Letter from the Executive Director

Fall is the time of harvest and for many of us a time of celebration as we wind down a season of hard work. The days are shorter and it is as if even the sun is saying it is time for more rest. Autumn is also a time for reflection, when the lessons of the farm are still with us. We jot more notes, calculate costs of seed, feed, and labor against yields and sales. For livestock farmers, harvest is also a time of loss. In the dark, cold mornings and evenings of chore time before butcher dates I remember sadness mixed with gratitude.

We gave our animals a great life on pasture, and under the cover of trees, and would often repeat, ‘with just one bad day.’

This past October we had a fundraising brunch at my former restaurant Cow & Quince, in New Glarus, Wis. It was an opportunity for real closure with some of our customers who have missed us and our food since we closed due to the pandemic. In four courses I had the joy of bringing my family back into the kitchen with me. My daughter and two sons-in-law were there at the inception of Cow & Quince and created the magic with me that became the awardwinning, locally sourced destination restaurant. We had not cooked together in that kitchen for over four years.

I have been Executive Director at Marbleseed for two years now. I love that I was able to bring these worlds together; Marbleseed and Cow & Quince. As always, there were farmers alongside eaters in the room. I was able to talk about the community building and food connection that inspired me to open the restaurant in a small, rural place where food comes from. And folks got to hear from amazing organic farmers, Marbleseed board members among them. I was also able to express my thanks, appreciation and love for my family that went on this restaurant journey with me. We have all left that experience with deep learnings about seasonality, leadership, and being part of something bigger than the food on the plate.

Fall is also a spiritual practice. For me it is the time of new year and taking stock. Of assessing where I have fallen short and how I can do better in the year to come. The brunch experience inspired me to find new collaborations and partnerships that would bring Marbleseed’s work and the importance of supporting local, organic farms to eaters that are surprised by the bounty of Wisconsin’s short growing season. And after two years with the organization and contributing to national coalitions, I want to deepen Marbleseed’s relationships with federal and state agricultural agency staff as well, bringing farmer perspectives to programmatic work and new collaborations.

Shortly after you read this issue, we will be opening registration for our 34th annual organic farming conference in La Crosse. We are looking forward to a ‘post pandemic’ gathering with new opportunities for engagement and farmer to farmer learning. Building upon the longstanding tradition and desire of farmers to learn from each other is another area of focus for this upcoming year.

Our team is growing and I am excited by the new projects we are starting. All align with Marbleseed’s mission and focus on a food and farming system that is equitable, sustainable and creates a livelihood for farmers. See the article on page 10 about the Local Food Purchasing Assistance work happening in Wisconsin. We are working with other partners across the food chain, but our task is to work with farmers as the first step in addressing hunger and food insecurity in communities with greatest need.

Concerns about the climate continue to loom large and I am committed to ensuring that organic systems are held up as stewardship and examples of reciprocity and regeneration with the land, animals and water. I will work to find our place to increase conservation practices and transitions to organic production in partnership with others that share our values.

In true harvest custom, this fall has been a time of opportunity along with a sense of great responsibility. I am thankful that we are busy, humbled that we are seen by partners to have a critical role in creating a better food and farming system, and grateful for the team and board at Marbleseed who are also deeply committed to making a difference.

To health, happiness, and always enough,

Lori Stern, Executive Director

National Organic Coalition, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Organic Farmers Association, and National Young Farmers Coalition consider the 2023 Farm Bill

Written by Amy Youngblood

The Farm Bill is the primary agriculture and food policy legislation of the federal government. This omnibus bill is negotiated approximately every five years and deals with agriculture, food assistance programs, and other aspects under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including many organic programs.

In the 2018 Farm Bill, the National Organic Coalition (NOC) and our allies achieved major wins for organic including a historic boost in funding for organic research, the passage of provisions to enhance enforcement and prevent fraud in organic supply chains, and reauthorization of the organic certification cost share program, which provides a partial reimbursement for certification costs and is especially important for smaller operations and underserved producers.

In the 2023 Farm Bill, NOC seeks to significantly increase support for current organic producers and those seeking to transition to organic, and to advance organic integrity. Some of our topline priorities include:

BY pROVIDING A SUITE OF FLExIBLE,

NOC is recommending that USDA reimburse organic producers $1,500 annually per operation per scope, with flexibility to exceed that limit to address barriers to certification for underserved producers and regions. Certification costs are increasing, and they remain a real barrier for small and socially disadvantaged farmers. We are also looking to build off the USDA’s recently announced Organic Transition Initiative to create a new program with permanent status that will provide funds to qualified nonprofit organizations to help farmers transition to organic, using mentor-to-mentor training programs and other avenues. Some regions of the country are underserved and there are few nonprofit organizations and extension agents providing technical information about organic farming systems – we are seeking to change that by increasing resources for organic technical assistance at universities, tribal institutions, extension programs, and nonprofits, especially in underserved regions.

