C-FARE Info

Ranking Member Roberts and Chairwoman Stabenow: Public/Private Ag Research Partnership Needed to Meet Global Food Demand

On March 29, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) Chairwoman of the Committee, introduced legislation to establish a foundation to solicit private donations to enhance research for the most pressing challenge facing U.S. agriculture. The bill, The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), authorizes the establishment of a 501(c) 3, a non-profit organization, and includes provisions outlining the duties and structure of the foundation, including an appointed Board of Directors representing the diverse sectors of agriculture. It also requires annual financial audits and good governance procedures for increased accountability and transparency. This model serves as a useful tool to foster new public-private partnerships among the agricultural research community, including USDA research agencies, academia, private corporations, and non-profit organizations. There are precedents for congressionally mandated foundations across the federal government, including entities devoted to medical research, public health and safety and natural resource conservation. Some examples include: Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the National Forest Foundation. Text of the bill can be found here.

The Nature of the Cooperative

The Nature of the Cooperative. This publication is a reprint of five articles that examine the nature of cooperatives and their place the free-market economy (originally published in the Rural Cooperatives magazine).

Information on FY2013 Agriculture Budget

Today the President released his FY 2013 Budget Proposal. Information on USDA can be viewed here - http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/agriculture.pdf. Language related to USDA AFRI: “Increases the 2012 funding level for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to $325 million and targets areas that are key to American scientific leadership: human nutrition and obesity reduction; food safety; sustainable bioenergy; global food security; and climate change.”

USDA REE Action Plan

Catherine E. Woteki, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE) and Chief Scientist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), posted a new REE Action Plan. The plan is located here - http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/​news/​USDA_REE_Action_Plan_02-2012.pd​f.

AFRI Stakeholder Listening Session

In an effort to improve the quality of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, NIFA is again holding a public meeting and soliciting public comments for consideration in the development of future AFRI program solicitations. The AFRI Stakeholder Listening Session will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 8 am–5 pm at USDA–NIFA, Waterfront Centre, 800 9th Street, SW, Room 1410, Washington, DC 20024. To learn more about and/or register for the session, please visit: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri_listen_session.html.

USDA relocating NASS analysts to regional centers

From the Hagstrom Report 2/6/2012 – “The Agriculture Department, the primary source of U.S. crop and livestock data, will move analysts from state offices into nine National Agricultural Statistics Service regional centers in an effort to provide more in-depth analysis while saving money, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture today, according to a Reuters report.

The centers, due to open in 2013, are the latest change in USDA reporting as the agency adjusts to federal budget cuts.

“We’re going to remain the gold standard,” said Vilsack in announcing the regional centers, according to the Reuters report.

The secretary said the move “will give us the opportunity to dive more deeply into data” and provide more accurate data.

Congress allotted $158.6 million for the National Agricultural Statistics Service this fiscal year, $7 million less than USDA requested but a 1 percent increase from the previous year, when funding was cut by 3 percent in an effort to reduce the federal deficit, Reuters said.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Appoints Members to USDA NAREEE Board

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the appointment of eight members and one alternate member to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 authorized the creation of the NAREEE Advisory Board, which is composed of 25 members and operates under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. REE is dedicated to the creation of a safe, sustainable, competitive U.S. food and fiber system and strong, healthy communities, families, and youth through integrated research, analysis and education. Each NAREEE Advisory Board member represents a specific category related to agriculture. C-FARE nominated Dr. Dawn Thilmany (Professor at Colorado State University’s Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics). For more details click here.

Food Price Outlook, 2011 and 2012

USDA ERS recently released, "The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food is probably the most widely used indicator of changes in retail food prices. ERS regularly updates food price forecasts for the short-term period. In 2011, the CPI for all food is projected to increase 3.25 to 3.75 percent. ERS’s food price outlook is available for November 2011." For more details click here.

Regional Perspectives on Economic Forces Shaping Land Asset Values”

Join us for a one hour AAEA Extension Section and C-FARE Webinar on “Regional Perspectives on Economic Forces Shaping Land Asset Values” on 12/13 at noon ET. To join visit: http://www.msuextensionconnect.org/aginuncertaintimes/ In addition, you can access related information on Land Values through the Second Quarter 2011 Choices Theme on “Farmland Values” - http://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/farmland-values

AGree Provides U.S. Farm Policy Programs Primer

AGree, an initiative designed to transform long-term agricultural, food and rural policy issues, has released a new report, “Review of U.S. Farm Programs,” that provides a comprehensive overview of federal farm programs (farm support, disaster assistance, insurance, specialty crop and conservation programs), including historical background and information about the distribution of benefits. It is the first in a series of backgrounders the initiative is publishing to lay the groundwork for common understanding in discussions across diverse stakeholders on the future of food and agriculture policy. The report was authored by Stephanie Mercier, former chief economist for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and does not necessarily represent the views of AGree, the initiative said. AGree commissioned the report in an effort to provide context for discussions on the complex issue of U.S. farm support policy, a hot topic of the current debate on the federal agriculture budget and the Farm Bill. Beginning at the onset of farm support in America, the report covers how the U.S. arrived at its current policy nearly 80 years later, noting, “Policy makers have not moved very far from their original rationale, even though the structure and composition of U.S. agriculture has changed considerably.” AGree has also posted webcasts of Mercier presenting a PowerPoint slide summary of the report and a PowerPoint slide overview of federal agriculture spending. The report and webcasts can be found on AGree’s website at: http://www.foodandagpolicy.org/policy/introduction.