Via Just Food…

This year’s competition for Community Food Project (CFP) grants, which started our City Farms and CSA programs, has been halted by the USDA because of uncertainties about the program’s future funding in the Farm Bill. Prior to this recent suspension, over 460 letters of intent had been submitted.

The House version of the Farm Bill provided discretionary - not mandatory - funding, which means that the program must be funded through the appropriations process. The Senate version restored mandatory funding at $10 million annually for years 2008-2012 (double what it received previously).

However, no money for the program was provided in the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill. USDA decided to halt considerations for 2008 grants because if the House funding prevails in conference or if a new Farm Bill is not passed, CFP will not be funded in 2008.

Your advocacy is critical to restore this decade-long enormously successful program. Millions of dollars are at stake for programs that support access to healthy food for underserved communities and benefit family farmers.

You can help!

Please send faxed letters, emails or call your House of Representatives member and both Senators (info below) and tell them you are very concerned that continued CFP funding is in jeopardy in the Farm Bill.

From Local Harvest:

• Tell them that you are very concerned that continued CFP funding is in jeopardy in the Farm Bill.
• For the Senators, please thank them for the Senate’s support, and ask them to make sure the final bill contains $10 million in mandatory funding.
• Urge your Representatives to contact conference committee leaders to make sure that $10 million in mandatory funding is included in the final version of the bill. If your Representative is a Democrat, have him/her call Chairman Peterson; if your Representative is a Republican, have him contact Rep. Goodlatte.

Thanks so much for taking a few minutes to help save the funding for this great program.

Our US Representative: Carolyn B. Maloney (D)
Address: 1651 3rd Ave.,Ste 311/ New York, NY, 10128
Phone: (212) 860-0606
Fax: (212) 860-0704
Email Address: http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_email_form&Itemid=73

Ask her to contact Chairman Peterson

Our US Senators:
US Senator: Charles E. Schumer
Address: 757 3rd Avenue Suite 17-02/ New York NY, 10017
Phone: (212) 486-4430
Fax: (212) 486-7693
Web Email Form: http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm

US Senator: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Address: 780 3rd Avenue Suite 2601/ New York NY, 10017
Phone: (212) 688-6262
Fax: (202) 228-0406
Web Email Form: http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html

Ask them to contact: Senator Harkin

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Food Policy and Action, Local Business/ Community News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.