The Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act of 2007

What is it?   The Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act is federal legislation that will be introduced soon in the House and the Senate.  The legislation is intended to highlight and advance the Farm Bill priorities of the Northeast, from nutrition and healthy diets to the needs of dairy farmers and specialty crop growers to conservation and forestry.  One of the region's high priorities for the Farm Bill is farmland protection, and the legislation includes a number of critical farmland protection initiatives for the 2007 Farm Bill. 

What does the bill do to advance farm and ranch land protection?  The bill proposes a number of important farm and ranch land protection provisions including:

• Tripling funding for the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) from roughly $100 million to $300 million annually.
• Reforming FRPP to reduce duplicative and burdensome federal regulations and granting FRPP funds to "qualified" state and local agricultural land protection programs and land trusts to apply toward eligible projects using their own selection criteria, procedures and easement provisions.
• Eliminating the federal capital gains tax on agricultural conservation easement sales.
• Strengthening the Farmland Protection Policy Act to ensure that federally funded projects are not unnecessarily converting productive agricultural lands.
• Creating a National Agricultural Lands Commission to study the importance of protecting an adequate agricultural land base to our Nation's environmental quality and food, energy and national security, and to recommend ways the federal government can encourage the retention of agricultural land at the national, state and local levels.
• Establishing a "Debt for Agricultural Conservation Easements" program that would forgive farmers' USDA debt in exchange for conveyance of a permanent agricultural conservation easement.
• Providing grants to support state and local planning for agriculture initiatives.
• Eliminating the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limitation on conservation programs.

What else does the legislation include?:  The Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act outlines a broad suite of recommendations to address important agricultural and rural development priorities in the 2007 Farm Bill.  These include:

 * Market and Economic Development
 * Conservation
 * Renewable Energy
 * Forestry
 * Crop Insurance
 * Dairy
 * Organic Transition
 * Nutrition
 * Healthy Diets

How does this bill compare with other "marker bills" that have been introduced?:   The Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act contains provisions similar to those found in other recently introduced Farm Bill "marker bills," such as HR 1551 (the Healthy Farms, Foods, and Fuels Act of 2007), and HR 1600 (the EAT Healthy America Act).  However, the Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act is the only one with a comprehensive package of initiatives specifically focused on farm and ranch land protection.

What should I do to support the bill's recommendations?:  Please call/email/fax your Congressional representative and ask them to contact Congresswoman DeLauro or Congressman Gilchrest's office and sign on as a co-sponsor of the Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act.

Contact information for Representative John Olver.

Where can I find more information?:  Additional information about the bill, including a two-page fact sheet, maybe found at American Farmland Trust's website, www.farmland.org.   

To learn more about the Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act, please contact:
Brian Ronholm, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) (202) 225-3661
Tammy Fisher, Legislative Director to Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) (202) 225-5311

Wet trail conditions in the Berkshires will delay the opening of motorized trails there for about a week. Heavy April snow in the region has only recently melted so trails are still wet and vulnerable to damage in Beartown State Forest, October Mt. State Forest, Pittsfield State Forest and Tolland State Forest. These trails are now scheduled to open on Wednesday, May 9th.

BEAT note - Jane was out on Skyline Trail at Pittsfield State Forest on May 4th. There were two ATVs on the trail and evidence that many others had been earlier in the year.

Volunteers sought for MA Calling Amphibian Survey

The Massachusetts Calling Amphibian Survey is seeking volunteers to
monitor pre-selected routes for calling amphibians as part of the North
American Amphibian Monitoring Project (NAAMP). A new web site
(http://www.massnaamp.org) provides information about NAAMP and the
Massachusetts Calling Amphibian Survey, routes available for adoption by
volunteers, monitoring protocols and data sheet, as well as links to the
national NAAMP web site for the frog quiz, data entry and other information.

We currently have 15 routes that are open and available for adoption by
willing volunteers (see the web site for a list and a map showing the
location of available routes). If you are interested in adopting one of
these routes contact Scott Jackson at the University of Massachusetts
(sjackson@umext.umass.edu). If you know of people who might be
interested in volunteering for NAAMP please send them a note and
encourage them to check out the web site.

