Farm Bill Timing

Outcomes
The following is a “short list” of programs that CFSC has followed in the Farm Bill and their outcomes:

Community Food Projects: Section 4406(a)(7) – Funds the program at $5 million (in mandatory money) for fiscal year 2008 and each year after, making it a permanent program.

Geographic preference: Section 4302 – Allows K-12 schools receiving federal funds for the school lunch program the flexibility to specify a geographic preference for the procurement of unprocessed agricultural products. Report language indicates that “unprocessed” is not intended to be interpreted literally, and it states that “unprocessed” should include washing vegetables, bagging greens, butchering livestock and poultry, pasteurizing milk, or putting eggs in a carton.

Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center: Section 4402(2) – Establishes a competitive grant program for producers, small businesses, and non-profits to apply for outreach, technical assistance, and feasibility study grants to support the development of enterprises which distribute and market healthy and locally produced foods to undeserved urban, rural, and tribal communities. $3 million total (mandatory) over 3 years.

Financing for Local Food Enterprises: Section 6015 – Provides 5% of funds (approx. $50 million annually) in loan guarantees for businesses in rural areas involved in local food distribution and marketing to secure private-secure loans backed by a USDA loan guarantee through the Rural Business and Industries Loan and Loan Guarantee program. Includes a definition of “locally produced food.”

USDA “Food Desert” Study: Section 7527 – Provides $500,000 in discretionary funding for a one-year USDA-led study on the incidence of “food deserts,” or areas with limited healthy and fresh food retail access and identify strategies which can reduce their incidence.

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: Section 4231 and 4406(c) – Provides $20.6 million per year (mandatory) for fresh fruits and vegetable vouchers to low-income seniors that can be used at participating farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community supported agriculture subscriptions, worth $10-$100 annually per recipient (amount varies by state/tribe).

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program: Section 4304 – Provides $500 million (mandatory) over five years for selected schools to purchase at least one daily fresh fruit or vegetable snack. The program will focus on low-income school districts, and allocates 1% of funding total funding to each state and the District of Columbia with additional funding allocated by relative state population. Schools can preference local products.

Farmers’ Market Promotion Program: Section 10106 – $33 million mandatory over 5 years to provide competitive grants of up to $75,000 to promote farmers’ markets and other direct marketing ventures. Sets aside 10% of annual funding to implement projects for using “food stamp” benefits at farmers’ markets.

Food Stamp Nutrition Education: Section 4111 – State agencies may implement a nutrition education program for individuals eligible for program benefits that promotes healthy food choices consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and may deliver nutrition education directly to eligible persons or through agreements with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, including through the expanded food and nutrition education program.

Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): Section 4201 – Provides the following funding to purchase commodities for emergency food assistanc e: $190 million for FY 2008, $250 million for FY 2009, and for FY 2010-2012 the program will be increased by the percentage the thrifty food plan is increased. TEFAP will have up to $100 million in discretionary funds for administrative, distribution, and storage costs.

The Congressional Hunger Center: Section 4401 – Our friends at the Congressional Hunger Center are authorized with discretionary funds.

Other Points of Interest

• The Food Stamp Program is renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and “food stamps” will now be called “supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits”.
• Supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits are now increased, indexed to inflation, and certain military payments, retirement accounts, and education accounts are excluded from income for the purposes of determining SNAP eligibility.
• A pilot program has been added to evaluate health and nutrition promotion in SNAP (Section 4141). The purpose of the program is to reduce overweight, obesity, and associated “co-morbidities” in the US among SNAP recipients, and will receive $20,000,000 in mandatory funding.
• Section 4303 establishes a Healthy Food Education and Program Replicability which would put hands-on vegetable gardening education into high-poverty schools. The provision does not mention funding.

On the Horizon

Save the Date for our Annual Conference
Join us for Community Food Security Coalition’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA October 4-8, 2008. We hope to see you there!

Victory Against Hunger Awards
The National Farm to School Network is extremely honored to have the 2008 Victory Against Hunger (VAH) Award’s theme be Farm to School. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to advocate for your program and be nominated for a VAH Award, with a prize of $1,000 for your Farm to School program. Raise awareness of a farm to school program to your Congressional representative for future supportive farm to school policy and press. Learn more about the Awards on the Farm to School website. Deadline for nomination letters from your member of Congress is June 6.

Support CFSC
If our work helps you get excited and keeps you informed during the Farm Bill process, please consider becoming a member, renewing your membership, or donating to CFSC. Your donation in any amount will help to sustain our efforts to meet new challenges in food security. Thank you for your support!

Happy Eating,
Steph and Kim