Read NFFC's Spring 2012 newsletter here.

LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS:

May 12 - Join us at the Brooklyn Food Conference where we will be discussing food sovereignty with our friends at Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, WhyHunger, and the Food Chain Workers Alliance.

New letter to the USDA opposing GE, 2,4-D-resistant corn signed by 147 organizations, farms, and businesses that oppose the deregulation of 2,4-D corn. Dow AgroSciences wants the USDA to deregulate its genetically engineered (GE), 2,4-D-resistant corn, which is projected to substantially increase the use of 2,3-D, an herbicide that was an active ingredient in Agent Orange. A group of 36 health professionals sent a letter warning against the deregulation, citing evidence that increased levels of 2,4-D in our food system would likely have detrimental effects on human health. Read the full press release here.

APRIL NEWS AND EVENTS:

April 15 - WASHINGTON, DC - NFFC, Student Farmworker Alliance/Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Food First will present a discussion of Food Movements Unite! at Busboys and Poets with Eric Holt-Gimenez, Ben Burkett and others.

April 15 - LANDOVER, MD -NFFC, Student Farmworker Alliance, Coalition of Immokalee Workers and allies will lead an educational theater piece and lively picket line at Giant's HQ in Landover, MD, starting at 4 pm. Buses from the New Carrollton Metro Station (Orange Line) will shuttle people there starting at 3:30 pm.

April 17-18 - CHICAGO, IL - Family Farm Defenders with Stand Up Chicago - Chicago Mercantile Exchange (5pm Tuesday and 12-1pm Wednesday); Jane Addams Hull House Museum (Tuesday 7pm) for potluck dinner and food sovereignty discussion.

April 17-23 -' You Wanted To Be A Farmer: A Discussion Of Scale' film screenings:*

April 17 - RURAL VERMONT - ‘You Wanted To Be A Farmer”:
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Upper Valley Co-op, 7 pm, free and open to the public
MONTPELIER, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 6 pm, free and open to the public
Neighborhood Screenings in: Newport, Chester, Wheelock, Fairfield, Burlington, Shelburn, Poultney, Peacham, Wells, St. Albans, and Ripton

April 17 - GLENDIVE, MT - Northern Plains Resource Council - Screening and discussion

April 23 - COLUMBIA, MO - Missouri Rural Crisis Center - Screening with discussion and local foods potluck at Café Berlin

*Food for Maine's Future hopes to achieve 100 showings nationwide of this new documentary about small farmer challenges throughout the week. Contact 207-244-0908 or foodformainesfuture207@gmail.com to show this film; a DVD and discussion materials will be provided.

April 24 - NEW YORK, NY - Join in solidarity with food justice activists, Environmental ORGs, OWS groups, African students and communities to protest land grabs at the Global AgInvesting conference at the Waldorf Astoria at 10:30 am.

On April 4, the day that biotech giant Monsanto released its second quarter earnings, a new report (click here) by La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International and Combat Monsanto shows that around the world small-holder and organic farmers, local communities and social movements are increasingly resisting and rejecting Monsanto, and the agro-industrial model that it represents.

MARCH NEWS AND EVENTS:

A March 30 letter (click here) to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA Appropriations was signed by 38 organizations in support of continued funding and protection for programs and offices specific to sustainable agriculture, beginning, socially disadvantaged and veteran producers, and farmworkers. Many of these 2008 farm bill programs will end on September 30 if additional funding is not secured. This underscored the needs defined in the February 14 letter to Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees signed by 132 organizations.

Competition/COOL letter: A letter (click here) supporting competition in livestock markets, the GIPSA rule and country of origin labeling signed by 164 organizations was sent to Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Agriculture and Judiciary Committees on March 29, 2012. The letter was delivered to each Senate office.

FEBRUARY NEWS AND EVENTS:

Twenty-four organizations signed a February 9 letter(click here) to the Senate in support of an emergency floor price of $20/CWT for dairy farmers. NFFC has also posted a petition in support of fair dairy pricing at: change.org/petitions/want-safe-fresh-milk-support-your-local-farmer

Susan Youmans has interviewed a number of NFFC leaders on her radio program, What's for Dinner? They can be heard and downloaded here.

Jim Goodman, Wisconsin dairy farmer and member of Family Farm Defenders, and Kathy Ozer traveled to NYC to participate in Occupy the Food System events on Sunday December 4th. Jim presented a strong statement at Zuccotti Park (see NFFC newsletter above for articles and links). Jim's oped is being circulated nationally by Otherwords. It is posted on Commondreams here.

SUPPORT NFFC THROUGH THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN #16371 - For the first time it is now possible to give contributions to NFFC through this important program, known as CFC. Through it, members of the federal government workforce can elect to support our work throughout the year. Sharing our unique ID - #16371 - with everyone you know who might participate will be a great way to help keep NFFC strong.

Listen here to Melinda Hemmelgarn, of radio station KOPN, interview George Naylor, Iowa farmer and NFFC past president, as they discuss the historical and present day challenges of family farming and offer suggestions for our new Farm Bill.

This letter was sent to the Senate signed by over 20 organizations urging co-sponsorship of S. 1640; the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2011.

NEW RULES WILL SUPPORT FARMERS AND JOBS - Read this op-ed in support of the GIPSA rules by NFFC member Mardy Townsend here.