Next Citizens Coodinating Council meeting June 13, 2007

The next quarterly full CCC meeting is scheduled for June 13 at Cranwell in Lenox, MA.   The primary topic for that meeting will be a discussion and presentation, case studies, and discussion of floodplain and river restoration techniques.  This is a Citizens Coordinating Council (CCC) meeting with the General Electric Company (GE), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and it is open to the public (although you might not get a chance to ask questions, you usually do get an opportunity toward the end of the meeting).  

BEAT report on 4/24/2007 CCC meeting.

Dear Pesticide-Free Lawns Activists:

It’s spring time and lawn care companies are knocking at our doors and calling our homes pushing toxic lawn treatments. These companies, like TruGreen ChemLawn, are continuing to market pesticides that threaten the health of our families, children and pets. Call them today and let them know we want less-toxic alternatives.

Around Earth Day, take a stand for our lawns and our communities and ask the nation’s largest lawn care provider to go truly organic. TruGreen ChemLawn has a special obligation to protect our communities as the nation's largest applicator.

Recently, Clayton, Dubilier and Rice (CD&R) purchased TruGreen ChemLawn in order to make the business more profitable. Really, the company should make them less toxic....and they need to hear from us.

Call Joseph Rice, Chairman of CD&R today at (212) 407-5200 and ask him to work with TruGreen ChemLawn to go truly organic. See the sample script below for help. Visit www.RefuseToUseChemLawn.org for more information and please forward this message widely.

Sincerely,

[Dial 212-407-5200 and ask to speak to Mr. Joseph Rice. Leave a message with his secretary if you can't get through to him.]

Dear Mr. Rice,

My name is _________ from _________(state). Congratulations on your recent purchase of TruGreen ChemLawn. Unfortunately, the company has a legacy of poisoning our communities. Please work with TruGreen ChemLawn to phase out toxic lawn care chemicals and offer customers a truly organic solution.

Thank You.

This is the One Meeting You Will Want to Attend if You Are Concerned About Climate Change

Sponsoring Agency: Climate Crisis Coalition
Date: Sunday April 29, 2007
Time: 2:30-5:00pm
Location: Great Barrington Congregational Church, 251 Main St , Great Barrington , MA
Contact: Raya Ariella, 413.243.5665

  The Climate Crisis Coalition (CCC), of South Lee will host an open meeting on Sunday April 29, 2007 at the Great Barrington Congregational Church to discuss the importance of Great Barrington signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Agreement and also joining the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign.  The town of Great Barrington will vote at its next Annual Town Meeting (May 14th) on a resolution to participate in both the Mayors Agreement and the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign in an attempt to bring the town up to Kyoto Protocol standards.  The purpose of the April 29 th meeting is to educate the public prior to the annual town meeting about the urgency of addressing climate change and getting out to vote.

  The Mayors Agreement is a resolution that states that participating cities will take local action to reduce global warming pollution.  ICLEI helps participating municipalities promote public awareness about the causes of climate change as well as ways to reduce that pollution.  Neither of these campaigns calls for specific actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but instead ask that participating municipalities act in good faith to find ways to reduce emissions.

The April 29 meeting will include background on the Mayors Agreement and ICLEI as well as case studies from similar sized towns that have signed onto both these campaigns.  Possible projects to help Great Barrington reduce its greenhouse gas emissions will be discussed and participants will break out into small groups to further discuss these projects (including electricity usage, automotive emissions, local foods, waste reduction and LEED green building certification).  Information packets and tools to spread the word will be distributed.  A slide show on climate science will be offered at the end for those who are interested.

The meeting will take place from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm at the Great Barrington Congregational Church at 251 Main Street in Great Barrington; refreshments will be served and child care will be provided.  For more information, contact Raya Ariella at the Climate Crisis Coalition, (413)243-5665 or raya@kyotoandbeyond.org.

Massachusetts dairy farm crisis

Massachusetts dairy farmers lost $18M last year, and are seeking $12M in short term relief, plus a fee on milk over the long term that would increase when farm milk prices are low, but be eliminated when farm milk prices are high enough to cover the cost of production.

