RAFI E-Bulletin
The Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA

After a year-long hiatus, RAFI's monthly e-bulletin is back. This year, look for news and information about the 2007 Farm Bill along with updates and stories about RAFI's diverse programs.

Welcome to the 2007 Farm Bill: The Future of America's Farms Happy Land Farms, farmer and grandson

We get a new farm bill every five to seven years, and 2007 is one of those years. It's an omnibus bill that covers everything from farm commodities and nutrition to conservation and rural development. Past Farm Bills have not given much support for organic, contract farmers, and small- and mid-scale farms. RAFI's aim is to help create a Farm Bill that:

• Fairly distributes the benefits of farm programs

• Increases support for environmental stewardship

• Addresses flaws in conservation and disaster-assistance programs

• Protects contract farmers, fair competition, and country-of-origin labeling

• Supports organic agriculture through research and certification cost-shar

• Increases public plant and animal breeding research

• Supports farm-to-school and farmer's market nutrition programs

To join RAFI's farm bill action alert list, e-mail communicator@rafiusa.org

Read this e-bulletin in coming months for news and information about the 2007 Farm Bill.

A Competition Title in the 2007 Farm Bill:
Fair Markets, Fair Contracts

Today, a handful of corporations dominate our food supply. Their concentrated power effectively eliminates free market competition, to the detriment of family farmers and consumers. This year, RAFI, accompanied by a national coalition of more than 200 organizations, is asking Congress to add a new piece to the Farm Bill. Theproposed Competition Title will support healthy markets through a comprehensive plan that includes:

•Increasing fairness in agricultural contracts and markets

•Assuring adequate market information and transparency for producers and
consumers

• Limiting packer control and manipulation of livestock markets

Senator Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has
pledged to add this measure the the Farm Bill.

To help ensure that this farm bill includes a strong competition title, email becky@rafiusa.org or visit this resource page developed by the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, in
which RAFI is a partner.

New Publications and Resources

In the last year, RAFI has published a number of resources for farmers and advocates alike. To download PDF copy of each guide, click on the title.

• Farmer's Guide to Peanut Contracts. January 2007. This guide, based on interviews with North Carolina farmers and other research, will help farmers make informed decisions about peanut contracts. The guide outlines the pros and cons of peanut contracts and walks the reader through common terms and clauses. It also includes a list of relevant laws and a directory of resources for more information.

• Farmer and Lender Project: Strategies to Sustain Agriculture and Enhance Rural Development in North Carolina
December 2006. The Farmer and Lender Project report examines the barriers to agricultural finance in North Carolina, and looks toward a system of debt finance that allows lenders to work with innovative farmers. The publication is a resource for advocates, policy-makers, journalists and researchers.

•Issues to Consider Related to Tobacco Contracts. December 2006. This guide, based on interviews with North Carolina farmers and other research, will help farmers make better informed decisions about tobacco contracts. It outlines the pros and cons of tobacco contracts and explains the laws and legal terms that farmers need to know. It includes a list of resources for farmers and a glossary of important terms.

The Agricultural Reinvestment Report. December 2006. This report concludes that RAFI-USA's Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Program is a model of farm-based rural economic development that can be replicated statewide and in other states and regions. The program could make a dramatic difference in preserving farmland and sustaining rural economies.

• Farmer's Guide to Agricultural Credit . September 2006. Creative ideas,
from growing organic produce to grinding corn into grits, offer farms a way to stay afloat in financially challenging times. However, these ideas can be difficult to explain to lenders who are used to dealing with traditional commodity crops. The guide provides step-by-step advice on financing non-traditional farm-based
enterprises.

Come to the Table: A Conference on Food, Faith, and Farms in NC, April 10, 11, & 13

RAFI is working with the Rural Life Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches to sponsor "Come to the Table: A
Conference on Food, Faith, and Farms." Three one-day regional sessions will explore how churches can bring us together to relieve hunger and sustain local agriculture in
our communities. The eastern N.C. conference will be April 10 in Goldsboro; the central N.C. conference will be April 11 in Orange
County; and the western N.C. conference will be April 13 in Asheville.

To register and get more information, visit www.cometothetablenc.org
The registration deadline is April 2, 2007. To register by phone, call Rose Gurken at(919) 828-6501.

International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security, May 3-5, Rome

RAFI-USA is partnering with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other groups to organize anInternational Conference
on Organic Agriculture and Food Security, May 3 - 5 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The conference is open to anyone working in the fields of organic agriculture or food security, and registration is free. For more information please download the conference announcement .

Benefit for RAFI at Whole Foods Market Raleigh, NC
Tuesday, April 17

For almost two decades RAFI-USA has been creating healthy choices for families and family farmers.
Now is your opportunity to go shopping and support RAFI's mission of a just, sustainable,
and equitable food system. The Raleigh, NC, Whole Foods Market will donate 5% of
total sales to RAFI on Tuesday, April 17.

So come join us, bring yourfriends, shop and support food that's good for you and those who grow it!

Whole Foods Store in Raleigh, NC, 3540 Wade Ave (corner of Wade Ave. and Ridge Rd. in the Ridgewood Shopping Center)
Tuesday, April 17th from 8 am to 9 pm
Map and Directions

Coming Next Month

Guide to the 2007 Farm Bill - Why does the Farm Bill include such seemingly un-related programs? How do commodity programs help farmers? Where is the baby in all this bathwater? Scott Marlow, Farm Sustainability program director,
will walk us through the complicated world of the 2007 Farm Bill.

2007 Farm Bill: Disaster Programs - How can we change federal disaster assistance programs to better
serve American farmers?

2007 Farm Bill: Organic Agenda - How can the Farm Bill affect organic foods and farmers?

Learn about the proposed agenda from our Just Foods staff, leaders of the National Organic Coalition.

Meet This Year's Innovative Farmers – The 2007 Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Grant winners were announced in late March. Next month, meet some of these North Carolina farmers who are demonstrating creative ways to replace tobacco income.

Join RAFI in making a difference.

Join RAFI in sustaining family farms and help ensure a just and sustainable food supply. Click here to make a contribution to this important work.

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.
Copyright 2007, RAFI-USA.

For back issues of the bulletin, see the RAFI- USA e-Bulletins page or call (919) 542-1396. You can search our site to find information in back issues.

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