[Pollinator] Farm Bill Conference Action Update; Administration releases proposed budget for FY09

[R. Thomas Van Arsdall]

* CONSERVATION $ REMAIN AT RISK.  Conservation funding remains at serious
risk during the current standoff/negotiations between Congress and the White
House over the cost of the farm bill.

* GROUP LETTERS.  FYI, the following two final group letters to farm bill
conferees can be accessed at http://www.pollinator.org/farm_bill.htm, near
top of menu: 
	+ "CONSERVATION FUNDING LETTER"--Support for $5 billion increase in
conservation funding over 5-year life of new farm bill
	+ "FOOD SAFETY" Letter--Opposition to House specialty crop marketing
order 'food safety' provision that could force producers to remove
pollinator/wildlife habitat

Strong list of co-signers, unified voice of wildlife, pollinator,
conservation, environmental and sustainable ag groups.  Thanks to those who
were able to sign on given the short response time.  Such timely
communications can make a difference.

* FARM BILL POLLINATOR CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH PROVISIONS.  Nothing new to
report re negotiations between Senate and House.  Pleased to report that
several wildlife and sustainable ag groups have advised they are including
support for CoE's pollinator recommendations to conferees in their own
communications to conferees.

* SENATE FARM BILL CONFEREES:
The list of Democratic Senators selected for the conference committee, in
addition to Chairman Harkin: Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max
Baucus (D-MT); Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Kent Conrad (D-ND);
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Senate
Agriculture Committee Member Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Senate
Agriculture Committee Member Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). 
 
The list of the Republican Senators selected for the conference committee in
addition to Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) are: Former Senate
Agriculture Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN), Ranking Member of the
Senate Finance Committee, Charles Grassley (R-IA); Ranking Member Senate
Appropriations Committee, Thad Cochran (R-MS); and Senator Pat Roberts
(R-KS).

No word yet on House side.

* FY09 ADMINISTRATION BUDGET PROPOSAL.  Shifting gears, the Administration
FY09 budget proposal released earlier this week includes ".....$0.8 million
for research to determine the role of pathogens and other stress factors in
Colony Collapse Disorder of honey bees and mitigating their effects." The
proposal for conservation funding overall is down.  

You can find out more about the USDA budget proposal at
http://www.obpa.usda.gov/budsum/budget_summary.html.

Congressional appropriators will be doing their thing for FY09 in the coming
months. 

* NEW USDA SECRETARY.  Final gear, new Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer
was sworn in this week.  A North Dakota native and business man, he's former
two-term governor of North Dakota--a few honeybees and other pollinators in
that state.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&con
tentid=bios_schafer.xml 


R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution
Institute/Pollinator Partnership/NAPPC
For More Information, http://www.pollinator.org  

Van Arsdall & Associates
P.O. Box 8512
Fredericksburg, VA  22404-8512
PH:  (540) 785-0949
Cell:  (703) 509-4746
tom at vanarsdall.com