Organic is a voluntary program that depends on continuous improvement, high standards, and regular updates to the organic regulations to meet consumer expectations and achieve success in the marketplace. One of the major frustrations of the organic community has been how long it takes to update and make improvements to the organic standards, even when the organic community and the National Organic Standards Board (the USDA advisory board that makes recommendations on organic standards and National List materials) are united in recommending changes.

To minimize the many bottlenecks associated with the rulemaking process, NOC is recommending Farm Bill language to set required timeframes for updating organic standards based on input from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and to establish dedicated organic staff positions at USDA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) to work on National Organic Program (NOP) rules to move organic rules forward more quickly.

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Research is key to tackling the many challenges facing organic farmers. As was true in the last Farm Bill, a high priority should be placed on increased funding for organic research, to keep pace with the growing organic sector. This should include increased funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) to $100 million by end of the 2023 Farm Bill, increased investments in organic research at USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) stations, and $50 million in dedicated funding for regionally adapted seeds and animal breeds that perform well in organic systems and changing climates.

Farmers and handlers who voluntarily choose organic certification agree to

meet strict standards. For example, to become certified as organic, farmers must have an Organic System Plan (OSP) that includes detailed plans for how the farmer will, “maintain and improve their natural resources and integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of nutrients, promote ecological balance, and conserve biological diversity.”

USDA organic standards also require organic farmers to use farming practices such as crop rotations, cover cropping, and managed grazing for livestock, all of which have proven benefits for soil health and climate change mitigation. Despite the strong conservation requirements that underlie USDA organic standards, USDA Conservation Programs are not well tailored to organic farmers. NOC’s recommendations for the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill are intended to establish equity for organic farmers participating in USDA Conservation Programs and to help more organic producers access programs in recognition of their climate-smart and ecologically beneficial farming practices.

Given the cross-cutting benefits of organic agriculture throughout our food and fiber system, NOC will also be making additional recommendations related to commodity, nutrition, energy, and crop insurance programs in the Farm Bill.

NOC recognizes that access to the organic certification has not been equal across all communities and groups. NOC is committed to listen and amplify the work of frontline organizations that advocate for policy initiatives to advance equity and justice, including increasing access to land, capital, and technical assistance for Hispanic, BIPOC, and underfunded, underrepresented or historically excluded communities.

Finally, NOC will be guarding against any provisions in the 2023 Farm Bill that damage the integrity of the organic program or weaken the organic standards.

You can learn more about NOC’s 2023 Farm Bill platform on our website: https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/farm-bill

Since 2015, Abby Youngblood has served as the Executive Director at the National Organic Coalition. Abby has been a passionate participant in the organic farming and food justice movement for more than two decades.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is an alliance of 130+ food and farm organizations around the United States that work directly with farmers and other key food system stakeholders. NSAC’s members work together to collectively advocate for policy reform that advances a more environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially just food and farm system.

One of the first ways NSAC begins working on the Farm Bill is through the collaborative development and consensus-driven approval of a policy platform. NSAC’s policy platform serves as an organizing and advocacy tool, and the proposals it contains for the 2023 Farm Bill fall within the following key priorities: • Strengthening resilient local and regional food systems; • Fixing a flawed farm safety net and restoring fair competition; • Fighting climate change and building equity through research investments; and • Advancing land stewardship and climate resilience through comprehensive conservation reform.

Woven throughout all of these priorities is the need for the Farm Bill to: • Advance racial equity, including by improving equitable access for underserved individuals and communities – particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) – to USDA funding and programs, enhancing program analysis and data collection to inform racial equity-driven decision-making, and increasing funding for programs and policies that support underserved individuals and communities; • Invest in rural economic prosperity by expanding access to capital for small businesses, supporting producers to create and expand value-added products and enterprises, and tackling consolidation through the promotion of fair competition, investments in the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and increased funding for local and regional food systems; and • Build a climate-resilient future by investing in programs with the longest successful track record of addressing on-farm stewardship – namely, the

Farm Bill’s conservation, research, renewable energy, and rural development programs – as the primary strategy to advance and scale up climate beneficial farming practices, accounting for the disproportionate impacts of climate change on socially vulnerable populations.

Policymaking doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and the years since the 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law have been among the most tumultuous in our nation’s history. An increasingly disruptive and changing climate, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a long-overdue racial justice reckoning have thoroughly unveiled the fragility of our current food system.