The Boston Globe editorial board thought this plan was a good idea, given the cost of virtually all alternatives, including doing nothing. Below are some facts, in bullet point form below.   


1. Retailers have doubled their milk price margin in the past 10 years in Mass.  They do not lower prices if farm milk prices are lower.  

2. Farm milk prices last year, $1.14/gal, were less than in 1981. Consumers did not see the savings.   Speaking of concerns about a 25 cent increase, without stating that prior farm prices were at 25 year lows, is an omission which perhaps should be clarified.  Processors and retailers made money. And were the exclusive source of the entire price increase differential between 1981 retail milk prices and 2006 retail milk prices.

3. If farm milk prices rise this year, it is still unlikely farmers will meet cost of production (or pay off past collossal debt).  The actual farmer testimonial evidence, from actual farmer tax returns and financial records, at the Dairy Petition hearings had the lowest cost of production at $19/cwt with the highest over $21.  No testimony came in with lower numbers.  Feed, fuel, insurance has skyrocketed.  These cost numbers do not include the farmer or his family actually getting paid - in other words, with $20/cwt milk, the farmer works pro bono.

4. New York state has a milk price gouging law that results in consumers paying 50 cents less per gallon than Southern New England consumers, while retailers still making substantial margins.  That consumer protection law, in effect since the early 1990's, requires a retailer to charge, on only one of many lines of milk, a consumer price no more than 200% of the processor cost.  A similar bill has been introduced in the Mass legislature.  If processors and retailers are concerned about consumer milk prices, they can support that bill.

5.  In a competitive market system, the price gouging would not occur in Massachusetts because retailers would not have sufficient strength to escape the gravitational pull of supply and demand.  But those benefitting from excess market power work very hard to keep and maintain the resulting profits.  Thus, HP Hood's call to you.

6. We have gone from 850 Mass famers in 1982 to less than 180 farmers today.  The state spends tens of millions to preserve the open space due to risk of loss and lack of maintenance.

7. New England lost 30,000 cows last year.  New York and PA were collectively about stable in volume.  The Eastern seaboard is demanding more milk.  Milk costs 3 cents per gallon to transport 100 miles.  If we ship milk 1200 miles from Eau Claire, WI, the cost is 36 cents additional per retail gallon.  Boise, Idaho, in a state where 28,000 cows were added last year, is 2700 miles away, and would cost 81 cents per gallon. Fresno, CA, another expansion state, is 3100 miles from Boston, and would increase milk costs by 93 cents/gal.  These freight costs will increase, because oil will not go down.  The pollution cost of milk transport will increase.

8. The U.S. population hit 300M last October.  Per capita dairy consumption (all dairy products, not just milk) has increased.  The U.S. has been a net dairy importer for 10 years.  Thus, we are now importing dairy products not only from across the country, but thousands of miles across the ocean.

Mass Assn  of Dairy Farmers  www.massdairyfarmers.com

MACC's 2007 spring/summer training program is now underway! There’s a training session or workshop scheduled with everyone in mind, whether you’re newly appointed to your Commission or you want to hone your skills analyzing soil profiles.

Visit: http://www.maccweb.org/edu_workshops.html for complete course descriptions and registration information.

If you want to master the key knowledge and skills you need to be an effective Conservation Commissioner or agent, consider taking one or more units of the Fundamentals for Conservation Commissioners. The entire 8-unit course is being offered as a series from April 28th through June 9th in Palmer, MA. Here's your chance to complete your fundamentals training!

Looking for some field work? Those new to confirming wetland boundaries should consider Greg Hochmuth’s workshop, “Delineation for Beginners” on June 23rd. Anyone wanting to delve into delineating details will be glad to learn that John Rockwell has split his one-day “Basic Wetland Delineation” workshop into two full-day workshops, focusing on soils on May 19th and vegetation on June 2nd. Peter Fletcher and Gillian Davies return this summer to share their experience with soils, offering “Soil Science—Field Skills Workshop” on July 13th and “Hydric Soils Workshop—Field Identification, Documentation and Delineation” on July 26th.

Visit: http://www.maccweb.org/edu_workshops.html for complete course descriptions and registration information.