ORGANIZATIONS OPPOSE PENDING FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS - Fair Trade, Not Free Trade, Should Be Basis of Food and Agriculture System. The National Family Farm Coalition and 56 allied organizations representing family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and advocates signed a letter to Congress condemning the pending free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. As the letter states, more FTAs will only accelerate the economic disasters in agriculture already at hand, including industrial farms dependent on massive amounts of petroleum-based inputs, low-paying, exploitative jobs in processing and packing plants, and increased consolidation throughout the agricultural supply chain. Read the letter here.

Interested in purchasing local seafood? www.localcatch.org is a new website devoted to connecting consumers with Community Supported Fisheries in their area, and supported by NFFC member group NAMA. (7.13.11)

Read our updated Reserves fact sheet here. (7.8.11)

GIPSA update- The USDA proposed new GIPSA (Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration) rules that would level the playing field for thousands of farmers who sell their hogs and livestock to large meatpackers and processors. Read more background here (6.19.11) and a letter (8.3.11) to Senators urging their support.

Historic workshops on agricultural antitrust issues warrant national vision! More than 160 Groups Urge U.S. Departments of Justice and Agriculture to Issue Action Plan on Consolidation in Agriculture and Food Industries. Read the letter here.

"There can be no justifications for land grabbing!” - Social movements and CSOs tell World Bank, UN agencies and governments there can be no excuse. Read the full article from La Via Campesina here.

About APRIL 17 - INTERNATIONAL DAY of PEASANT STRUGGLES - This day of action celebrates the struggle of peasants and rural people while commemorating the 1996 assassination of 19 farmers in Brazil. For more information about April 17 and events click here.

DTN reports on the Credit Survey put out by NFFC and allies: "The U.S. farm sector is booming with soaring land values, record-high crop prices and record farm income. For all that, farmers face stricter loan standards than a few years ago, small-farm activists say." Read the article here, find the full report here, and a companion report by Tim Wise at Tufts University here.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: "Farmers worry that milk prices could slide below break even," including comments by NFFC's Joel Greeno. Click here.

Watch a terrific new video, produced by Daniel Tucker, featuring NFFC members reading the 7 Principles of Food Sovereignty here.

Family Farm Defenders Express Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers Occupying the State Capitol - read press release here and see news coverage here.

Listen on the web to NFFC representatives on two recent radio programs, here and here.

Click here to read our 2011 Mentoring Report, which includes a valuable tool-kit for mentors and their new and beginning farmer mentees.

La Vía Campesina Declaration in Cancun can be found here. Or download the statement here. "The thousands of solutions to the climate crisis are in the hands of the people."

Once again, NFFC has a chance to be a future Deals for Deeds recipient. So, login and vote. This is a great way to get a deal for yourself and support worthy non-profits. Sign up for their free membership, then vote for NFFC in the Social Giving. When NFFC is featured during an upcoming deal, we'll receive a portion of the funds.

Read "Cattle Call: Why is a Washington watchdog attacking an obscure USDA official?" for a good summary of the GIPSA/USDA situation and why we need actual enforcement.

NFFC President Ben Burkett talks with The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media about Sustainable Agriculture.

Read the NFFC statement of opposition to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement here.

NFFC ally Food and Water Watch shares a great fact sheet on Consolidation and Buyer Power in the Grocery Industry.

Leading up to the Department of Justice/USDA public workshop, DC public radio's Power Breakfast spoke with NFFC's Kathy Ozer. To download the audio file click here.

Listen: The Right to Food: Corporate, Foreign Gov’t Land Grab Causing Hunger in Poor Countries (10.28.10) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, joins Democracy Now to discuss his recent warning that some 500 million small farmers in poor countries are suffering from hunger, partly because foreign countries and corporations have bought up large tracts of land.

Oct. 13, 2010: Via Campesia press release Land-grabbing causes hunger! Let small-scale farmers feed the world!

NFFC at Farm Aid 2010 click here

The Mountain Empire's disappearing dairy farms (10.03.10) - Dairy farmers and NFFC's Kathy Ozer comment on the Dairy Crisis and Virginia's disappearing dairy farms.

In response to the recent NFFC Dairy media teleconference, read: Dairy farmers pinched by low milk prices (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 07.29.10), Desperation on the Farm (St. Albans Messenger 07.30.10, no link available), and Desperate Dairy Farmers (Sun-Gazette 07.30.10)

Over One Thousand European Milk Producers Protest During the Session of the European Council of Agriculture Ministers - The report of the High Level Group on Milk (HLGM) that will be discussed today by the European Council of Agriculture Ministers cannot solve the milk crisis. European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) and European Milk Board (EMB) make one thing clear at their demonstration: fair prices for producers and supply management are needed.

Read about the recent events in Madison - Here - "Farmers plead for help as milk prices destroy profits" and, via WHY: "The main event was a Dairy Town Hall Forum in Madison, Wisconsin, sponsored by Family Farm Defenders, National Family Farm Coalition, and Food and Water Watch, and timed to coincide with Friday's Department of Justice and USDA workshop examining corporate concentration in the dairy industry."

US farmer speaks out about World Bank land grab principles (04.26.10) - Bob St. Peter of Food for Maine’s Future writes on land grabbing and food sovereignty.

Re-localizing our food system is the solution to hunger (02.17.10) - Bob St. Peter responds to a panel discusion on biotechnology in agriculture.