RAFI 2014 Annual Report

1. RUral
advancement
foundation
international
2014
annual report
Cultivating markets,
policies, and communities
that sustain thriving,
socially just, and
environmentally sound
family farms.

2. Dear Friends,
We take pride in presenting this report on the activities of the
Rural Advancement Foundation International for the year 2014.
Last year, we took on complex challenges: reforming federal
farm policy, preserving agricultural biodiversity, and working to
increase food security while connecting food producers with local
communities, to highlight just a few of our efforts. On all of these
fronts, we have focused our work on family farmers, those who
make possible the kind of agriculture our country both needs and
deserves.
In 2014, we won much-needed reforms to federal crop insurance
programs that will better enable small and mid-scale diversified
farmers to survive their toughest years and thrive in their best.
We kicked off new research projects and initiatives that will help
expand both farmer sales and access to fresh produce in low-
income communities. Throughout the year, we worked side-by-
side with farmers, providing financial resources through our
grant program, financial counseling through our farm advocacy
program, and training on better farm risk management.
We’re used to working on the so-called boring stuff: federal
policy, credit and lending, ag economics. Some call it the ‘business
side’ of farming; for us, it’s about making sure that the people
who help to keep us alive and healthy are making a good living,
too.
We believe that farmers should be able to focus on doing what
they do best, and that their success is the strongest foundation
we can build for a truly sustainable future. Our goal is nothing
less than fresh, healthy, and fairly produced food for all.
We hope you’ll join us on the road ahead.
Scott Marlow,
Executive Director
Alex Hitt
Board President
Scott Marlow
Executive Director
From Our
Director
2|2014AnnualReport

3. 9,000+
Farmers and community members who learned
from our Agricultural Reinvestment Fund’s
farmer-led demonstration projects
400
People educated at our Landowner Rights and
Fracking presentations.
250
People engaged and inspired by our Beyond
Hunger Relief program staff at conferences,
workshops, and field days.
200
Farmers educated on crucial farm risk
management issues at conferences, workshops,
and field days.
130+
New jobs were created by family farmers
receiving grants from our Agricultural
Reinvestment Fund.
100+
Federal policy makers, farmers, plant breeders,
and advocates gathered at our 2014 Seeds and
Breeds Summit in Washington, DC.
75
Farmer cases consulted on by our Farm
Advocacy staff ranging from insurance issues to
loan restructuring assistance.
2014
At A GLANCE
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4. PROMOTING
SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE
POLICY REFORM
The 2014 Farm Bill represented a series of wins
for RAFI recommendations. Although the final bill
was a mixed bag, RAFI staff worked to assure program
reforms for diverse vegetable and livestock, direct-to-
consumer, and organic farmers. While we may object to
major sections of the farm bill, we continue to find ways
in the details to support family farmers who are doing
what is right for the land and their community.
Farm Bill programs incorporating RAFI
recommendations include Crop Insurance, the Non-
Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, Organic
Certification Cost Share, and Organic Research and
Education Initiative.
We never work alone. RAFI’s work on the farm bill
included our membership in the National Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition, the National Family Farm
Coalition, leadership roles in the Domestic Fair Trade
Association, the National Organic Coalition and the
Campaign for Contract Agriculture Reform.
Following more than a decade of advocacy by RAFI and
our partners, USDA released the Whole Farm Revenue
policy, a new crop insurance product featuring many
of the reforms we requested. The new policy rewards
diversification, makes insurance available to farmers
who are selling into high value local and organic
markets, and will help farmers obtain financing.
THE BACkbone of policY: Good Research
We partnered with researchers in North Carolina State
University’s Department of Agricultural and Resource
Economics to design and conduct original research
on how the use of crop insurance interacts with
different types of risk management tools. The results
of this research are being used to reform existing risk
management programs to make them more effective for
sustainable farmers.
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5. 5|2014AnnualReport
North Carolina becomes a pilot
state for AGR-Lite. While it and a
similar policy, AGR, provide a
whole-farm insurance option that
is simple in concept, they are not
widely adopted by farmers due to
the complicated application and
claims adjustment process.
2005
2007
2012
USDA provides an organic price
option for specific crops in
existing crop insurance policies,
offering better coverage for
organic farmers.
2013
RAFI brings farmers to meet
with USDA to discuss ways
to improve whole-farm
insurance. We recommend
changes that are included in
the new policy.
The long & winding Road to Crop Insurance Reform
Historically, crop insurance has best served commodity growers in the Midwest, but we work
to ensure that it serves a diverse set of farmers including commodity, specialty, organic,
direct market, and diversi�ied farmers. Our rationale is simple: crop insurance not only helps
farmers survive severe weather and manage risk but can also help pave the way to other risk
management tools and the ability to access agricultural credit. In short, we aren’t
advocating for or against crop insurance; we’re advocating for farmers.
2005
2002
Hurricane Katrina
and other Gulf Coast
hurricanes strike.
2007
RAFI’s Scott Marlow testifies to the House
Agricultural Committee stating that many
of the fastest growing segments of the ag
economy (including livestock, various
specialty crops, and organic crops) are
woefully underserved, if served at all by
available crop insurance options.
Hurricane Floyd hits. RAFI provides
information to farmers and farm
advisors about disaster programs. In
reviewing programs and assessing
the needs of farmers, we determine
that crop insurance can serve as a
key risk management tool.
1999
The Risk Management Agency
(RMA) introduces a new crop
insurance policy, AGR-Lite, an
‘adjusted gross revenue’ plan
to protect against low revenue
due to natural disasters and
market volatility.
RAFI collaborates on
research with USDA
economists, university
researchers, credit providers,
and farmers to provide data
on the risk-mitigating impact
of crop diversification. Data
will be incorporated into
new and existing policies.
2014
USDA announces a whole-farm
revenue protection policy,
known as WFRP, to replace
AGR and AGR-Lite. After a two
year delay, the 2014 Farm Bill
becomes law. It takes positive
steps toward expanding
coverage for farmers utilizing
sustainable practices.
2014
RAFI releases a report showing that
federal disaster programs, including
crop insurance , have not changed to
keep up with growing demand for
specialty crops, direct marketed
products and organic.
USDA adds organic price
elections for four crops:
Corn, soy cotton and
processing tomatoes,
allowing organic producers
to insure their full costs.
2011
16 crops now have organic price
elections and USDA commits to
collecting the data required to offer it
on all crops.
Following the 2007
testimony, the 2008
Farm Bill requires
the development of
organic price
elections, which are
one of the recom-
mendations in the
testimony.
2008

