MoCAN Food Systems Workgroup Update & Education

1. MoCAN Food Systems Workgroup Update & Education October 27, 2011

2. 3 Things • Missouri Farm to School Activities & Results • Survey • Website • New Resource • Farm Bill Update • What are Community Kitchens?

3. Missouri School Foodservice Survey – Closes this Friday, 50% response so far

4. http://mofarmtoschool.missouri.edu/

5. 2012 Farm Bill Starts with Review of 2008 Farm Bill • Title I Commodity Programs • Title II Conservation • Title III Trade • Title IV Nutrition Programs • Title V Credit • Title VI Rural Development • Title VII Research • Title VIII Forestry • Title IX Energy • Title X Horticulture & Organic • Title XI Livestock • Title XII Crop Insurance & Disaster • Title XIII Commodity Futures • Title XIV Miscellaneous • Title XV Tax Provisions

6. 2012 Farm Bill Starts with Review of 2008 Farm Bill • Title I Commodity Programs (15%) • Title II Conservation (8%) • Title III Trade • Title IV Nutrition Programs (66%) • Title V Credit • Title VI Rural Development • Title VII Research • Title VIII Forestry • Title IX Energy • Title X Horticulture & Organic • Title XI Livestock • Title XII Crop Insurance & Disaster (8%) • Title XIII Commodity Futures • Title XIV Miscellaneous • Title XV Tax Provisions In 2008 Farm Bill Baseline Score, these 4 titles accounted for 97% of spending

7. 2012 Farm Bill Baseline Score • Title I Commodity Programs (6.9%) • Title II Conservation (7%) • Title III Trade • Title IV Nutrition Programs (75%) • Title V Credit • Title VI Rural Development • Title VII Research • Title VIII Forestry • Title IX Energy • Title X Horticulture & Organic • Title XI Livestock • Title XII Crop Insurance & Disaster (9%) • Title XIII Commodity Futures • Title XIV Miscellaneous • Title XV Tax Provisions The 11 other titles have fallen to about 1.7% of total farm bill spending. Commodity spending down to 4th from 2nd.

8. Super Fast Super Speedy Farm Bill • The Super Committee has to act by Thanksgiving – have proposed $23 Billion in cuts to Farm Bill Programs • Agriculture committees want to suggest the cuts themselves, but need to rewrite Farm Bill by NOVEMBER 1 to do this! • Cuts worry everyone – according to FRAC some farm groups have suggested proportional cuts in Nutrition programs (SNAP, TEFAP, CSFP, USDA snack program, Community Food Projects, and many others) – i.e. that Nutrition Title should bear 30% of any cuts made in agriculture

9. From National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition • According to published accounts, the leaders of the Agriculture Committees are proposing cuts of $6.5 billion to conservation programs, $5 billion to nutrition programs, and $15 billion to commodity subsidy programs.  The conservation cuts would be on top of the $2 billion already made by Congress in the appropriations process. • This would wipe out over 40 percent of the funding increases for conservation and environmental initiatives achieved in the 2002 and 2008 food and farm bills, setting the clock back and “un-greening” the farm bill. Moreover, it is unclear what the proposal would do to the fair and healthy farm and food system programs won in 2008 but it could potentially wipe out all of those gains as well.

10. Where can you get information? • Organizations following this closely: • Food Research and Action Center www.frac.org • Sign-on letters to Sen. Gillibrand protesting cuts to SNAP • National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition www.sustainableagriculture.net • Have action alerts for members of Agriculture committees and strategies for non-members. No MO legislators are on these committees, but Sen. Blunt & Rep. Emerson on Ag Appropriations • Community Food Security Coalition www.foodsecurity.org