requirements, and the use of hormones and antibiotics.
Consistent
with its involvement in the development of the grassfed beef labeling
claim standards, SAC will continue to work with its partners and the
USDA to ensure that all labeling claims provide clear and meaningful
guidance to both producers and consumers.
Section 2501 Program FY2006 Grants Awarded: On
Monday, USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension
Service (CSREES) announced the award of 21 competitive Section 2501
program grants, totaling more than $5.6 million in FY2006 funding, to
strengthen efforts aimed at serving minority and disadvantaged
farmers. Among the grantees is SAC member Agriculture and
Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) in Salinas, California, which
received a grant of $289,679. Other non-profit organizations
receiving grants included the Federation for Southern Cooperatives,
Indian Nations Conservation Alliance, National Tribal Development
Association, Rural Coalition, and Winrock International. The
other grants went to 1862 and 1890 land grant universities around the
country. The full list of grant awards and links to more
information on the Section 2501 program are on the web at
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2006news/oasdfr_06.html.
New
Members of the National Organic Standards Board: On Tuesday, USDA
announced the appointment of four new members to the NOSB, who will
serve terms running from Jan. 24, 2007 to Jan. 24, 2012. Tracy
Miedema, a Consumer/Public Interest member, who is the national sales
and marketing manager of Stahlbush Farms in Oregon, has served as an
adjunct professor in consumer behavior at Western Washington
University, and created an organic learning center for retailers and
stakeholders within Small Planet Foods. Tina Ellor, an Environmental
member, is the technical director of Phillips Mushroom Farms, a member
of Pennsylvania Certified Organic, and active in small farm and rural
development in Pennsylvania. Steve DeMuri, a Handler member, is
the senior manager for commercialization and improvement for Campbell
Soup Company in California and the technical expert and manager of
their organic production. Katrina Heinze, the scientist member,
has a doctorate degree in chemistry and is the manager of global
regulatory affairs for General Mills, responsible for food safety and
regulatory matters. The NOSB has 15 members representing all
sectors and interests of organic producing, handling, and consuming (4
producers, 2 handlers, 1 retailer, 3 environmentalists, 3 consumers, 1
scientist, and 1 certifying agent).
SAC/MSAWG Winter Meeting and Farm Bill Campaign Conference and Fly-In: Prepare
to come to Washington DC on March 6-8, 2007! Along with our
regular SAC and MSAWG business and committee meetings, we will also
hold capacity building and strategy sessions for our work on the 2007
Farm Bill to be followed by visits to Capitol Hill. We will be
inviting other national and grassroots partners to join us for the last
two days as we begin our work to win passage of sustainable agriculture
priorities in the Farm Bill. More details will be announced
soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, contact
Margaret Hueslman at 317-536-2315 or mhuelsman@msawg.org.
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