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Dudley Butler steps down from USDA

By Claire Hermann on January 20th, 2012

Dudley Butler, the Administrator of the USDA Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration stepped down yesterday. Becky and I – and the rest of the folks at RAFI – wanted to take a moment to say “thank you.” Under Dudley’s administration, GIPSA released a rule that gives contract poultry farmers some of the rights for which they have been fighting for decades. Because Congress severely limited the regulations that GIPSA could finalize, the rule was not all that we had hoped for, but it still represents an important step towards fairness and balance in an industry that has little of either.

Dudley has been a long-time ally of family farmers. Before taking the post at the USDA, he had been a friend of contract poultry growers for over 30 years – fighting for farmers in court and working with RAFI to get rid of binding mandatory arbitration.

Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack told the AP that the USDA will continue Dudley’s work for a fairer industry:

“President Obama and I believe fair and competitive markets are critical to the success of American agriculture, and Dudley has worked tirelessly to advance this cause. USDA looks forward to continuing this work on behalf of our nation’s producers,” Vilsack said in an e-mail to the AP.”President Obama and I believe fair and competitive markets are critical to the success of American agriculture, and Dudley has worked tirelessly to advance this cause. USDA looks forward to continuing this work on behalf of our nation’s producers,” Vilsack said.

We wish Dudley well, and we look forward to working with GIPSA going forward, as we join contract farmers in their continuing struggle to balance the power in agriculture and get the fair treatment that they deserve.

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Wake County Non-Profit Donates Starter Plants to Local Gardeners and Ministries

By Sarah Gibson on January 20th, 2012

It’s that time of year when gardeners begin to plan their gardens and order seed for the growing season.  For some folks, the cost and time of starting plants can be prohibitive, and that’s where Grow and Share comes in.  Based in Zebulon, Grow and Share donates over 20,000 seeds and starter plants to residents of the Triangle and eastern NC every year.  The non-profit provides plants and educational workshops to families, churches, and organizations in exchange for a pledge from participants to share some of their garden’s bounty with their community.  Participants can make requests for Grow and Share to raise particular plants in its greenhouses in Zebulon and Wendell, and the starter plants will be available by mid-April.  Grow and Share’s mission is to provide support and resources to families and groups that will consume and share the harvest, so plants are not typically available for income-generating projects.

Grow and Share founders Kay and Frank Whately cite Leviticus 19:9 and 10 as part of the inspiration for their work; if each gardener who receives plants from Grow and Share allocates some of the harvest for families in need, there will be more healthy, fresh food available for participants to share with neighbors or bring to local food ministries.  Grow and Share’s website has a list of churches and agencies that accept fresh produce from Grow and Share participants to distribute to local residents.

If you would like to learn more about how to request plants, participate in gardening workshops, or receive donations of harvested produce, email info@growandshare.org

You can also learn more on their website: http://www.growandshare.org/?page_id=2

And in a story from Eastern Wake News: http://www.easternwakenews.com/2011/06/26/11953/grow-and-share-offers-a-productive.html

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Farm Open House Events Part III

By Francesca Hyatt on October 26th, 2011

More events you might be interested in! If you attend any of these – send me an email and tell me about it: francesca@rafiusa.org

Riley Livestock Facility – Cattle Handling Facility

When: Saturday, October 29th at 10:30am

What: Tour Taylor Clay Riley’s custom livestock handling facility. His facility is made to comfortably handle calves when he needs to vaccinate, dehorn, castrate etc. Taylor designed the system himself and uses a hydraulic sweep.

Where: 5146 Crater Rd, Hamptonville, NC 27020

Grietje’s Garden Muscadine and Scuoppernong Vineyard

When: Sunday, October 30th 2-4pm

What: Enjoy a self guided tour of the vineyard, visit the new farm distribution facility and taste Penny’s value added      products.

Where: 324 Mosswood Road, Olin NC 28660

RSVP required. Please email: grietje@yadtel.net http://www.ncagr.gov/ncproducts/ShowSite.asp?ID=101017

Snow Creek Family Organics – Grain Puffing Demo

When: Monday, November 7th at 5pm

What: “We are inviting our fellow farmers to a grain puffing demonstration … We are a small-scale family farm growing organically. We want to promote a healthy, sustainable way of life. By growing grain and making cereal, we’ll show one example of how simple it is for farmers to make a living on small acreage.”

