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Sanple Letter on Fam Bill to Boxer & Feinstein

December 3, 2007

The Honorable Barbara Boxer
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Re: Farm Bill Priorities

Dear Senators Feinstein and Boxer:

We are writing to urge your support for Farm Bill legislation that strengthens local food systems, helps
farmers better protect and manage natural resources, increases access to high-quality fresh foods
(especially in the most underserved areas), expands market opportunities for small and mid-sized farmers
and increases support for beginning and minority farmers. Specific program priorities to achieve these
goals are detailed below.

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman Harkin has strongly endorsed these goals
and we urge you to work with him to garner support for proposals which represent our best hope for
restoring balance to federal agriculture policy in the 2007 Farm Bill. This is especially important in light
of alternative Senate Farm Bill proposals now emerging that would inadequately fund these priorities.

We estimate that an additional $10 billion over five years would be required to adequately fund the
programs associated with these goals. Given the fiscal constraints facing the Agriculture Committee, we
urge you to support meaningful commodity payment limitation reform and reinvest the resulting savings
in programs that deliver maximum public benefits. We also appreciate your efforts to work with Senate
leadership and the Finance Committee to ensure that there are sufficient resources to fully invest in these
goals and the specific programs highlighted below:

1. Sen. Harkin’s proposed Comprehensive Stewardship Incentives Program (CSIP) would combine the
two working lands conservation programs – the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – into an integrated program that improves the
conservation benefits and cost effectiveness of each current program. This design would strongly
improve the environmental performance of California agriculture. The House version of the Farm Bill
effectively gutted the CSP by providing no new funding for 5 years, effectively ruling out stewardship
rewards for California’s farmers and ranchers. Please support Chairman Harkin’s current proposals to
significantly expand funding and improve conservation program availability to all farmers on an ongoing
basis.

2. Community Food Projects Grants Program (CFP) is a successful local food program that has
enabled more than 25 low income California communities to increase their access to healthy local foods,
while also providing new markets for small farmers and entrepreneurship training for youth. The
program was authorized at $30 million in HR 2419, but received no mandatory funding. As a result, it
could now lose its funding by 2008. Please communicate with Senator Harkin to restore mandatory
funding and ask that this program be funded at no less than $30 million. We understand that the CFP is
currently in his draft mark at $5 million. Please also request that Senator Stabenow consistently include
CFP, the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Healthy Enterprise Development program in the
Specialty Crop package of programs that she is strongly promoting in the Senate.

3. Organic Research, Extension and Conversion Programs. HR 2419 made progress towards
achieving a fair share for organic agriculture within USDA’s budget by allocating $5 million/yr.
mandatory funding for organic research and extension and $25 million/yr. in discretionary funding over 5
years. The bill also established a new organic transition program yet failed to provide mandatory funding
for this program. Given the benefits to California of these programs, please strongly support Chairman
Harkin’s proposal for increased mandatory funding for research and extension as well as mandatory
funding for organic transition support. Please recommend including report language that would include
organic agriculture objectives within the Specialty Crop Research program and the National Research
Initiative.

4. Increased Access to USDA Programs for Small, Minority and Beginning Farmers – increase
funding for 2501/Outreach and Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs and allow for program
set asides. The future of California’s agriculture depends on strong support for beginning and minority
farmers. Please support mandatory funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development
Program; a pilot program that includes farm-focused Individual Development Accounts to provide
training and matched savings accounts for the purchase of farm assets.

Thank you very much for your active support of these programs.

Sincerely,

[your name and address]