From HN3551@handsnet.orgFri May 10 23:56:53 1996 Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:07:05 -0700 From: Keith Richards To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Southern Sustainable Farming, part 3 ======================Electronic Edition====================== SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE FARMING # 10 MAY 1996 -part 3- ========== Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group P.O. Box 324, Elkins, AR 72727 Phone (501) 292-3714; E-mail: HN3551@handsnet.org Keith Richards, Editor ========== SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE FARMING is the bi-monthly voice of the Southern SAWG, 50 member organizations working for more sustainable agriculture in 13 Southern states. Hard copy subscriptions via U. S. postal service: $15 per year or $25 for two years =============================================================== CONTENTS, part 3: * ARKSANSAS LAND AND FARM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: A PROFILE * HOW CAN FARMERS MAKE SURE CONTRACTS ARE FAIR IN CONTRACT FARMING? * HOW TO GET A COPY OF THE PROPOSED NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS * SUSTAINABLE AG GRANTS AVAILABLE FROM SOUTHERN SARE/ACE * PUBLICATIONS OF NOTE * CALENDAR OF EVENTS ========================================== ===================== ARKANSAS LAND AND FARM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: A Southern SAWG Member Profile Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation (ALFDC) believes in partnerships. Since 1980 this non- profit organization has been serving hundreds of small family farmers and rural residents in a 42-county area of eastern Arkansas' Delta region by bringing people and resources together. ALFDC's mission is to enhance the quality of life in rural communities through land retention efforts, family farm development, and land-based development for limited resource and socially disadvantaged people. The organization does this by creating integrated programs that provide advocacy, education, and technical assistance to farmers and landowners, with a special emphasis on targeting minorities, women, and youth. To increase the effectiveness of these programs, ALFDC works closely with federal and state government agencies, as well as the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and other NGOs. Where there is a problem in rural communities, the people at ALFDC work to find a solution, not by using a band-aid approach, but by building comprehensive programs that address underlying causes. ALFDC programs include Agricultural and Rural Community Development, Integrated Farming Systems, Home Ownership Miracles Everywhere, and Youth Enterprise in Agriculture. Integrated Farming Systems ALFDC's comprehensive approach is evident through its agricultural programs. The organization assists farmers at every level--from increasing long-term productivity of their land to developing marketing networks for their products, from obtaining financing for land retention to helping new farmers get started. An important component to ALFDC's network of services is the Integrated Farming Systems program currently funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. According to Calvin King, executive director of ALFDC, the program demonstrates how to obtain and use farm infrastructure technology, including irrigation, and helps farmers produce alternative crops and adopt sustainable ag practices. Community demonstration sites have been established on private farms as part of this program where research and training can take place. Recently several farms were involved in a SARE grant along with researchers from Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to analyze the use of agricultural wastes as soil amendments. Also, a network of about 20 farms has been created to exchange information on alternative crops and sustainable ag practices. Youth Enterprise in Agriculture Providing opportunities for young people to become productive members of farming communities is another important component of ALFDC's work. With an aging farm population and an exodus of young people away from rural communities, the leaders of ALFDC realize the importance of working with the youth. "It is important to help youth understand the opportunities in agriculture at a young age," Calvin King says. The Youth Enterprise in Agriculture program, established in 1991, provides minority teenagers with ag education, hands-on training, and leadership development. Students work with farm mentors, such as Joe Bryant and Ephraim Lewis, to learn management and production techniques for raising alternative crops--primarily small- scale fruit and vegetable crops. They also learn about the support agencies available to farmers and how to access them. If students decide to take up farming as a career, ALFDC assists them in accessing land and services. Often they help students take advantage of government services that are under-utilized, like the loan program for beginning farmers within the USDA Farm Service Agency. The youth program doesn't only teach farming, however. Students learn about the wide range of career opportunities available in agriculture, and are given the chance to intern with public or private agricultural agencies. Throughout the program the students are paid for their work and training. Nearly 600 youth from the Delta area of Arkansas and northern Mississippi have participated in the program so far. One former student, Cleophus Mills, is now farming about 300 acres in Phillips County, AR, and has become a mentor to other youth. Another student has passed the requirements to work for the federal ag agencies already. Several others are completing internships with agricultural companies, increasing their opportunity for employment after they graduate from college. Other Farm Programs and Services Marketing cooperatives have served as another major component of ALFDC's work. The organization helps link farmers with marketing co-ops in the area and assists co-ops in developing greater capacity. In 1994 ALFDC assisted the Lee County Vegetable Growers Cooperative in obtaining a major expansion loan from a local private bank and a state agency. This allowed the co- op to purchase new processing, packing, and harvesting equipment. ALFDC has also provided counseling and legal referral service to more than 700 farmers facing land loss credit problems. They have conducted workshops on farm credit and land loss prevention, and helped farmers access government ag programs. Finally, ALFDC has been a leader in advocating for state and federal legislation to help limited resource farmers. The organization has influenced state and federal legislation to modify property tax laws and create support services for limited resource farmers. ********************************************** CONTRACT FARMING: HOW CAN FARMERS MAKE SURE CONTRACTS ARE FAIR? adapted from an article from RAFI Action newsletter by Mary Clouse Contracting to raise crops and livestock for large food processing corporations is gaining ground in every farm state. Bad weather, lower cattle prices, threats of lost subsidies, and questionable export markets are forcing farmers to consider signing contracts with the giant slaughter houses and food processors in order to bring some stability to their farm income--even if it means going heavily into debt for new