:tMS • • This new definition relates the land farmed and its produ,'e back to the family, and the family's role in the rural community . A question comes up in that third factor however. Just what IS " J significant portion" of a farm family's income' Since the USDA h"s in the past urged small farmers to seck outside work for suppkm,'nting their incomes it could appear that these farmers have been effectively " set up" to now be defined out of their small farm st,l(US. An article published by the USDA rccommends that " 10% of Lmlily income earned from farming would be 'Significant' since this is thc farm share of all income earned in rural areas. " This particular line of demarcation reduccs the percent of farm families included in till' new definition from 52%, to 38% - still a significant number of the total farm population. Combine this new definition and the ncw USDA Family Farm Development Service with some concerted advoc,1l'Y from constituents and you get what someone keeps calling an ",'nlight"nl'd" f(lod policy. But don't think it happens by magic. The Family F,Hnl Development Bill will take all the lobbying it can gl't. Much of that is coming from thc National Family Forni Edllclltioll Pr,)jl'(/ , ':IIH F Strect, N. W, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20004 , 202 163H-6H4H (st'e RUSH). They've becn instrument,,1 in writing th,' bill ,)I1d nursing it along so far. They urgc all of us to write to our congrt'sspeople to ask them to co-sponsor the bill. Thcy would "Iso lik" feedback from us as to which areas of thc bill (lur congrl'sspeopk ,)fl' most intercsted in so that thcy CJn promotc h"Jrings on ,'" ,h issul'. Thc project is also (feating a numbt'r of " Factshl'"ts" Oil AIl1<'ri,an food policy which RAIN will "acccss" as th"y "ppl"1[ Another organization instrumental in thl' strllggk for "n l'ljuitabit-farm policy is the Center for Rllr,i/ Af fair ;, P.O . Oox 405, Walthill , NE 6H067, 402 /B46-542H . Thanks to (;l'l1<' Sl'wrl'l1S for sending us their newsktter, The Smoll F'lml Adl'(lCtltl' . This p"pl'r supplit's a great deal of information on various issul's rl'garding t'hl' small farm. It's packed. A must for ruml wmTllullity ,'divists. Till' center is also the home of Th .. 5/1/al/ Farm EllerSY Project , whosl' first two years experimenting with alt<'fnatlvl' l'Ill'rl'\Y t,'ch11ologi s " in rural Nebraska arc revil'wed in their report The First TII'o Y, ',,,.' : Smal/ Farm EllerSY Projat (sec below). And one more: Th" Conferellce 011 Ait"rtltllil'e Statl' alld Loc,d Policies , Asric,dtllre Proje~t , 2000 Florida Ave . N W , W."hlngton, DC 2000':1, 202/3H7-6030. Always a good source of information. They sponsored a confercnce on " Su prOf! iI1g B"gi 11 nI ng Farml'rs ' Innovatiw State Programs," in Minlll'sOIa th is £.,11 'Ind have a booklet describing the programs th,'y cOVl'red . Write thl'lll for a copy. - CC
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