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June 1, 2011 UPDATE
Thanks to CFSA and our members, both the Senate budget proposal released on May 24 and the "compromise" budget proposal released on May 31 retain the Tobacco Trust Fund, which was originally slated for elimination in the House budget proposal. Under the new proposal, the Tobacco Trust Fund will now operate under the Department of Agriculture and will receive the settlement funds as an annual appropriation from the General Fund.
If you have questions about the status of the budget and its potential impacts on sustainable agriculture, contact Shivaugn Rayl .
May 27, 2011 UPDATE
The NC Legislature is listening to us! This week, state Senate leaders presented their version of the budget, and that budget maintains the Tobacco Trust Fund and its programs. This is in contrast to the House budget which abolished the trust fund.
Tobacco Trust Fund grants have helped more than 600 farmers across every NC county expand into local and organic agriculture. No other program has directly helped so many farmers increase prosperity and job growth than the Tobacco Trust Fund, and it is a key reason North Carolina has one of the strongest local food economies in the country. Protecting the trust fund in the Senate budget is a huge achievement for sustainable ag. But it's not over yet!
The budget is scheduled for a Senate vote on Tuesday, May 31. After it passes the Senate, differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget must be reconciled and then the budget will go to the Governor.
We have to keep up the pressure in support of the Tobacco Trust Fund through the weeks of budget negotiations still left to go. Millions of dollars of investments in small farmers and local organic food are in the balance. We can't let the General Assembly lose sight of the importance of this program.
Please:
1. Call or e-mail the Senate budget leaders and thank them for protecting the Tobacco Trust Fund. This shows them that we are grateful, and that we are paying attention. Here are the key leaders to contact:
Sen. Don East (919)733.5743, don.east@ncleg.net
Sen. David Rouzer (919)733.5748, david.rouzer@ncleg.net
Sen. Brent Jackson (919)733.5705, brent.jackson@ncleg.net
Sen. Peter Brunstetter (919)733.7850, peter.brunstetter@ncleg.net
Sen. Neal Hunt (919)733.5850, neal.hunt@ncleg.net
Sen. Richard Stevens (919)733.5653, richard.stevens@ncleg.net
Sen. Tom Apodaca (919)733.5745, tom.apodaca@ncleg.net
Sen. Linda Garrou (919)733.5620, linda.garrou@ncleg.net
2. Call your NC House Represenative and urge him/her to support the Tobacco Trust Fund in the final budget. Here is the message to deliver:
I am a constituent calling to ask Rep. ___ to protect the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission in the state budget. Investments by the Tobacco Trust Fund have built prosperity and increased jobs in every county, without a dime of taxpayer money. The Senate budget protects the Tobacco Trust Fund, and I ask that you support it, too, when the budget comes before the House for a vote. Please protect our small farm heritage and our citizens’ access to local food by supporting the Tobacco Trust Fund in the state budget.
Find your Representative here: http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/Representation/Representation.html
Thank you for taking action on behalf of this important program that benefits our small farmers and the local organic food movement.
May 13, 2011 Update
Since 2003, Tobacco Trust Fund grants have helped almost 600 farmers in 95 NC counties expand into local and organic agriculture. Eighty-five percent of those grants were for $10,000 or less. No other program in the state, and probably the country, has directly helped so many farmers increase prosperity and job growth than the Tobacco Trust Fund, and it is one of the key reasons North Carolina has gained a reputation for having one of the strongest local food economies in the country.
All those years of success are now at risk, because the Tobacco Trust Fund is in danger of being eliminated in the state budget. We must act now to protect this crucial source of investment for local and organic food and farming.
Call your NC state senator with this message:
As a citizen of _____ County, I am calling to ask Sen. ___ to protect the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission in the state budget. Investments by the Tobacco Trust Fund have built prosperity and increased jobs in almost every county, without a dime of taxpayer money. Almost 600 farmers and small businesses have directly benefited from investments by the Tobacco Trust Fund, allowing them to prosper in the expanding market for local and organic food. The House budget proposal to eliminate the Tobacco Trust Fund in unfair to our hardworking farm families. Please protect our small farm heritage and our citizens’ access to local food by supporting the Tobacco Trust Fund in the state budget.
To find your state senator, visit http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/Representation/Representation.html, and scroll down the page to enter your county or zip code.
Want a specific example of projects in your county to mention to your state senator? Check out this spreadsheet and search for your county.
Please call today. Senate leaders plan to finalize the budget before Memorial Day. Time is running out to defend this crucial program.
May 1, 2011
North Carolina has gained a reputation for having one of the strongest local food economies in the country. When people from other regions ask me how our state has achieved so much, I always mention two things—our innovative farmers and the funding for local food projects from our two tobacco settlement agreement funds, the Tobacco Trust Fund and the Golden Leaf Foundation. Between them, Tobacco Trust and Golden Leaf have put almost $43 million into local and organic food development in this state. Eastern Carolina Organics and the North Carolina Organic Bread Flour Project are just two of the hundreds of local food projects that resulted from those investments.
Local Food Jobs, Income at Risk
All those years of success are now under threat, because both these sustainable ag venture funds are in danger of being eliminated in the state budget. Supporters of local, organic foods must act now to protect these crucial sources of capital for local and organic food and farming.
The budget in the NC House of Representatives hijacks over $60 million from Golden Leaf over the next two years, and eliminates the Tobacco Trust Fund entirely. Cutting off this vital source of investment for North Carolina small businesses and communities will not only deny existing entrepreneurs and farmers opportunities to grow their businesses, it will snuff out future local food initiatives before they even begin. It will decrease the supply of fresh, healthy food for all our citizens.
Time to Act!
The budget will next move to the NC Senate, and we must make our voices heard. Call your NC state senator with this message:
The NC Legislature should continue the wise tradition of investing our tobacco settlement money in agriculture and rural communities. The Tobacco Trust Fund and Golden Leaf Foundation achieve their impacts without a dime of taxpayer money. While the rest of the states have squandered their tobacco settlement payments on short-sighted, short-term spending to make up for fiscal shortfalls, we North Carolinians saw the money would yield a higher return long-term through job growth and wealth creation in our farm and rural communities. Small businesses and farmers benefit directly from the two funds’ investments, and our state cannot afford to give up this advantage.
To find your state senator, visit http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/Representation/Representation.html, and scroll down the page to enter your county or zip code.
The legislature is listening to us! Thanks to people like you, we have been able to block the elimination of the state’s inspection program for small meat processors, and limit the cuts to cooperative extension and ag research. If you want to see more North Carolina foods on grocery store shelves and farmers market tables, call your state senator today and ask him or her to protect Tobacco Trust and Golden Leaf and fund both in the 2011-2012 budget.
Thanks for all you do to support local, organic farming and food,
Roland McReynolds, CFSA Executive Director
Links for additional NC budget info:
To see CFSA’s letter to the NC Legislature opposing cuts to the state Meat and Poultry Inspection Division, click here, or follow this link for more information about how to take action.
To see CFSA’s letter to the NC Legislature opposing cuts to the Land Loss Prevention Project, a long-time partner in promoting small farms and fair farm policies, click here.
To read the complete House Budget, click here: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H200v3.pdf