June 25-28, 2007

SAFSF 5th Annual Forum

Join us for SAFSF's 5th Annual Forum in the heartland. Program and registation information will be available in February 2007. Check back! Forum hotel is the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines http://www.hotelfortdesmoines.com/

February 21, 2007

SAFSF and FNTG Invite you to join us for dinner

Building on a similar event at the December 2004 EGA Federal Policy Briefing, SAFSF and FNTG once again are co-hosting a dinner to inform bring funders up to date on the many levels of connection between trade and ag/food issues, and to look specifically at the interplay between the stalled global trade negotiations and the U. S. Farm Bill. Our speaker for the evening will be Alan Guebert, an award-winning, free-lance agricultural journalist. Alan has written extensively on the links between US farm policy and trade issues for both his syndicated column ‘The Farm and Food File’ which appears in more than 70 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada, as well as for other publications. Following Alan’s remarks, Rhonda Perry, a livestock and grain farmer from Howard County, Missouri, and program director at the Missouri Rural Crisis Center and Mark Schultz, director of the policy and organizing program at Land Stewardship Project in Minnesota will provide their own reflections on the work ahead to gain a more just and sustainable food and agriculture system, locally, nationally, and globally. The dinner will be held from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at Nora’s, America’s first certified organic restaurant. Nora’s has a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture, supporting local farmers, and creating healthy, delicious food. Moderator: Virginia Clarke-Laskin, Coordinator, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) TO REGISTER http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=107985 (Please note: FNTG is hosting a one-day funders briefing on February 22 which may be of interest to funders. One may register for the dinner only, or for the dinner and briefing on the 22nd.)

February 21, 2007

Workshop: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! Farm Bill 2007

With the dust settling from the November election Democratic majorities in the Senate and the House could have a significant impact on important policies – including the Farm Bill – which are of concern for the sustainable agriculture and environmental communities. Hearings have begun and USDA Secretary Johanns has announced that the Bush Administration will proceed with its pre-election plan to offer specific Farm Bill proposals, which could be introduced as early as late January 2007 with the President’s FY2008 budget proposal. Why should this matter to you as an environmental funder? A broad range of programmatic priorities for grantmakers - energy (including biofuels), trade, conservation, wildlife, working lands, nutrition, rural development, and sustainable agriculture - all stand to be affected in one way or another by the outcome of the next Farm Bill. This workshop will help funders decipher and understand the various issues at play, learn who the players are, what is involved to bring it all together, where the key levers to be pulled exist, and what the timeline for the 2007 Farm Bill might be. Our speakers will draw on years of deep policy and practical experience as they outline these key issues for our funding audience. Moderator: Ted Quaday, Farm Aid, Somerville, Massachusetts Speakers: Craig Cox, Executive Director, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, Iowa Anne Simmons, Senior Democratic Staff, House Agriculture Committee, Washington, DC TO REGISTER FOR THE FEDERAL POLICY BRIEFING (EARLY DEADLINE IS JANUARY 31) PLEASE GO TO: http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=107985

January 23, 2007

Farm Bill Overview and Update

Join SAFSF funders in getting an update on where things stand, who's in what seat, and what the timing looks like for the 2007 Farm Bill. Call will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific/ 1 p.m. Eastern More details will be forthcoming. This call is for funders only.