The 1995 Farm Bill debates will be challenging and complex.
There are numerous discussions underway where groups and
individuals are working to develop and promote policy tools that
will support sustainable agriculture practices. Some groups
focus on addressing conservation and environmental concerns.
Some address rural community development. The challenge, in the
end, will be to develop a Farm Bill that effectively addresses
all of these issues, while continuing to address trade issues,
market stabilization goals, and the economic needs of producers.
It will not be easy to craft a Farm Bill that encompasses
policies that address these goals without inadvertently creating
policy mechanisms that conflict or contradict each other.
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is
hosting a conference to examine the broad array of policy goals
that would be encompassed in a Farm Bill that addresses
sustainable agriculture needs. Because CAST is an association of
professional and scientific societies that address agricultural
and related issues, it is appropriate that the conference focus
on the research and education aspects of these issues. The
objectives of the conference include:
* A review of Farm Bill policies and their impact on
sustainability goals
* A balanced mix of presentations from diverse points of view,
so that the complex interactions inherent in these issues can be
identified
* Identifying examples of programs or projects that have
resulted in measurable impacts that have implications for the
sustainability of agriculture and rural communities
* Identifying research and information needs that should be
targeted in the 1995 Farm Bill.
The conference will begin with a review of the legislation
introduced in the 1985 and 1990 Farm
Bills to address sustainability issues. A panel of individuals
involved in the development of these Farm Bills will reflect on
the development of those bills, their implementation, and the
issues that will yet be addressed. In subsequent sessions, large
topical issues that address aspects of sustainability will be
addressed, including conservation, environmental protection, and
rural development. In each of these sessions, the format
provides for a presentation by a member of the academic
community, who will outline the issues to be addressed and their
relation to sustainability. The speaker will try to identify
what has been learned in the last several years and to identify
areas where new knowledge is needed. When identifying areas of
dispute, the speaker will attempt to distinguish between
scientific disagreements and disputes that arise out of differing
economic or philosophical assumptions. Each speaker will be
followed by a panel of individuals that represent the diverse
groups involved in these issues. Panels will include
environmentalists, scientists, consumer advocates,
administrators, agricultural industry executives, producers, and
Congressional staff. Administration officials and members of
Congress that will play a key role in the development of the Farm
Bill will be featured speakers at meals and receptions.
The purpose of these sessions is to facilitate open and honest
dialogue about the goals of sustainability, the mechanisms that
are necessary to pursue these goals, and ways to avoid the
development of conflicting policy mechanisms. Each session will
be concluded by an individual that attempts to synthesize the
discussions and specifically identify key issues for research and
education that have surfaced in the deliberations. The final
session will specifically address the research and education
issues identified in the preceding sessions, to identify
knowledge and education needs that should be addressed in the
1995 Farm Bill.
Monday, January 23, 1995
7:30 9:00 Coffee and registration
9:00 9:15 Welcome
Justin R. Morris, University of Arkansas, CAST President
9:15 9:30 Introduction and Overview of the Conference
Richard E. Stuckey, CAST Executive Vice President
Session I: Sustainable Agriculture and the Legislative Process
This session will provide a review of the development and impact
of previous Farm Bills and the
development of sustainable agriculture programs since the 1990
Farm Bill debates. The intent is
to establish a frame of reference for the subsequent discussions.
9:30 9:40 Session I Introduction
Charles Krueger, The Pennsylvania State University
9:40 10:10 Setting the Stage: The Evolution of Legislation
Language to Address Sustainable Agriculture Issues
Terry E. Nipp, Aesop Enterprises, Ltd.
