RAFI E-News

"The One Undoing of Our Plan"
Video shows how crop insurance leaves an organic farm at risk

In a new video, John and Russ Vollmer, of Vollmer Farm in Bunn, N.C., talks with Scott Marlow, Farm Sustainability Program Director, about the need for risk management and crop insurance for organic and specialty crops.

Watch now at rafiusa.org.

Read John Vollmer's story.

Learn more about disaster policy and resources for farmers.

Stopping Government-Backed Loans that Put Farmers Out of Business

In April, we asked you to tell the USDA to stop government-backed loans that put farmers out of business. Since then, the USDA Farm Service Agency has taken a step in the right direction. It now requires that contracts be for at least three years and contain some protections for contract poultry growers in order for the facility to be eligible for a loan. These new requirements (PDF) will affect the contracts that companies offer to all of their growers, not just those that get guaranteed loans. This is good news, but it doesn't go far enough.

The Problem
Pork and chicken prices have been falling because of overproduction, and the US government has been buying up surplus meat to help stabilize prices. At the same time, USDA loans to new hog and poultry facilities have been feeding the over-supply problem. The loans make it possible for companies to lay off growers when prices fall and then contract with new growers when they need product. The new requirements are not enough.

Tax dollars shouldn't put family farmers out of business. RAFI, our supporters and our partners have been making a difference.

We need a full suspension on new direct and guaranteed loans to build new poultry and hog facilities. Sign the petition, and tell your friends!

USDA Decides to Seek Independent Oversight of the National Organic Program

The USDA is voluntarily submitting to ongoing, independent oversight of the National Organic Program. RAFI and the National Organic Coalition applaud the USDA's decision. The move will increase the integrity of the organic seal and ultimately benefit consumers and farmers alike. For more information, read NOC's press release and the letter from USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen A. Merrigan. This was one of NOC's principle recommendations to the Obama administration. 

"What the Hogs Eat"
New guidebook tells how farm enterprises succeed

The Farmer's Guide to the Development of New Farm Enterprises (PDF), a new publication from RAFI's Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, shares stories and advice from farmers who are past participants in the Reinvestment Fund. They show how modest-scale farms can move beyond commodities to other successful enterprises.

A success story -Tomboy's Blessed Sausage
Dannie Livingston's customers come from from all walks of life to his farm store, just off of Interstate 95 in rural Robeson County.  Livingston is active in the community.  Customers find out about him from church groups, civic groups, and word-of-mouth.

Know your customers
Livingston's goal is to get to know everyone who comes into the store and make them feel comfortable."They know we appreciate their business," he says. 

Livingston bases his prices on what makes economic sense for his business and the market competition.  He also tries to keep them reasonable, and gets creative to help customers afford his product. He does specialty pricing for customers who pre-order products. In 2004, he added an EBT card reader so that he could accept food stamps.  This immediately opened up his business to an new market segment.

The hogs eat well
What gets people into the store is Dannie Livingston's signature product, Tomboy's Blessed Sausage, which is made from hogs that Livingston raises on his farm.  The secret to the popularity of the sausage?  "It is what the hogs eat," Livingston reports.  Start with a good diet for the hogs and you end up with good sausage. 

Livingston also carries a number of specialty cuts that consumers cannot find in the grocery store, because as he puts it, "The customers will always dictate what we sell." 

If you are developing a new farm-based enterprise in North Carolina, learn more about the Reinvestment Fund at ncfarmgrants.org.

Safer Food Shouldn't Mean Endangering Family Farms

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act. This bill treats small and mid-scale farms the same as the biggest food processing plants. It doesn't acknowledge diverse farming systems or the current traceability of products from certified organic farms. The bill's next stop will be the Senate, probably sometime this fall.
 
Headlines about contaminated spinach, peanuts and more have made it obvious to Americans that we need better food safety laws. However, safer food should not put family farms out of business, endanger wildlife and biodiversity, or restrict beginning, sustainable, and organic farmers' access to markets.

RAFI and our partners are working to protect family farms and safe food. A letter from Representatives Kaptur, Farr and others laid out the changes that will be needed to protect farms (PDF). The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's letter to Representative Dingell explains why each change is needed (PDF). Stay posted for updates in the coming months.

New Disaster Program for Livestock Losses

The US Department of Agriculture has announced specific criteria and a sign up period for the Livestock Indemnity Program.  LIP is one of five disaster programs authorized in the 2008 farm bill.  LIP compensates producers for livestock mortality caused by adverse weather in excess of normal mortality.

Deadlines
For losses between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008 farmers must file both a loss report and a completed application for payment by September 13, 2009. For damage between January 1, 2009 and July 13, 2009, damage reports are due by September 13, 2009, and applications for payment are due by January 30, 2010.

More information from RAFI

Farm Service Agency

The RAFI-USA e-Bulletin is produced by Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA.

If you have questions or comments, let us know at communicator@rafiusa.org.

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