The New Mexico Acequia Association will co-sponsor the Northern New Mexico Farm Bill Forum on Sunday, July 8th. The purpose of the forum is to mobilize support for increased support for small-scale and minority farmers such as traditional Hispano and Native American farmers and for rural community development.
Northern New Mexico Farm Bill Forum
Northern New Mexico College
Sunday, July 8th, 2007, 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Refreshments will be served.
The event is co-sponsored by, along with NMAA, Rio Arriba County, Northern New Mexico College, NMSU Cooperative Extension, the American Friends Service Committee, Northern New Mexico Stockmans Association, and the Traditional Native American Farmers’ Association. The NMAA is in contact with national organizations advocating for a more equitable farm bill that addresses the needs of small-scale producers.
The Farm Bill is a complex, omnibus bill reauthorized by Congress every five years. The next reauthorization is due on September 21st. Many organizations who advocate for family farmers, access to healthy food for the poor, and rural communities have organized national campaigns to push for farm bill reform. The New Mexico Acequia Association by helping to organize the Northern New Mexico Farm Bill forum is hoping to mobilize support from New Mexico for some national policy initiatives that could benefit rural communities. One objective of the Forum is to bring together community leaders to formulate a policy agenda to deliver to the New Mexico Congressional Delegation.
For more information about the Farm Bill, follow the following links:
House Committee on Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture Farm Bill
Rural Coalition – Diversity Initiative
Campaign for Renewed Rural Development
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
The latest update on the status on the Farm Bill (from the NCRLC e-newsletter):
KEEPING UP WITH THE U.S. FARM BILL as of June 25
A House Agriculture subcommittee voted to extend the 2002 farm bill’s commodity title rather than make the changes in target prices and loan rates that some legislators had proposed. Many civil society groups following the Farm Bill, including faith, rural development and environmental groups, had advocated for meaningful reforms in the new Farm Bill. Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson said changes are still expected when the full committee holds its markup after the July Fourth recess. This gives the House Agriculture committee a few extra weeks to prepare for the next votes on the bill.
House leadership has pushed back the farm bill’s estimated floor time to the week of July 23; they will try to move on the delayed spending bills before then. Agriculture Chairman Peterson said the extra time would give him more time to find offsets for spending increases in the new Farm Bill. Peterson expects a full Agriculture committee vote the week of July 9.
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