10:10 11:10 Panel Discussion: Sustainable Agriculture and the
Development of the 1985, 1990,
and 1995 Farm Bills
John Haberern, Rodale Institute
Ferd Hoefner, Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
John Keeling, American Farm Bureau Federation
Ford West, The Fertilizer Institute
Gary Wilson, formerly, National Cattlemen's Association
11:10 11:30 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
11:30 1:00 Lunch
Speaker:
Session IIA and B: Conservation Issues: Agriculture and
Sustainability
The Farm Bill contains many mechanisms to promote market
stability and enhance producer income. Beginning in the 1985
Farm Bill, policy mechanisms have been put in place to promote
conservation of soil and water resources. These production and
conservation policy mechanisms are sometimes linked, often
distinct, and sometimes in contradiction. Critical discussions
are now underway regarding the future of the commodity support
programs, the Conservation Reserve Program and commodity
insurance programs. The design and structure of these programs
could have a profound impact on both traditional market support
and stabilization objectives, in addition to their impact on
natural resource conservation and environmental protection
objectives. In this session, the impact of market stabilization
and commodity support programs on the environment will be
examined. As well, the linkage between conservation tools such
as the Conservation Reserve Program and the goals of sustainable
agriculture will be explored.
1:00 1:10 Session IIA Introduction
Moderator: Jerald R. DeWitt, Iowa State University
1:10 1:40 Market Stabilization Policies and Sustainability
Chip Conley, Economist, House Committee on Agriculture
1:40 2:50 Panel Discussion: Effect of Commodity Policies on the
Environment, Social, and Economic Objectives of Sustainability
Michael Dicks, Oklahoma State University
Mark R. Drabenstott, Federal Reserve Bank of
Kansas City
Paul Faeth, World Resources Institute
William D. Heffernan, University of Missouri-Columbia
Abner Womack, Food and Agricultural Policy Research
Institute of Missouri
2:50 3:05 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
3:05 3:25 Break
3:25 3:35 Session IIB Introduction
Moderator: John R. Abernathy, Texas A&M University
3:35 4:05 Conservation Policies and Sustainability
Dana Hoag, Colorado State University
4:05 5:00 Panel Discussion: Future of the Conservation Reserve
Program and Related
Programs and the Impact on Sustainability
Norm Berg, Soil and Water Conservation Society
Don McKenzie, Wildlife Management Institute
Mark Nestlen, National Association of State Departments
of Agriculture
Tim Warman, American Farmland Trust
5:00 5:20 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
5:20 5:30 Break
5:30 7:00 Reception
Administration Perspectives on Conservation Issues: The
Future of the Soil
Conservation Service and the Extension Service
Paul Johnson, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Tuesday, January 24, 1995
Session IIIA and B: Environmental Issues and Sustainable
Agriculture
Environmental and sustainable agriculture issues are overlapping,
but distinct. In this session,
the specific concerns of the environmental community will be
assessed. Issues to be addressed
include: adequacy of existing Farm Bill programs, impact of
agricultural production on the environment, and availability of
scientifically-based indicators that can determine whether
programs are successful. In the preceding session, there was a
discussion regarding the effect of market and commodity support programs on
the environment, in this session there will be a discussion about the impact
of environmental programs on agricultural producers.
8:00 8:10 Session IIIA Introduction
Moderator: Dennis R. Keeney, Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture
8:10 8:40 Environmental Protection and Sustainability
Jim Moseley, Purdue University, Agriculture
Commissioner of Indiana
8:40 9:30 Panel Discussion: Specific Goals and Objectives to
Protect the Environment,
Adequacy of Available Tools and Environmental
Indicators
Bill Griffith, formerly Potash & Phosphate Institute
Ann Robinson, Isaac Walton League
Ann Sorenson, Agriculture and Environment Institute,
Northern Illinois University
Robert M. Wolcott, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Farm Bill Working Group
9:30 10:00 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
10:00 10:20 Break
10:20 10:30 Session IIIB Introduction
Moderator: Otto Doering, Purdue University
10:30 11:00 Environmental Regulations and the Structure of
Agriculture Amy Pagano, Texas A&M University
11:00 11:50 Panel Discussion: The Impact of Environmental
Regulations on Large and Small Producers and the
Responsiveness of Producers to Voluntary versus
Mandatory Programs
Ernie Caldwell, Barry Holding Corporation
Thomas Dobbs, University of South Dakota
Larry Elworth, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Bruce Gardner, University of Maryland
11:50 12:25 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
12:25 1:50 Lunch
Speaker: Rep. Charles W. Stenholm, House Committee on
Agriculture
Session IV: Rural Development and Sustainable Agriculture
The Administration and USDA have placed high priority on rural
development, particularly
regarding infrastructure needs of rural communities, but concern
has also been expressed
regarding the human resources issues of families and communities.
