U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed the significance of Congress passing a new food, farm and jobs bill and Fresno State’s role in helping rural America Tuesday morning during a public forum in the Satellite Student Union.
The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology hosted Vilsack’s visit, during which he emphasized the importance of rural America and the bill’s effect on such areas.
“Rural America is extraordinarily important to all of America, and its contributions are far too often not fully appreciated in cities, suburbs and other parts of this country,” Vilsack said.
Most of the food America consumes, Vilsack said, comes from rural areas, making its contribution crucial to assuring the nation’s food security.
Vilsack also noted the value of rural America, which represents 16 percent of the country’s population, in helping to provide the nation with surface drinking water, energy and recreational opportunities.
But rural America, he said, has been challenged in recent years by the economy, climate change and an increasing world population.
“Despite the great farm economy we’ve seen in the last five years””the most robust farm economy we’ve had in the history of the country””we haven’t seen economic growth in terms of job opportunities in rural areas to the extent that we should have in the past when farmers did well,” Vilsack said. “As a result of that, we continue to grapple with persistent poverty in rural areas.”
Eighty-five percent of poor counties in the country, Vilsack said, are predominantly located in rural areas.
“The solution to all of those challenges depends to a great extent on the ability for us to make a case to bright, entrepreneurial, innovative and creative young people””educated at places like Fresno State””to go back to, come and stay in rural communities when the allure of a city or another opportunity might be great,” he said.
Without a new farm bill, Vilsack said, rural America will continue to suffer.
The farm bill, which is renewed about every five years and represents billions of taxpayer dollars, establishes federal legislation governing an extensive range of programs that affect food, farm and rural policy in the U.S.
Provisions within the massive piece of legislation are categorized by titles.
In the 2008 farm bill, titles encompassed everything from farm commodity price and income supports to agricultural conservation, research, bioenergy, foreign food aid and domestic nutrition assistance.
The last farm bill was passed in 2008 and expired in 2012, making the new bill one year overdue.
After discussions between the Senate and House failed to produce a new bill earlier this year, Congress extended some provisions within the 2008 bill through September as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
Lawmakers hoped the extension would afford them more time to reach a deal.
However, when the extension expired on Sept. 30, negotiations concerning the new bill were set aside as Congress shifted its focus to the government shutdown and a possible default on the nation’s debt.
The debate regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)””commonly known as “food stamps”””has been perhaps the bill’s biggest obstacle.
The House version of the bill would cut food stamps by $39 billion, while the Senate’s would cut $4 billion.
Charles Boyer, dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, said it is inconceivable that Congress has not passed a new farm bill.
“I think the politics are playing out between the polarization of the left and the right,” Boyer said. “Good sense has gotten lost, and it’s unfortunate. The extremes are too extreme on either end, and we’ve lost the middle that used to be the majority.”
Boyer said it is undeniable that the Valley has “food deserts,” or areas where people do not have access to healthy foods, even though it is one of the most abundant agricultural areas in the world.
“If you look at our disadvantaged communities in the Valley, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is huge. It’s critical,” he said. “From an educator’s standpoint, a young child having a healthy meal and showing up to school ready to learn is going to make such a difference in their ability to achieve their full potential. It really impacts all our lives.”
The farm bill also directly affects Fresno State and its connection to agriculture.
Boyer said Title VII within the 2008 farm bill””which includes funding for education, research and extension programs””for the first time extended recognition and funding to non land-grant universities like Fresno State.
A land-grant college or university is an institution that Congress has designated to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
The bill, Boyer said, opened up many potential doors for Fresno State in terms of student programs and Capacity Building Grants for education, research and outreach.
However, obtaining the appropriations hasn’t been easy, Boyer said. He attributes the difficulties to the economy.
“We’ve gotten probably about $250,000. Maybe two grants a year,” he said. “They’re competitive across the country.”
Boyd said there are three grant programs that are important for people in California: the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program (BFRDP), the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) and the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).
The BFRDP, he said, can help young people who want to develop their own businesses and farms by offering education, training, outreach and mentoring programs.
Crop insurance, another important part of the farm bill, affects the Valley and Fresno State, Boyer said.
“It’s not unusual to have crop failure at the last minute, and, in fact, we insure some of our crops on our student farm,” he said. “We’ve had losses of apricots, and we recover some of that loss from the insurance program.”
Boyer said everyone, including Fresno State students, should be engaged in the process of making decisions about the farm bill in addition to other important pieces of legislation.
“You need to be a voice, and you need to be an informed voice,” he said. “That’s what this country has been based on””participatory government and citizen involvement, and we’ve lost some of that.”