6. Seed is the
foundation
of rafi
Reversing the Loss of Seed biodiversity
We held the Summit on Seeds and Breeds for 21st
Century Agriculture in Washington, DC in March 2014.
The event brought together plant breeders, experts
on the seed industry, farmers, activists and academics
to discuss the state of our seed supply and develop
recommendations for reinvigorating public breeding
and increasing seed availability.
The summit was convened to address the crisis in seed
biodiversity and global capacity to develop diverse
seed and breed varieties. The purpose of the event, and
key to this renaissance of resilience, was to address
the need for more public cultivars and breeds that are
regionally adapted, readily accessible to both breeders
and farmers, and housed in the public domain.
In October, RAFI published the “Proceedings of the
2014 Summit on Seeds and Breeds for 21st Century
Agriculture, which includes summit papers, original
research, presentations and findings. The proceedings
also contain an action plan to build plant and animal
breeding programs that will enhance the biodiversity of
these critical resources.
We worked closely with the National Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition and other partners to distribute
the findings.
Download the Proceedings to learn about the
challenges and recommendations for the future:
http://rafiusa.org/publications/seeds/
6|2014AnnualReport

7. seeds & Breeds
for the 21st
century
The Seeds & Breeds for the 21st
Century Coalition works to:
Reinvigorate our public plant
and animal breeding capacity.
Ensure that regionally adapted public
cultivars are readily available to provide
greater choice to farmers.
Prioritize support and training for the next
generation of public cultivar developers.
Protect, enhance and utilize our
agricultural diversity to address the key
challenges of 21st century agriculture.
In October 2014, our Just
Foods Program Director,
Michael Sligh (pictured
on the left), organized
an initial meeting of the
Global Working Group on
Seeds in Istanbul, Turkey,
extending the groundwork
laid at our 2014 Seeds and
Breeds Summit to include
international partners.
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8. Farmer-led seed trials
Currently, the overwhelming majority of
breeding is done by private industry, and
is focused on transgenic technology and
reliance on chemical pesticides.
Industry breeding protocols do not address the pest
management challenges specific to organic or low-
pesticide production. Organic producers are often
pressured to use varieties inappropriate for their
climates because of limited seed options permitted
under organic certification guidelines.
As part of our ongoing response to this pressing
problem, our Breeding for Organic Production Systems
(BOPS) program oversees farmer-led field trials of
non-GMO corn, wheat, soybean, and peanut seed lines
for organic production. The program prepared for
expansion in 2015 to include new crops and regions in
the Southeast.
Seed trials yield serious results
CORN
In our 2014 trials, we tested four varieties of a high
protein, open pollinated corn from a plant breeder in
Wisconsin and partnered with Organic Valley on their
organic corn trials. The Organic Valley corn trials had an
overall average of 164 bushels per acre.
breeding for
organic
production
SYstems
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9. PEANUTS
Farmers tested an experimental line from peanut
breeders at NC State University, providing important
feedback and early experience with this new potential
variety.
WHEAT
Our wheat trials tested both hard and soft wheat using
commercial lines already available to farmers. Soft
wheat is the most commonly grown, however hard
wheat is preferred by bakers and offers our organic
growers a new market for their product. Through our
research we were able to determine a top performing
hard wheat variety and some very promising varieties
of soft wheat.
SOYBEANS
Our soybean trials included three experimental
varieties provided by North Carolina State University
and five publically available varieties. In our trials, the
experimental varieties had the highest yields. This is
great news for both the university and organic growers
and we are currently working with NC State University
to encourage the release of these varieties for organic
production.
The full results of our on-farm variety trials
can be found at:
http://rafiusa.org/bopscoalition/
INNOVATION IN
PUBLIC PLANT
BREEDING
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10. AGricultural
reinvestment
fund
NEW ON-FARM ENTERPRISES
The Agricultural Reinvestment Fund (formerly the
Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund) assists
innovative and entrepreneurial farmers with developing
new sources of agricultural income through the
provision of cost-share grants. The Fund supported
the creation of 460 jobs between 2012 and 2014
through the distribution of 77 cost-share grants to
entrepreneurial and innovative farmers. In 2014, 20
farmer projects were funded.
“This grant meant everything to us. We had
the business side down. I couldn’t have met the
production goals without the grant. My business
doubled in one year. There was demand and there
still is. We simply did not have the money to do
what we needed to do. Without the grant from
RAFI, we couldn’t have met the demand of our
customers for our produce.”
- Natalie Relyea, Relyea Farms
The map above features the more than 550 farmers and collaborative agricultural
groups that have been awarded grants since the start of the program in 1997.
Check out our website for an interactive version of the map and click on
any point to see farm project details: http://rafiusa.org/grants/
Kay Doby, Hot Shot Goat Farm
10|2014AnnualReport