Where: 3359 Moir Farm Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046                                                          http://www.localharvest.org/snow-creek-family-organics-M9713

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Farm Open House Events – Part II

By Francesca Hyatt on October 14th, 2011


A few more events coming up soon that you should check out!

Bluebird Farm
When: Sunday, Oct 16th. 2:30 – 5pm
What: Farm tour and potluck. “We will focus on the construction of a hydraulic ram pump system, low tech portable watering system, and production techniques for pastured broilers and hogs: improvements, mistakes, challenges, and plans. We will also discuss our small grass-finished lamb operation, free-range layer hens, and marketing pastured meats in a local economy.” If you plan to stay for the potluck, please bring a dish to share.
Where: Bluebird Farm, 4178 Bluebird Drive, Morganton, NC
https://sites.google.com/site/bluebirdfarmnc/home/directions

Nature Flower Farm
When: Monday, Oct. 17th. 9 -11am
What: Tour Wong Victor Her and Ia Vang’s stunningly beautiful flower operation, Asian vegetable varieties, and rice cultivation. TheHer’s will also be discussing their irrigation system.
Where: 3820 Potts Creek Rd Lincolnton, NC 28092

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Workshops and Open Farm Events in the Western Piedmont, Part I

By Francesca Hyatt on October 6th, 2011

As the 2011 RAFI Farmer grant cycle draws to a close, folks are busy finishing their projects and organizing outreach events. One of the commitments that grantees make when receiving a grant is that they will find a way to share best practices and lessons learned with other farmers. Often they create events that are multi-faceted and open to the general public. Here are a few that you may want to attend:

Hardin Farm Day

When: Saturday, October 6th from 10am – 3pm

What: antique tractors, produce for sale, petting zoo, hayrides, molasses making, hot dogs & more!

Hosted by: The Hardin Family

Where: Hardin Farm Store

8201 Millrun Road, Stokesdale, NC 27357-9324

(336) 643-4978

Small Dairy Workshop

When: Saturday, October 6th from 10m – 12pm

What: Learn how to navigate the process and regulations of constructing a farmstead dairy from two new goat dairies in Forsyth County

Hosted by: Harold, Carol and Jessica Penick of Once Upon A Meadow Family Farm & Johnny and Robin Blakley of Buffalo Creek Farm and Creamery

Where: Forsyth Cooperative Extension Office, Auditorium B

1450 Fairchild Drive, Winston-Salem, NC  27105

Catawba Valley Cattlemen’s Association – Open House

When: Sunday, October 15th 2-5pm

What: View the Association’s new cattle scale and load-out facility, and eat some icecream while you are there!

Hosted by: Catawba Valley Cattlemen

Where: Dennis and Tyler Lutz Farm on Rocky Ford Road, Startown Community in Catawba County. Call Jeff Carpenter at the Cooperative Extension Office for directions: (828) 465-8240

Solar Powered Pasture System

When: Saturday, October 22nd at 10am

What: Walking farm tour to view Worth’s solar powered irrigation system and fence for year round grazing of beef cattle as well as woodland managed pastured pork.

Hosted by: Worth Kimmel of Pine Trough Branch Farm

Where: Pine Trough Branch Farm

600 Church St. Ext., Reidsville, NC 27320

And finally, though they don’t currently have any events scheduled, please visit the Sparta / Alleghany Choose & Cut’s facebook page and beautiful new website: http://www.evergreentrailchristmasfarms.com/

Check back soon for more events coming up this fall!

The Penick's with baby goat

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Guest Post: Poultry Growers Need the GIPSA Rule

By Claire Hermann on September 7th, 2011

By Mickey Box, Poultry grower, Arkansas

Last month, the Ukrainian company that bought two North Carolina Townsend plants shut them down, laying off hundreds of workers and terminating the contracts of more than 150 contract poultry growers.  As a poultry grower, I know how devastating a lost contract would be. Poultry growers are often hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and if a company cuts you off, there’s no way to pay it. For the cut-off growers, the plant closing is going to ruin lives and destroy the livelihoods of hardworking family farmers.