Far from being abstract and distant impacts, these events are affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of farmers, ranchers, and communities – both urban and rural – across the country. The loss and degradation of soil health, freshwater resources, and biodiversity—along MarBLeSeed.org | 5

with extreme weather events like droughts and floods—increasingly threaten our food supply. The fragility of our supply chains and workforces, made even more vulnerable during the pandemic and further tested by ongoing global conflicts, serves as a stark reminder of how quickly food access can be jeopardized. Moreover, the national conversation about racial justice has laid bare how agriculture— particularly the pursuit of sustainable agriculture—is rife with obstacles for BIPOC, including immigrants, migrants, and refugees.

Amidst all this, other trends within our food system have continued virtually unabated. Throughout the past century, farms in the United States have grown in size and dwindled in number while the average age of the U.S. farmer – now 57.5 according to the most recent Census of Agriculture – has continued to rise. Consequently, just as most people who manage U.S. agriculture are on the brink of retirement, the decades-long trend of farmland consolidation that is silently endorsed by federal policy has created tremendous barriers for new and beginning farmers. These barriers include the limited availability of affordable and desirable farmland, challenges in acquiring start-up capital and financing, and inadequate access to hands-on training and risk management tools – at a time when we need them most.

The challenges facing our food system, and the initial steps taken in recent years to address them, light a path for the 2023 Farm Bill. At this critical moment in our nation’s history, we must collectively work to address the challenges that have plagued our nation’s conscience, health, environment, and communities for too long. The 2023 Farm Bill should leverage the power of our nation’s food and agricultural system to seek solutions that ensure America is resilient and healthy for generations to come.

Written by the Organic Farmers Association Staff

Organic Farmers Association (OFA) will focus advocacy efforts during the 2023 Farm Bill development on programs that support organic farmers and improve organic integrity. To enhance impact on the Farm Bill beyond organic-farmer-specific issues, OFA will partner with allied organizations to help fight for broader improvements we want to see. Issues we champion include support for local food system infrastructure, addressing longstanding problems of discrimination in USDA programs and improving competition in agriculture markets.

The midterm elections will inform OFA’s strategy and specific proposals in preparation for the new Congress, when the Farm Bill debate will begin in earnest. Election results will not change our priority issues but may inform the choices and strategy we use based on the new composition of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, where the bulk of the bill will be drafted. Organic Farmers Association will always advocate for USDA to improve how the National Organic Program operates, much of which they can already do without changing the law. Many of the priorities identified by organic farmers are changes that USDA could make now, without using the Farm Bill process to alter the text of the Organic Foods Production Act that created the USDA Organic program. Wherever they can make changes outside the political farm bill process, we will continue to push for USDA to make those administrative improvements.

OFA’s farm bill priorities will continue to evolve as we get closer to the 2023 Farm Bill. The overarching priorities are below, for more detail

• Continuous improvement in organic • Require The National Organic Program (NOP) to periodically review and update organic practice standards. • Set a timeframe for the NOP to do rulemaking after receiving NOSB recommendations. • Authorize funding for the NOP to keep pace with organic industry growth and direct specific resources towards standards development. • Oversight and enforcement • Require the NOP to accredit third-party material review organizations. • Grant the NOP the authority to take enforcement actions against false organic claims on agricultural non-food products. • National organics standards board • Allow USDA to expand the definition of reimbursable expenses for NOSB farmer members to cover substitute labor on their operations during their Board service. • Restore the previous NOSB procedure for sunset review of National List materials, to require a 2/3 vote to re-list a material.

• Cost share/support for new organiC farmers. • Expand the Organic Certification Cost Share Program to $1500/scope, streamline program, and cover some transition costs. • Support transition to organic through grants to organizations (outside of USDA or the land grant university system) for technical assistance including farmer-to-farmer learning and mentoring, financial planning assistance, outreach to under-represent-

ed groups and support for translation of training materials and organic certification paperwork. • Crop insurance • Instruct USDA to increase education of Risk Management Agency staff and crop insurance agents on organic production methods. • Streamline WFRP insurance applications and program. • Credit • Increase the loan limit for USDA Micro Loan program to $100,000.

Organic dairy farmers across the country are facing severe economic challenges. The NOP can increase enforcement of the organic standards (including access to pasture and the updated Origin of Livestock rule) with no changes to the Farm Bill. In addition, the next Farm Bill could provide long-needed support for the organic dairy market, similar to what conventional dairy has received for many years.

• Organic must be prioritized in climate programs developed for agriculture in the Farm Bill. • Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): target funds for livestock practices to advanced grazing management and match organic payment

limit to conventional payment limit • Expand Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) practices specific to organic or transitioning production. • The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) should quantify the multiple benefits of organic practices beyond carbon sequestration.

Investing in organic research has significant benefits that serve more than just organic farmers. Organic research should prioritize helping organic farmers adapt to climate disruption, quantify the multiple benefits of organic production for the environment and public health, develop regionally appropriate, publicly available seeds and breeds, and address organic production challenges with methods that reduce the need for inputs. Increase of funding across ARS, OREI, SARE, ODI, and ERS for organic research.

