Please Sign On to Support 2501 Funding Increase SIGN-ONS DUE FRIDAY AUGUST 8, 2014 11AM EST To sign-on fill out form HERE If you have any issues with the form please email [email protected] with your Organizational Name, City and State, and Contact Person Name. DRAFT August 3, 2014 The Honorable Tom Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture U. S. Department of Agriculture Washington D. C. Dear Secretary Vilsack: We were pleased this past week to see that the Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO/USDA) has issued the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (OASDVFR) - formerly known as the Section 2501 Outreach Program. We feel this OASDVFR Program is the cornerstone program for outreach at USDA and is the foundation for providing access and effective utilization of all USDA programs by family farmers of color and now veteran farmers. We have fought long and hard to create and adequately fund this critical program for our member farmers and for USDA as an agency of public service. We have been concerned that the OASDVFR Program was not funded at all in Fiscal Year 2013 and that we were only able to get an appropriation from Congress for $10 million in mandatory funding. In the prior period of Fiscal Years 2009 to 2012, the program had an average of $18 million annually to distribute in competitive grants. Most of the prior grantees, whether they are colleges or community based organizations, are out of funds and will be competing in this round of funding. The current FOA for this program makes $9.1 million in funding available. $4 million for 1890 Land Grants, Hispanic Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges; $4 million for community based and tribal organizations; and $1.1 million for other groups. The $10 million was reduced for a special HBCU Policy Center grant and administrative costs. Each competing organization can request up to $400,000 in funding. We feel the competition, especially in the Community Based Organization category, will be so great by qualified, competent, experienced and deserving organizations that many CBOs with strong proposals will be turned away for lack of funds. We also point out that the need for the type of services provided by the OASDVFR grows more crucial to support the participation of this growing sector of diverse and veteran farmers and ranchers in agriculture. These farmers and ranchers face unique and additional challenges, including complex issues connecting to USDA programs due to heir property situations especially for African American producers, and other forms of insecure land tenure arrangements especially in the Central Valley of California and on the urban fringe in many places where land rental is predominantly by year-to-year verbal agreements in order to preserve the interest of the land owner to not encumber their property with signed leases if development options arise. Tribal producers similarly face challenges with documenting land tenure, as well as greater distances from USDA offices and services. Acquiring affordable risk management options and services on smaller, more diverse and more distant operations is a challenge for most of the producers we serve. We strongly urge you as Secretary to identify other outreach and discretionary funds, available in USDAs budget, which can be added to the available competitive pools for this program for this years FY2014 competition. We will work with you to get a higher appropriation from Congress in succeeding years. We know the statutory language is available to transfer other outreach and discretionary funds into this OASDVFR Program from other agencies and from other unspent funds in USDA. The application deadline for this program is August 25,2014, we look forward to your positive response by that date. Please contact us if you need additional information or have questions about our request. Cooperatively yours, Signers to date: The Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural, Washington, DC National Family Farm Coalition, Washington, DC National Hmong American Farmers, Inc., Washington, DC and Fresno, CA National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association, Washington, DC Farmworker Association of Florida, Apopka, FL Fernandez Ranch, Centerville, WA Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, Atlanta, GA Alabama State Association of Cooperatives, Forkland, AL Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Oxnard, California American Federation of Government Emplyees Local 3354, St. Louis, Missouri. BioRegional Strategies, Truchas, NM CASA del Llano, INC, Hereford, TX The Center for Family Farm Development, Inc., Decatur, GA Community Food and Justice Coalition, Oakland, CA Farmworker Association of Florida, Apopka, FL Foodchain Workers Alliance, Los Angeles, CA Hispanic Organizations Leadership Alliance, Takoma, MD Indian Nation Conservation Alliance, Twin Bridges, ID Lideres Campesinas, Oxnard, CA Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, Jackson, MS North Carolina Association of Family Farmers Land Loss Prevention Project, Durham, NC Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project, Oklahoma City, OK Roots of Change, Oakland, CA Rural Advancement Fund, Orangeburg, SC Rural Development Leadership Network, New York, NY Taos County Economic Development Corporation, Taos, New Mexico Texas-Mexico Border Coalition Community Based Organization, San Isidro, Texas World Farmers, Lancaster, MA To add your organization fill out form Here cc: Krysta Harden, Deputy Secretary Dr. Gregory Parham, Assistant Secretary for Administration Dr. Joe Leonard, Ph.D, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Juan Garcia, Administrator, Farm Service Agency Brandon Willis, Administrator, Risk Management Agency Greg Diephouse, Deputy Administrator for Field Operations Chris Beyerhelm, Deputy Administrator for Farm Loans Carolyn Parker, Director, USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach To sign-on fill out form HERE If you have any issues with the form please email [email protected] with your Organizational Name, City and State, and Contact Person Name. Thank you for your continuous support, Rural Coalition Hi, just a reminder that youre receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Rural Coalition. Dont forget to add [email protected] to your address book so well be sure to land in your inbox! We encourage you all to: follow us on Twitter @Ruralco like us on Facebook/RuralCoalition REMEMBER- NO FARMS, NO FOOD!!! This alert is sent out by: Rural Coalition 1029 Vermont Ave Suite 601 Washington, DC 20005 Ruralco.org, Facebook,Twitter
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:42:16 +0000
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