The position of the Congress is
less clear, but many feel that there will be support for new
efforts by the Administration.
Advocates of sustainable agriculture have taken the position from
the outset that a major objective of the movement is to protect
and enhance the position of the family farmer and the rural
community to which such families are linked. The 1995 Farm Bill
offers a major opportunity to provide direction and authorization
for the several activities that will contribute to rural
development. However, while there is considerable interest there
is no clear agenda or set of proposals for addressing these
issues, nor is there presently a well-articulated linkage between
rural development goals and sustainability.
1:50 2:00 Session IV Introduction
Moderator: Deon D. Stuthman, University of Minnesota
2:00 2:30 Going Beyond Buildings and Processing Plants:
Addressing Community and
Human Resource Needs in Rural America
Louis E. Swanson, University of Kentucky
2:30 3:45 Panel Discussion: Identifying and Meeting the Real
Needs of Rural Communities
Elizabeth Bird, Center for Rural Affairs
Kelly Eversol, Eversol Associates
Cornelia Flora, Iowa State University
Sandra Miller, Arkansas Rural Development Enterprise
Center
Karl Stauber, U.S. Department of Agriculture
3:45 4:45 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
5:30 7:00 Reception
Richard Lugar, Senate Committee on Agriculture
Wednesday, January 25, 1995
Sessi on V: The Future Agricultural Research and Education
Agenda
The sustainable agriculture community influenced the 1990 Farm
Bill language in a number of specific instances; of these the
definition of the purposes of research and education conducted by
USDA was notable. One of the goals of the sustainable
agriculture community is to develop the knowledge base that will
allow the principles of sustainable agriculture to be broadly
applied across the spectrum of production operations. The Land
Grant University System is conducting a national futuring
conference to explore how it will most effectively meet the needs
of the increasingly bimodal distribution of small vs. large
farming operations. The challenge for the universities is to
develop a portfolio of research and education programs that all
interest groups recognize as balanced, targeted and useful. This
session provides an opportunity to: review the issues raised in
the preceding sessions, identify research and education needs,
identify appropriate linkages to other issue areas, and to
discuss ways of addressing the priorities of the diverse
interest groups.
8:00 8:10 Session V Introduction
Moderator: Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue University
8:10 8:30 Summary of Research, Education and Extension Issues
Identified in Previous
Session
Charles Scifres, University of Arkansas
8:30 8:50 Presentation of American Institute of Biological
Sciences Workshop on Sustainable
Agriculture Research Priorities
O. W. Barnett, North Carolina State University
8:50 9:10 Research Planning Processes at the Land Grant
Universities Neville P. Clarke, Southern Region
Agricultural Experiment Stations
9:10 9:30 Extension Planning Processes at the Land Grant
Universities
Robert C. Wells, North Carolina State University
9:30 9:50 Break
9:50 10:10 President's Council on Sustainable Development
Paul Johnson, U.S. Department of Agriculture
10:10 11:25 Panel Discussion: Addressing Priority and
Integration Issues
Dean Fairchild, Soil Teq Consultant
Dave Swaim, Swaim and Associates
John Thorne, ConAgra Consultant
Harry Wells, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Garth Youngberg, Wallace Institute for Alternative
Agriculture
11:25 12:05 Discussion, Questions, and Wrap-up
12:05 12:15 Closing Remarks
Richard E. Stuckey
12:15 1:30 Lunch on your own
Mini Post-Conference Session
In this session, participants will pull together syntheses of
panel discussions from each session and
develop a summary document which may include: 1) Setting
priorities: How to develop programs that address diverse needs
with limited resources and 2) Coordinating and integrating
programs: How to insure that programs are coordinated to
minimize duplication and avoid program gaps.
1:30 1:40 Introduction
Moderator: Richard E. Stuckey, CAST
1:40 2:40 Comment Period
Open to all conference participants desiring to express
viewpoints
2:40 3:40 Drafting of Conference Document
Writing Committee
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, 4420 West
Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014-3447,
(515) 292-2125, fax: (515) 292-4512, Internet:
b1cast@exnet.iastate.edu