The USDA has proposed a rule that might have protected these farmers. The rule, known as the GIPSA rule, would give growers the right to recoup 80% of what they invest in their poultry operation, and it would protect them from being forced to make expensive upgrades. If the rule had been in place, cutting off the contracts of 200 of my fellow farmers might not have been such a cost-effective option for the company. The cut-off growers would certainly be in a better financial situation than they are now.

Unfortunately, the rule has been slow in coming, and Congress has put pressure on the USDA to slow it down even further. The House of Representatives even passed language that would kill the rule altogether.

Two years ago, Pilgrim’s Pride made cuts similar to the ones we saw this month, leaving hundreds of farmers saddled with debt. Many of those growers had federally guaranteed loans. When the company walked away and farmers were forced to default on their payments, taxpayers were left holding the bill. The farmers were left facing bankruptcy, a high risk of suicide and stress-related health problems, and the loss of their farms. Last year, many of those farmers asked the USDA to pass the GIPSA rule quickly, so that no other farmer would be put in their situation. Now, for 150 more families, the rule is too late.

We needed this rule a long time ago, and each day we wait is another day that farmers are at risk for losing their farms when the next plant closing comes down the line. I hope Senators Pryor and Boozman will vote against any amendment that will kill or delay the GIPSA rule.   We need them to do what’s right and support the hundreds of family farmers in Arkansas and around the nation who grow chicken under contract.

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Hurricane Irene damage in Eastern NC

By Julius Tillery on September 1st, 2011

RAFI-USA field staff Joe Schroeder and Julius Tillery traveled across eastern NC on Tuesday Aug. 30, to bring water and food to farmers and people in need from Hurricane Irene. Below are some pictures of the damage that affected this area. If you can be of any assistance to anyone of the eastern North Carolina area affected by Hurricane Irene, please don’t be shy to help. There are many people still without electricity in this area, and with days without refrigeration and some water supplies damaged, people of these rural areas will truly appreciate any help.

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RAFI-USA staff participated in Farm Aid’s Advocacy Convening…

By Julius Tillery on September 1st, 2011

From August 11th to August 13th, RAFI-USA co-hosted with Farm Aid a historic farm-advocates gathering. The “National Meeting of Farm Advocates” took place at the National Agricultural Hall of Fame Museum in Bonner Springs, Kansas. This event, led by RAFI-USA’s interim Executive Director Scott Marlow and Farm Aid’s Joel Morton, brought together many of the most well known and hardest working farm advocates across the country. Panel discussions and break-out sessions took place over the three days and RAFI-USA’s own Benny Bunting was an esteemed panelist.

It was the first time in recent history that veteran farm advocates from all over the country came together to tell old stories, brand new ones, and continue  the work of advocating for farmers. The experience in the room was palatable.  Not since the height of our national farm crisis in the mid-eighties has such a group of advocates met to discuss the broad range of issues farmers face, and share their experiences navigating solutions.  In many cases the same folks were continuing the work 30 years later, still making the problems of individual farmers their own.  We here at RAFI get to hear Benny talk about the amazing work he does on a regular basis, but to meet and learn from “Bennys” from all over the country was, well…It was inspirational to say the least. Even old Willy Nelson was excited at his chance to meet Benny. (pictured below)

The event was indeed historic, but there was real work to get done and the crowd quickly recognized the urgency of putting these amazing minds to use. Some workshop topics discussed at this meeting were: lessons learned for the next generation of farm advocates, what discrimination looks like today, and new initiatives in farm finance. In addition to the workshops were a round of breakout sessions where advocates could split up into groups to talk about topics including Farm Bill 2012, young farm initiatives, leveraging federal resources, and land loss prevention.

For those of you who do not know, Farm Aid is a non-profit organization that formed around a benefit concert headlined by famed musicians John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, and founder Willie Nelson. This particular Farm Aid concert was a special one for Willie Nelson because he was inducted into the National Agricultural Hall of Fame the same weekend.  RAFI-USA staff were present at the press conference with the musician headliners where our own Scott Marlow and Benny Bunting were both mentioned for all of their hard work in agricultural communities. From now on we will think of Farm Aid first, as a forum for great minds in farm advocacy work.  The concert wasn’t half bad either.