• Create a new regional program to provide grants direct to farms for increasing organic production, addressing challenges for climate and supply chain resilience, and strengthening local food systems. • Increase funding for the Local Agriculture Market

Program (LAMP). • Provide additional incentives for processing plants

Corn & Soybeans • Cover Crops • Forages • Small Grains • Conservation • Lawn

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that receive federal investment (new or expanding) to achieve organic certification. • Require that USDA establish organic purchasing targets or set asides for purchases of foods from independent regional organic producers.

• Protect SNAP. • Increasing land access to young, beginning, and BIPOC/socially disadvantaged farmers. • Country-of-Origin labeling (COOL). • Increasing competition in livestock markets.

Access to land is the number one challenge facing the next generation of farmers in the United States. Our nation must take action now to facilitate secure, affordable access to land for farmers who are young, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color— there is no time to wait. The 2023 Farm Bill must address the following issue areas:

• Invest in community-led projects that create secure, affordable land access opportunities centering BIPOC farmers • Establish a new initiative to direct funding to community-led land access projects. This USDA funding should be available to a wide variety of entities, such as tribes, municipalities, non-profits, and cooperatives, with priority for projects led by and benefiting socially disadvantaged and economically distressed farmers and ranchers.

This new Farm Bill program will be the first to invest in secure, equitable access to land for farmers from the onset. It will also complement the Department’s existing farm production and conservation programs, making federal dollars available to community-led projects that create equitable land access outcomes and secure access to land for farmers. Specifically, funding may take the form of a long-term forgivable loan that incorporates support for housing, infrastructure, farmer training, technical assistance, and land stewardship practices. This funding should be available as a line of credit or grant prior to purchase enabling eligible entities to act quickly in the real estate market.

• Implement high-level oversight and thought leadership at USDA to ensure there is coordination within the department and across the federal government so that all USDA staff are working together to facilitate equitable land access and transition. • Establish a new office and coordinating position within the

Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area focused on equitable access to land and centered around the needs of small, beginning, urban, and BIPOC farmers. • Amend and fund the Commission on Farm Transition established in the 2018 Farm Bill to study land access and transition to inform policy setting that facilitates equitable access to land. • Seat the Tribal Advisory Committee authorized in the 2018

Farm Bill. • Secure the purpose and functions of the USDA Equity

Commission in the farm bill, providing a permanent statutory grounding and operational framework for the critical longterm work of the Commission. • Improve access to credit to help young farmers compete in the real estate market. The ability to access financing is foundational to accessing secure land. Affordable federal sources of financing are crucial but must be designed to meet farmers’ needs and help them compete in a real estate market often driven by non-farmer buyers and investors. Federal policy should invest in making pathways to financing more widely accessible and applicable to those who have invested in building their farming skills rather than their net worth.

Retiring farmers face legal, financial, health care, and tax considerations that impact their future and that of the land. BIPOC farmers face increased challenges due to systemic discrimination. Federal policies should acknowledge current land stewards’ work and bolster incentives for aging farmers to transition land to the next generation of farmers, centering BIPOC growers. Ensure the accessibility and accountability of USDA programs, centering young BIPOC farmers, and increasing access for the next generation of farmers as a whole Farmers are increasingly using alternative structures to grow food for communities and steward natural resources, yet these farms lack support from governmental and financial entities designed with for profit family farm businesses in mind.

The 2023 Farm Bill must Ensure USDA land-related programs are accessible to all young, BIPOC farmers specifically, and next generation farmers as a whole, by accommodating eligibility for collective, cooperative, and communal non-family entities, and tracking and publicly reporting demographics data on program participants. As stated in President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved. Facilitate voluntary, community-led farmland protection that keeps land in the hands of growers.

Federal funding for farmland protection has kept thousands of acres of farmland from being lost to development, but this funding has primarily benefited existing landowners. Farmland protection funding should prioritize farmer ownership

and help keep land at its agricultural value, meaning the price a producer can afford. Programs should expand beyond conservation easements to include funding for long-term leasing, lease-to-own, and other mechanisms to increase land access opportunity. Easements should be flexible enough to allow farmers to respond to changing environmental and market conditions.

Current and comprehensive data is critically important to understanding and responding to the challenges farmers face related to land access and transition. We urge policymakers to ensure the data collection components of the 2018 Farm Bill are fully implemented. We urge Congress to continue to invest in recurring data collection, reporting, and research on farmland tenure, ownership, and transition to better understand the large-scale trends and challenges related to land access for young, BIPOC farmers and the next generation of farmers.

Find more information on the National Young Farmer’s policy positions here: https://tinyurl.com/p5v5v6rn.

Join us for panel discussion on the 2023 Farm Bill at the 34th Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference, this February 2023 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

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