June 2007 Newsletter

You did it. We tried something new last month, and it worked, because so many of you took up the challenge of raising $15,000 by May 15th to support the fight for the future of rural America.

Massive spring tornado destroys this rural town, but not its spirit — we list a variety of ways to help residents rebuild

On the morning of May 4, Greensburg, Kansas, was like the small towns in which many of us live and work – a vibrant business community with locally owned small businesses serving the town and neighboring farms and ranches, strong schools and churches serving as the heart and soul of the community, and unique and interesting examples of rural culture and tourism. By late that evening all had changed in Greensburg as a massive tornado destroyed most of the town and many nearby rural homes.

The opportunity to shape a debate that focuses on investing in the future and reforming excessive payments is at hand—be part of it

Congress has begun writing a new farm bill, and each of us who cares about rural America has a responsibility to help shape the outcome. The stakes are high.

The farm bill can foster new vitality for rural communities, small businesses, and family farms. There are three key principles. The farm bill must invest in our future. It must reform excessive payments that subsidize concentration and drive smaller producers off the land. And citizens of conscience must enter the fray.

Act calls for financial and entrepreneurial training, apprentice programs, and new financing options for beginners

On May 16, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act, a comprehensive set of policy options designed to meet the unique challenges and opportunities of today’s beginning farmers and ranchers, was introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Sponsors include Senators Harkin (D-IA), Grassley (R-IA), Brown (D-OH), and Baucus (D-MT) and Representatives Hereseth Sandlin (D-SD), McCollum (D-MN), and Walz (D-MN).

The need for the 2007 farm bill to include such an initiative could not be clearer. Farmers over the age of 65 outnumber those under 35 by more than two to one. A majority of farmland and farm business assets is owned by those over 65 as well. In 1978, 350,000 farmers aged 34 or younger claimed farming as their primary occupation. By the 2002 Census of Agriculture, just over 70,000 people aged 34 or younger made the same claim.

Smithfield merger completed; bills introduced on packer ownership of livestock

Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest pork packer and producer, announced on May 7 that the acquisition of Premium Standard Farms, the second largest producer and sixth largest packer, is complete. The merger brings Smithfield’s holdings to well over 1.1 million sows, over 20 percent of U.S. hog production and 31 percent of pork packing.

Initially, with the urging of farmers, farm and rural organizations, and members of Congress, the acquisition was put on hold while the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division investigated the impact of the transaction on competition in the pork sector. On May 4 Justice announced the closing of its investigation and their finding that the merger would not harm competition, consumers, or farmers.

Calif. district judge halts planting genetically altered alfalfa seed; proposal for USDA research institute gains ground

On May 4, 2007, a California federal district court judge banned any further planting of GE “Roundup Ready” alfalfa seed until USDA conducts a complete Environmental Impact Statement on Monsanto’s patented seed. This is the first time a commercialized genetically-altered crop has been halted in the United States.

Rural arts programs build on history and strong ties to community and how it works

Recently, I had the honor of working with the Nebraska Arts Council to review arts projects in communities across the state. It has been both rewarding and informative.

Arts based community development has been practiced for years, but it takes a different connotation in small rural communities. In urban areas, arts development is on display in museums, theaters, concerts, and art galleries. Exhibits are plentiful, and there is no limit to creativity and devotion to the arts.

Small rural communities have taken arts in another direction with a different focus. Rural community arts programs seem to build on a sense of place and history. Art focuses on integrating into the community and how it works.

Instead of supporting the schools with the highest graduation rates – small schools – public policy is forcing many to shut their doors

Spring is a time of renewal and new beginnings. This holds true for many graduating high school seniors. We ask ourselves, what does it take to graduate from high school, an accomplishment that seems to be a given to many, an obstacle to others, and an unnecessary milestone to a few.

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy wrote an opinion piece in May identifying low high school graduation as a national epidemic affecting approximately 1 million students each year.

Many small businesses are set to change hands; REAP helps to prepare communities

Business succession is critical to our rural communities’ survival. Several Nebraska communities have hosted seminars to learn more about what they can do as business owners, potential owners, and/or community leaders. Center for Rural Affairs’ staff with REAP, our small business development program, helped with these events in Ainsworth, Valentine, Burwell, and Ord.

The 2008 Marketplace: Opening Doors to Success will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, at the New World Inn in Columbus, Nebraska. Save the date!

Last year’s event was an incredible success with over 500 people attending from Nebraska and other states. Over half of attendees represented small businesses, and people came from across Nebraska – 74 counties in all. We’ve already heard from small business owners and service providers who are eagerly anticipating the second MarketPlace.

This year’s event promises to be even better with addition of youth representatives on the Advisory Committee and a youth entrepreneur training track. Part of the youth track will include teach-ins focused on agriculture. An expanded Hispanic business track is in the works as well.

The term “organic” means many things to many people. Unfortunately, a lot of disinformation and misinformation is causing confusion for consumers and growers alike. Many believe organic farming is all about what cannot be used to produce a crop. In reality, organic farming is all about how the product was raised and processed.

The seventh annual Nebraska Grazing Conference will be held at the Kearney Holiday Inn on August 7 and 8. This year’s sessions include prominent specialists Jim Gerrish, Harlan Hughes, Darrel Mark and Derek Bailey.

Their sessions will include grassland monitoring, stocking based on weather and cattle cycles, leases, ethanol impacts, and livestock/wildlife management. Other sessions include goats, technology, fire, and panels of senior and younger graziers.

The Ecological Farming Association (EFA) is seeking an experienced and dedicated executive director to lead the organization in its next phase of growth and development. EFA is a 27 year-old nonprofit corporation based in Watsonville, California, dedicated to educating and informing farmers, policymakers and the public about economically viable practices of ecological agriculture.

Visit http://www.eco-farm.org for a full job description. To apply, forward a resume, cover letter and three references to edapplication@eco-farm.org.

Nearly every article in our newsletter ends with an email address of a staff member you can write for more information or to comment. This is a popular feature, and many people do write in.

Now you can also leave comments about newsletter articles directly on our website. Every article that appears in this newsletter is also posted on our website, and each article now allows you to leave comments for others to read and respond to.

Hopefully you have had a chance to check out the Center for Rural Affairs’ redesigned website. It’s now home to our Blog for Rural America, with steady, provocative commentary and news from around the internet. These posts pull no punches – see what I mean at www.cfra.org/blog and in the example posts below.

Dear Senator Nelson
The following letter about the lack of competition in livestock markets was set to Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson by Center for Rural Affairs’ board member Jim Knopik. Jim was kind enough to share the letter with us for publication here as well.