Below are some pictures of RAFI-USA staff at the conference, press conference, and concert.

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Townsend Shuts Down NC Plant

By Claire Hermann on August 10th, 2011

A week and a half ago, Ukrainian buyer of Townsend announced that it was closing its two North Carolina processing plants. More than 150 North Carolina poultry farmers learned that their contracts will be terminated in 60 days.

For a contract poultry grower, that is devastating news. Farmers foot the bill for costly chicken houses and equipment. Cooperative Extension estimates that most of these growers still owe $300,000 – $500,000 on those houses.

That means that many of the cut-off growers could stand to lose their farms or their homes.

Right now, we are working with partners, NC State Cooperative Extension, other growers, and other partners to make sure that legal aid, financial services, mental health and emergency resources, and peer support are available for farmers who want them. The stress of a lost contract means cut-off farmers are at high risk of suicide, heart attack, stroke, and other health problems. We have seen these effects many times before. Access to information and support saves farms, houses, and lives.

The frustrating thing is that the proposed USDA GIPSA poultry rule – the one for which farmers have been fighting for more than a year now – might have prevented this situation altogether. One of the rule’s requirements was that contract must be long enough for farmers to recoup 80% of what they invest in their houses and equipment. It would also have prevented the company from requiring farmers to make expensive facilities upgrades. The added financial protection for farmers would have made a big difference for many of the cut-off growers. The extra financial incentive for companies to treat farmers fairly might have led the company to make a different decision.

This is not news. Two years ago, Pilgrim’s Pride’s bankruptcy left more than 40 NC growers without a contract. Many of those growers told the USDA last year that the rule was needed – and needed fast – so that other growers weren’t put in their position. (Watch cut-off grower Kay Doby testify at a USDA hearing.)

And yet Congress continues to try to stall the rule. 13 North Carolina representatives signed a “dear colleague” letter asking the USDA to withdraw the rule. The House passed a measure that would prevent the USDA from using any existing funding to write the rule. Thankfully, the Senate has not passed a similar measure, so there’s still a chance for the USDA to release a strong rule that protects growers in the future.

Meanwhile, here in North Carolina, we’re reminded again that obscure policies have a big impact on families.

As soon as the news broke, we began to get messages in our inboxes and Facebook wall and answering machines from poultry growers, wanting to know how they could help. In the weeks and months to come, there will be plenty to do. As long as farmers want to keep fighting – for their families, their futures, their homes, their farms, and their rights – we’ll be beside them.

Want to help?

Donate: Providing financial and legal information to farmers takes time and resources – and the more we have, the better services we can provide. Your donation helps us provide this and helps work towards policy change that makes sure that this doesn’t happen again.

Growers: We are working on setting up peer support networks for cut-off growers. If you are interested, please contact Becky Ceartas at becky@rafiusa.org

Volunteer: We always welcome volunteers, especially those who can help out regularly over a few months or more. Contact Regina Bridgman at regina@rafiusa.org to find out about current needs.

Stay tuned: Follow us on facebook and twitter and subscribe to our email list for up-to-date information.

Resources for Growers
  • The NCDA has set up a Web site to assist poultry growers. The Growers Assistance and Information Network, or GAIN, contains information and listings of resources that could assist growers with financial planning, alternative markets and other topics relevant to your situation. The site includes contact information for resources at state and federal agencies, universities and nonprofit organizations. It also offers a list of steps that growers can take if they find themselves without a contract.
  • Chatham County NCSU Extension Agent Dan Campeau is setting up grower meetings.
  • Download the a fact sheet on what to do if your contract is terminated from Farmer’s Legal Action Group. (It’s from 2003, so please seek up-to-date legal advice as well, and stay posted for updated information.)
  • Please stay in touch. We hope to have more assistance and resources available soon.
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What We Did on Our Summer Vacation

By James Robinson on August 5th, 2011

Much like the farmers laboring in our community and beyond, RAFI has been hard at work during this late-spring and early-summer season. Our fingernails are not as dirty as those of the farmers we work with, a continuing disappointment to RAFI staff, but we are still proud of our recent accomplishments. The RAFI harvest: markets, policies and communities that support thriving, socially just and environmentally sound family farms.

