| FFA Nation

FFA members play integral role in upcoming Farm Bill

Celeste Laurent Harned | 08/30/2011 |

What do crop subsidies, school lunches and water conservation all have in common? They are all part of the Farm Bill.
About every five years, Congress passes a bill commonly known as the “Farm Bill,” because it deals with food production, food safety, agricultural trade, food assistance and environmental concerns. Because of changing worldwide food needs, new technologies available, and changes in federal administration, the Farm Bill is under constant review, and many groups offer input on what should be included.

The very first Farm Bill, passed in 1933, was designed to help struggling farmers during the Great Depression, but since then, has become much more encompassing.

“The Farm Bill is bigger than just the people who work in agriculture,” said Kent Schescke, director of strategic partnerships for the National FFA Organization.

“Over two-thirds of the money that’s spent in the Farm Bill has nothing to do with farming,” Schescke says, “It’s all about the food system and food assistance programs.”

In fact, nearly 70 percent of the monies in the 2008 Farm Bill focused on nutrition, with the remainder going to commodity support, conservation and crop insurance. In all, the 2008 Farm Bill projected a total of $284 billion spent, which might seem like a large sum but is in fact, less than one percent of the overall federal budget.

Since the 2008 Farm Bill, new attention and focus has been placed on nutrition and healthy eating, which should influence the next bill. In February of 2008, First Lady Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move!” initiative, and in June 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture dropped the “Food Guide Pyramid” and introduced the new “My Plate” nutrition guide.

The 2012 Farm Bill is already in the works in the House and Senate committees on agriculture and numerous parties, from farmers to foodies to environmentalists, are making sure their views are represented.

In summer 2011, House and Senate agriculture committees began to conduct audit hearings, the first step in the process of writing the 2012 Farm Bill, to evaluate current programs.

Eventually, the House and Senate committees on agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture will draft their own independent reports and present them to Congress.

These reports are the product of months of research and discussions with agriculture and food groups.

For the first time, the National FFA Organization will be one of those groups, sharing the opinions of its more than 500,000 members with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Secretary’s Challenge
In January 2011, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with the National FFA Foundation Sponsors Board, and in the middle of his speech, he turned his attention to the National FFA Officer Team and began speaking directly to them.

“He said, ‘I have a challenge for you,’” Schescke recalls, “‘The upcoming Farm Bill will set the groundwork for where agriculture policy is going. I challenge you to bring forward the thoughts of the half-million FFA members.”

Vilsack promised the national officers that he would allow them to present FFA member views to his office and help shape the recommendations they send to Congress.

Since that meeting, the national FFA officers and National FFA staff have been developing the “Secretary’s Challenge.”
“My family’s heritage is deeply rooted in agriculture, so being part of a challenge where we have the unique chance to share their voices and help leave a positive impact on the future of agriculture is awe-inspiring to me,” says Landan Schaffert, national FFA secretary.

The national FFA officers and staff have created a way for all FFA members to voice their opinion on the 2012 Farm Bill.
Attendees at this summer’s State Presidents’ Conference and New Century Farmer Program participated in small group discussions about Farm Bill issues and drafted their own recommendations. Similar small group discussions are being planned for the national FFA convention, and an online component will open up the conversation to all members.
“We have taken some of the basic information about what the Farm Bill is and we’ve created an e-learning module,” says Christine White, national FFA educational programs operations team leader. After completing the e-learning portion, students can apply their knowledge by interacting with other members in a discussion board.

“This is a unique opportunity for FFA members to share their perspectives on agricultural issues and suggest possible solutions,” Landan says. “I encourage you to use your passion for agriculture and FFA to get involved and make a positive change through the Farm Bill.”