Public Policy

General Public Policy

Farm Bureau member addresses Local Food Council - The North Carolina Local Sustainable Food Policy Council met Thursday July 22 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. The group heard several presentations including a presentation from Watauga County NC Farm Bureau member Joe Martin, Zydeco Farm and New River Organic Growers, on “GAP Certification – A Farmer’s Perspective.” As a result of Joe’s presentation, the Council has formed an ad hoc working group to develop an “All-Farm” GAPs program to meet the needs of the state’s small farmers in meeting food safety requirements from buyers. Other presentations included, “ Regulatory Issues of Animal Processing in North Carolina,” “Conducting a Baseline Assessment for Local Foods and Economic Development Potential in NC: the Western North Carolina Example,” “Potential “Whole Farm” GAP Certification and Institutional Markets,” and “Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems (SENCFS) Project.” North Carolina Farm Bureau is a stakeholder on the Council.

CEFS launches 10% Campaign - The 10% Campaign encourages consumers to spend 10% of their existing food dollars on foods produced in North Carolina. By supporting local food producers and related businesses, the 10% Campaign will create jobs, boost the viability of North Carolina farms and fisheries and promote healthy communities statewide. “In these challenging times, buying local foods will benefit our farmers and fishermen and help grow our economy,” said Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF president. “Golden LEAF is proud to support the 10% Campaign because North Carolina’s agricultural products are fresher, tastier and healthier.” North Carolinians spend about $35 billion a year on food. If individuals spent 10 percent on foods produced locally – roughly $1.05 per day – about $3.5 billion would be available in the local economy. “North Carolina is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the increased consumer demand for locally produced foods,” said Nancy Creamer, co-director of CEFS. “Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. The state’s climate, soils and coastal resources support production of a wide variety of produce, meats, fish and seafood. We have the capacity to build a robust local food economy to the benefit of all; the 10% Campaign will help get us there.”

Developing a Framework for Market Based Conservation - Forty plus attendees were greeted by Larry Wooten, Major General Jensen and David Knight (Assistant Secretary of DENR). Reports were given about the continuing need for ecosystems services and opportunities to develop a NC system to reward private landowners providing the services. The attendees agreed to work toward developing a framework in NC.

New Technology to Address Roundup® Resistance - Weed resistance to Roundup® is a growing concern in many parts of the South including North Carolina. DOW Chemical met with NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, and various agricultural organizations including NCFB this week to discuss their new seed technology that will allow cotton, soybean, and corn to receive 2,4-D applications in addition to Roundup® to provide weed control where resistance is a problem. In addition, DOW will be introducing a new formulation of 2,4-D products that are touted as being much less harmful to 2,4-D sensitive plants because of decreased volatility.

June 28 Farm Bureau Testifies at House Ag Committee Farm Bill Hearing - Frank Lee a Stanly County corn, cotton, wheat, soybean and cattle farmer, provided testimony on behald of NC Farm Bureau before the Congressional Subcommittee on Agriculture in Fayetteville, NC on June 28, 2010. Mr. Lee provided updates on the major provisions of the Farm Bill and answered questions from committee members. His testimony provided insight to committee members with consideration to NCFB policy. Other farmers testifying before the Committee were Ronald Allen, row crop, timber, pork, poultry, and beef producer, Fayetteville, North Carolina; Allen McLaurin, cotton producer, Laurinburg, North Carolina; Tommy Porter, pork, beef, and poultry producer, Concord, North Carolina; and Dan Ward, peanut producer, Clarkton, North Carolina.

June 14 is Deadline to Submit 2012 Farm Bill Comments - The House Committee on Agriculture is accepting public comments about the 2012 Farm Bill on its website: http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/feedbackform.html. All comments received online by June 14, 2010 will be included in the Committee’s Farm Bill field hearing record.

Traceability Meeting – A produce traceability meeting is scheduled for July 20 at NCFB in Raleigh. The event is sponsored by NCFB, the NC Blueberry Council, NC Vegetable Growers Association and the NC Sweet Potato Association. The program will include national level speakers talking about traceability solutions and pilot projects, the Produce Traceability Initiative and the results of the NC Tobacco Trust Fund study on traceability in NC by NCDA&CS, NCSU and FoodLogiQ.

Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum — The Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum is scheduled for August 10 at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

Developing a Framework for Market Based Conservation - On June 29, NC Farm Bureau is hosting a meeting of various agriculture, forestry, conservation, and agency interests to discuss opportunities to partner with North Carolina military facilities to promote farmland preservation, renewable energy, local foods, and other initiatives mutually beneficial to farmers and the military.

June 15 Begins Nomination Process for County FSA Committees - The election of responsible agricultural producers to FSA county committees is important to ALL farmers and ranchers with large or small operations. It is crucial that every eligible producer take part in this election because county committees are a direct link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They help deliver FSA farm programs at the local level. Farmers who serve on committees help decide the kind of programs their counties will offer. They work to make FSA agricultural programs serve the needs of local producers. PLEASE READ: Uniform Guidelines for Conducting Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections ( Text 39 Bytes | PDF 66 KB ) The nomination period for FSA county committees begins June 15, 2010. Nomination forms are available online at www.fsa.usda.gov as well as from your local FSA Office.

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Funding Available - State Conservationist JB Martin announced that producers in North Carolina are invited to apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, CSP offers payments to producers who maintain a high level of conservation on their land and who agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship. Eligible lands include cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non-industrial forestland. The deadline to be considered for the next ranking and funding period is June 11, 2010. Congress limited enrollment for CSP nationally at 12.7 million acres per year. Applicants will compete within state-identified ranking pools. Under the interim final rule published July 29, 2009, eligible producers may submit an application to enroll eligible land in CSP on a continuous basis. Producers are encouraged to apply for CSP now to ensure their applications will be considered during the next funding and ranking period. However, they can make their final decision to participate in the program once the CSP final rule is issued. The final rule will establish the policies and procedures for the program. Potential applicants are encouraged to use the CSP self-screening checklist to determine if the new program is suitable for their operation. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, contract obligations and potential payments. It is available from local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices or on the NRCS Web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html. CSP offers payments for adding conservation practices and maintaining and managing existing conservation practices. For more information about CSP, please visit your local NRCS office, or visit the NRCS in North Carolina, visit us on the Web at www.nrcs.usda.gov.

Conservation Awareness Day at the NC General Assembly - May 18, 2010. Leaders of the NC Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts will come to Raleigh next Tuesday to visit legislators and make their case for support and funding of the Ag Cost Share Program (ACSP) that implements BMPs and supports district staff to provide assistance to local landowners. Budget proposals by the Governor and the Senate have detailed funding cuts to many of the conservation programs.

ESF 11 & SART Partners Meet to Prepare for 2010 Hurricane Season - Our partnerships are essential to protect North Carolina's agricultural industries, commodities and animals. North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Emergency Programs Division hosted the annual ESF 11/SART partners meeting on May 4th prior to the start of the 2010 Hurricane Season. NC continued the tradition started last year of activating the Agriculture Emergency Operations Center in conjunction with the meeting. We also increased the complexity this year by conducting this activity during the State Emergency Management's Annual Hurricane Exercise. Participants also received "Just In Time" refresher training and then integrated into the Incident Command Structure as they managed the ESF 11 Issues that developed during this exercise.

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