What exactly has this looked like since June 1st? Well, it’s looked like this…

Reforming contract agriculture regulations:
  • Coordinated and participated in 55 Senate visits with 3 farmers in three days in Washington, D.C., to build opposition to an amendment that would block USDA from using existing funds to write a final GIPSA rule
  • Participated in 2 Campaign for Contract Agriculture Reform meetings in Washington, D.C.
  • Organized 150 grower calls to the White House as a part of a national call-in week.
  • Helped a farmer prepare for a teleconference marking the one-year anniversary of the GIPSA rule
  • Identified a person supportive of the GIPSA rule to testify in the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and trade on July 7th, resulting in the only pro-farmer-rights testimony presented
  • Accompanied three producers to training on the Principles of Community Organizing in Billings, M.T.
  • Spoke to the Church of the Nativity in Raleigh with the Justice in Agriculture Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of NC
Educating landowners about their mineral rights:
  • Worked with Rep. Gillespie of the North Carolina State House of Representatives to successfully add new provisions into H242, which was signed into law by Gov. Perdue and provides landowners greater protection when signing new oil and gas leases
  • Held 8 mineral rights lease education sessions, with 840 landowners in attendance
  • Held 3 meetings with clergy about mineral rights leases, reaching 130 clergy and 90 lay members
Maintaining organic integrity:
  • Convened a major forum of the organic and sustainable agriculture communities to develop joint statements and a work plan to address genetic engineering in sustainable agriculture
  • Organized an international task force on strengthening the IFOAM standards maintenance process, as it is critical to have a gold standard for organic agriculture
Conserving biodiversity in agriculture:
  • Released a major report on State of USDA funding for public plant and animal breeding
  • Met with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Merrigan and USDA research staff to present the report on state of USDA funding for public plant and animal breeding
  • Got featured in an article in National Geographic on seed diversity. The article referenced a RAFI study on the loss of crop bio-diversity. You can read the entire article here.
Developing social justice food labeling:
  • Published the official policy manual for the Agricultural Justice Project, containing governance policies, details outlining how our certification program and labeling work, what our fees are and what we expect of worker organizations and certifiers in terms of accreditation
  • Finalized the training certificates for our 21 newly trained AJP inspectors, representing 4 organic certifiers, a major N. Western workers union, and three workers organizations from regions across the country
  • Revised 3 challenging sections of the AJP standards addressing at-will employment, H2A and guest-worker visas, and relationships between certified businesses, with support from our stakeholder based advisory committee, and published these revisions for public comment (July 12 – Aug 12, available on our website)
  • Prepared to sign MOU’s with 3 major organic certifiers representing the southeast, the upper Midwest and the northwest, approving them to implement our certification program using their fully trained staff
Advocating for farmers:
  • Provided in-depth financial counseling to more than 12 farmers, including 4 meetings with the farmer’s lawyer, banker or a USDA program administrator.
  • Organized a national gathering of farm advocates with Farm Aid, scheduled for August 10 and 11.
  • Completed 3 Chapter 12 bankruptcy feasibility assessments
  • Completed 2 National Appeals Division pre-hearings and 1 Director Review request.
Mitigating farmer risk:
  • Presented to staff of the White House Rural Council on the importance of agricultural entrepreneurship and access to credit in rural economic development
  • Gave a presentation on risk management and financing for entrepreneurial farmers at the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders meeting in Minneapolis, MN.
Investing in innovative farmers and farmer groups:
  • Visited 52 farmer grant recipients in 26 counties, providing them with grant administration information and surveying farmers about participation in federal programs
  • Visited 7 community project sites
  • Sent field staff to a Technical Service Provider “boot camp” hosted by NRCS to increase the opportunity to assist the TCRF participants and increase resources for direct services
Telling the story:
  • Posted 11 entries to the RAFI-USA blog
  • Launched the Farmer Stories web site, a multi-media documentary of model farmers in North Carolina agriculture
  • Released the results of our spring state-wide discussion on food security, faith, and farming
  • Visited 2 more farms to begin the next round of Farmer Voices profiles

RAFI’s accomplishments continue to be a source of pride for the staff. None of them would be possible without the community of farmers we work with, our volunteers, the foundations that support us, and our local community. There is always more work to be done, and it is in no way possible without your efforts. So – thank you!