Newsletter 17#2



Practical Farmers of Iowa Newsletter	Vol. 17, #2 Summer 2002

Sustainable Ag Meets Capital Hill: The Sunny Side of the Farm Bill Todd Kimm and Robert Karp The new farm bill was greeted by plenty of catcalls when it was signed into law this spring. Its expansion of commodity subsidies and failure to ban packer ownership of livestock were two of the more glaring deficiencies. But as the debate continues over whether the legislation does more overall damage than good, we’d like to focus on the positive: the creation of the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and funding increases for the Community Food Projects, value-added programs and programs that benefit organic growers, to just begin. These are specific opportunities that PFI members will be in a position to take advantage of in the coming months and years. The following roundup will be the first in a continuing effort by PFI to act as a resource for information on how to make the features of the new farm bill work for you, whether you’re looking for cash to help finance a riparian buffer or need assistance in obtaining organic certification. (Farm Bill, continued.)			I N T H I S I S S U E 1 New Farm Bill 3 Meet Todd Kimm 5 Notes and Notices 6 Voting Rights for All Members – Robert Karp 7 Membership Updates – Nancy Dundatscheck 8 Small Farm News – Rick Hartmann 8 Taste of Iowa Revisited – Rick Hartmann 9 The Editor Muses – Nan Bonfils 10 Summer Camp 2002 – Shelly Gradwell 12 Summer Snaps – Out and About 13 Community Days – Kathy Larson 13 Rollin’ the Cob: Landlord and Tenants on Sustainable Practices 14 Farming at 14,000 Feet in Perú – Rick Exner 15 Information Overload – Rick Exner 16 Kura Clover Grazing Study – Rick Exner 16 Footprints of a Grass Farmer: Direct Marketing Pork Effort Closes Doors – Tom Frantzen 17 On-Farm Research – III Weeds – Alternative Approaches Fertility Trials 23 Bits of Sustenance: Pray for Rain 27 Staying Connected with Staff 28 PFI Representatives and How to Join! *Request a review copy of the newsletter!*
TODD KIMM – BACK TO THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF AMES AS PFI’s COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST It doesn’t seem all that long ago…my father and I tooling the streets of downtown Ames in a red Volkswagon Beetle, Petula Clark rattling the tiny AM-radio speaker with the strains of “Downtown,” and me sinking back in awe at all the bright lights and tall buildings. My dad was working on his degree in animal science at Iowa State, and a few years later we would leave big-city Ames for a little (by today’s standards) farm in eastern Iowa. My dad would spend the next 30 years of his life teaching biology in the Cedar Rapids School District and farming 300 acres near Amana—with the help of his own dad, and three sons. I return now to take on the position of communications specialist at PFI, a job it seems I’ve been preparing for since I left the bright lights of Ames all those years before.
	(Todd Kimm, continued.)