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Southern SAWG Newsletter  Volume 9,  #3

 

                             June 2012

Dear Friends,
 

The Farm Bill is a piece of legislation which determines a great deal of food and farm policy for many years. This action is important in our lives as producers AND consumers.

 

Farm Bill action is beginning to heat up in Washington, DC.  Therefore, we'd like to to devote special attention to this all-important work which will affect us for years to come.


In other news, Yes, another SSAWG video is in the works. And we have provided another clue.  We'll be providing clues about the latest title in the series in each e-news issue.

 

Happy June!

 

 --Your friends at Southern SAWG

IN THIS ISSUE
Farm Bill Action Alerts
Farm Bill 2012:Things You Should Know
Special Invitation-Phone Meeting
What Colleges Can Bring to the Table
Sneak Preview: The Next SSAWG Video
2013 Conference Dates
Become a 2013 Sponsor
Join Our Mailing List

 2012 Farm Bill Action Heats Up!

 

 

Stay up-to-date with Action Alerts at http://www.ssawg.org/action-alerts/  


 

 Tractor-Capitol-Planting

Farm Bill 2012: Things You Should Know
 
by Gabraelle Lane & Lydia Villanueva, SSAWG Policy Organizers

 

Summer Greetings to each of you! We are interested in helping to keep you informed of what is happening with the Farm Bill. As the new Policy Organizers, we are collaborating with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) to ensure that your concerns, priorities, and voices are heard as the Ag-Committee decides the next Farm Bill. We will try to keep you updated during the Summer. If you'd like to get involved please feel free to write us at [email protected].

 

The timing for Senate floor consideration now seems set. The Senate returns from its Memorial Day recess week on June 5, and the second order of business (after consideration of the Paycheck Fairness Act) is expected to be the Farm Bill.  Floor debate could begin by June 7; it will likely spill over into the week of June 11.

 

The House of Representatives will be on recess the week of June 11. Upon their return the following week, House Agriculture Chair Frank Lucas has indicated he would like to start markup of his version of the Farm Bill in committee.

 

For more detailed information about the Farm Bill and next steps by Congress, we invite you to visit the blog of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

A Special Invitation from SSAWG


A special conference call is being planned for Wednesday, June 6th at 9:00AM (CST) 10:00AM (EST). The toll-free call in number is (800) -977-8002; the Access code is 577467# (don't forget the pound sign) . This call is of special interest to organizations in the states of AR, GA, KY, MS, OK, and VA.
We want to invite those of you who are located in the states mentioned to send an email to [email protected].

 

Below you will find a list of the Southern members of the Agriculture Committee in the House and Senate.

 

Senate - Contact Information:

Name

Washington DC Office

Local Office

Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)

(202) 224-5054

(601) 965-4459

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

(202) 224-3521

(800) 234-4208

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

(202) 224-2541

(502) 582-6304

Senator Mark L. Pryor (D-AR) 

(202) 224-2353

(877) 259-9602

 

House Contact Information:

Name

Washington DC Office

Local Office

Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK-3)

(202) 225-5565

(405) 373-1958

Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA-6)

(202) 225-5431

(434) 845-8306

Congressman Jack Kingston  (R-VA-1)

(202) 225-5831

(229) 247-9188

What Colleges Can Bring to the Table
 
by Katherine Gustafson from the Chronicle of Higher Education

 

When it comes to encouraging the development of a healthy and sustainable food-production system in the United States, colleges are in a unique position to nourish young minds, both nutritionally and intellectually, in ways that can change things for the better.

 

As large institutions that supply food in quantity, colleges can use their purchasing power to bolster the economic life of their communities by supporting local and regional farmers, whose numbers are declining around the United States. As educators, these colleges are also able to provide their students perspective on, as well as training in, sustainable methods of farming and food production, offerings sorely needed in a food-supply chain increasingly dominated by large corporations.

 

[Click here to read the full Commentary.] 

LA Farm

Livestock farm in Louisiana

Photo by Jean Mills

Sneak Preview: 
New SSAWG Video is coming...  
 

The new video will be the 12th title in the award-winning Natural Farming in the South series. We're still editing the video, but here's another hint for what will be covered in the video...a certain type of livestock is involved.


Previous topics in the series include pastured broilers, cut flowers, pastured turkeys, organic horticulture, marketing, and many more. Each of these high-quality, user-friendly educational tools provides valuable information for those seeking practical information on sustainable farming enterprises and community food systems for the South.

Please visit our website for ordering information http://www.ssawg.org/dvds-and-cd-rom/.

Make your plans for our next conference!

The 22nd Annual Conference will be held at

The Peabody Hotel January 23-26, 2013 in Little Rock, AR.

Schedule will be available online in October.  

Would you or your company benefit by reaching thousands of farmers and food people in 13 States in the South?


Would you like to help family farms?

Are you interested in good food/local food?


If so, you can become a 2013 Conference Sponsor!

 

If you or your business would like to sponsor the 2013 Conference in Little Rock, AR,
please contact Julia Sampson, (479) 251-8310, Email: [email protected]

 We appreciate your support.
To make a donation online or download a form
to mail to us with your check
click here
 
 

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We welcome your feedback and suggestions

Please write to us at [email protected]
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Inc. (Southern SAWG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to promote sustainable agriculture in the Southern United States.