equipment. Farmers hope that the loss of some independence in farm management will be offset by less risk in production and marketing. Contract poultry farmers, for example, are glad that they do not have to absorb the higher grain costs this coming year due to short crops in the Midwest. Poultry feed is supplied to the farmer by the poultry companies. Note that "a production contract can be defined as an agreement under which a producer agrees to feed and care for livestock owned by a contractor in return for a payment," according to the Livestock Production Contract Checklist from the Office of the Iowa Attorney General. Production contracts should be distinguished from marketing agreements and other contracts where the livestock or crops produced are owned by the producer. Contract farming is changing the role of the farmer. He seems willing to get larger, buy the new technology, try the new seed, raise animals he's never raised before, give up his legendary independence--anything to get back to a life in the country, improve the cash flow, or just keep the farm. However, the 30-year experience of the contract poultry growers has taught them that what started out as a good thing has gone completely out of control. Local owners of the poultry companies have been replaced by faceless, corporate giants who squeeze the farmers, the processing plants, and the communites where they operate for every last dime of profit by whatever means, legal or illegal, in order to compete with other large corporations. If contract farming is becoming the trend of the future, then farmers need to have some input into their contracts. Poultry farmers are working to get a law passed that gives them this right. Meanwhile, any farmer who considers producing under a farm contract should make sure he understands every aspect of the written agreement. Consult with an attorney, financial lender, agricultural consultant, or other producers who have experience with contracts before committing to a contractual obligation. Resources: A Farmer's Legal Guide to Production Contracts, 1995, by Neil D. Hamilton. Identifies and addresses many of the legal issues which can arise under contracting, and contains valuable checklists concerning what questions to ask when considering a contract. 175 pp. Order by sending a check for $16.95 payable to Drake University to: Legal Guide to Production Contracts, Drake University, Agricultural Law Center, Des Moines, IA 50311; 515-271-2947. For more information on contracts in poultry farming, contact Mary Clouse, Poultry Project Director, RAFI-USA, PO Box 655, Pittsboro, NC 27312; 919-545-0945, or John Morrison, National Contract Poultry Growers Assoc., PO Box 824, Ruston, LA 71273; 800-259-8100. ******************************************* GET A COPY OF PROPOSED NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS If you want to get on the USDA National Organic Program mailing list and receive a copy of the proposed rule that includes the organic standards when it is published, send a message with a postal address or fax number to: Grace Gershuny, National Organic Program, USDA/AMS/TMD/NOP, Rm. 2510-South Bldg., PO Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090; 202-720-8331; e-mail Grace_J_Gershuny@usda.gov. Those of you with access to the World Wide Web can also check the USDA Home Page under AMS Programs for current information. This address is: http://www.usda.gov/ams/tmdnop.htm For more information about the National Organic Program in general, contact Michael Sligh, PO Box 4672, Chapel Hill, NC 27514; 919-929-7099; e-mail HN1778@handsnet.org. ********************************************* SUSTAINABLE AG GRANTS AVAILABLE FROM SOUTHERN SARE/ACE The Southern SARE/ACE Program will once again award grants to researchers, educators, and farmers in the field of sustainable agriculture over the next year. Three types of grants are available--for general research and education, for training ag professionals, and for producer research and education. The deadline for preproposals for general research and education grants will be September 1. Priority areas for funding in 1997 include projects that address value- added processing and marketing, quality of life and social impacts, or the challenges of limited resource farmers. Producers are especially encouraged to seek grants for research or education projects on their farms. The deadline for proposals for producer grants will be January 31, 1997. Watch for details about these grant programs in upcoming issues of the Southern SARE/ACE newsletter, Common Ground. If you are not on the Southern SARE/ACE mailing list and would like to be added, or have further questions, contact Gwen Roland, Southern SARE/ACE Program, 1109 Experiment St., Griffin, GA 30223-1797; 770-412-4786; e-mail groland@gaes.griffin.peachnet.edu. ****************************************** PUBLICATIONS OF NOTE Sustainable Agriculture Directory of Expertise, 3rd Edition, 1996, Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). Compiled by staff of ATTRA, the directory lists contact information, areas of expertise, and profiles on over 700 organizations and individuals involved with sustainable agriculture. Includes seven indexes for cross-referencing. 280 pp. $18.95. Make check or money order payable to "Sustainable Agriculture Publications," SAN, Hills Building, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405- 0082; 802-656-0471. Production Flexibility Contracts: A Guide to the New Flexibility Provisions of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, Midwest SAWG and Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. This free brochure is a good reference for farmers who are trying to sort out what the "Freedom to Farm" provision in the 1996 Farm Bill means for them. It explains that farmers now will be permitted unlimited haying and grazing on all contract acres, which may encourage rotational grazing and/or diversification of farm operations to include livestock. It also clarifies which crops may be planted on contract acreage under the new law, as well as eligibility requirements to sign up for the new seven year program. For a copy, contact Brad DeVries, Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 202-547-5754. ******************************************** CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 8-9: The Basics of Organizing and Operating Credit Unions, Epes, AL. (repeated Aug 15-16) Part of workshop series in Cooperative Economic Development offered by Federation of Southern Co-ops Training Center, 205-652- 9676. July 11-14: Mississippi River Conference: The Spirit of Survival, Univesity of MO at St. Louis. For more information contact the Mississippi River Basin Alliance, 314-822-4114. August 8-11: 3rd Annual Carolina Farm Stewardship Assoc. & Southeastern Permaculture Gathering, Arthur Morgan School, Celo, NC. For information contact Tony Kleese, 704-675-5783. August 13-16: The Delta: Connecting Points of View for Sustainable Natural Resources, Cook Convention Center, Memphis, TN. For information contact the National Assoc. of Conservation Districts Delta Conference, 202-547-6223. August 15-16: The Basics of Cooperative Economic Development and Sustainable Agriculture Workshops, Epes, AL. For information contact the Federation of Southern Coops Training Center, 205-652-9676. Connect Mail Sent: May 10, 1996 8:10 am PDT Item: R00RA29