11. growing
innovation
WE wrote the book on innovation
RAFI’s first Kickstarter campaign funded the
development of our Growing Innovation project, which
is creating an online library of all of our farmer-led,
grant-funded projects over the course of the program’s
18 year history.
We also published Growing Innovation 1.0, which
highlights the stories of eight family farmers who are
finding new ways to sustain their farming operations.
Their experiences provide insight into the joys and
challenges of farming and ranching.
Download the Growing Innovation 1.0
e-book online:
http://rafiusa.org/growing-innovation/
Growing Innovation Launch Party
11|2014AnnualReport

12. ON THE FRONT LINES
For decades, our staff of farm advocates have been
assisting farmers both in states of transition and
financial crisis. We provide direct counseling on
financial and technical matters and guidance in making
farms more credit-worthy and sustainable.
In 2014, our Farm Advocacy staff helped 75 farm
families stay on the land and in their homes by
providing financial counseling and expert mediation
services. Our advocates also worked closely with
farmers who were victims of lending discrimination.
Thanks to a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation, RAFI launched the Farmer Leadership
Network, a leadership development initiative that trains
and supports the voter participation and engagement
of historically underserved farmers in agricultural
decision-making bodies in North Carolina. Our hope is
that our leadership work in NC will serve as a model for
states both across the Southeast and the nation.
Farm advocate Benny Bunting, 2014
TRaining the next generation of farm advocates
In 2014 we launched a new training series for farm advocates. The series provides
helpful resources and information to aspiring advocates and an opportunity for
professional development for more established advocates. Training topics included:
• Farm Advocacy 101
• When the Phone Rings: Initial Farm Advocate & Farmer Conversations
• Disaster Assistance for Farmers
• Cash Flow: The Common Language Between Farmers and Lenders
Our resources for farm advocates are available online at:
http://rafiusa.org/programs/farmsustainability/advocacy-webinars/
12|2014AnnualReport
working
Side-by-side
with farmers

13. we go way back, y’all
We were honored to host Farm Aid 2014 in our home
state of North Carolina, and we were grateful for the
opportunity to shine a spotlight on the region’s farmers
and their enormous significance to food and farming in
the US. The show was Farm Aid’s first in North Carolina,
though the organization has held several concerts in the
Southeast.
Since 1985, Farm Aid has been working to promote a
strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture.
Throughout the years, Farm Aid has worked with our
staff to campaign for farm policies that benefit family
farmers.
“When a farmer in crisis calls the Farm Aid
hotline, what they get is my phone number...
and we send someone out, and they sit at
the kitchen table and they figure out how to
save the farm. But over time Farm Aid has
come to not just talk about the crisis, but
also to talk about the great things and the
great resilience and creativity of farmers
who are facing a deck stacked against
them.”
– Scott Marlow, Executive Director, RAFI
Executive Director, Scott Marlow, 2014
13|2014AnnualReport
FARM Aid
2014

14. FOOD SECURITY FOR ALL...
We launched our Beyond Hunger Relief program in
2014 to identify, develop, and expand sustainable
solutions to food insecurity that strengthen just and
sustainable agriculture.
This three-year participatory research project funded by
the Duke Endowment, will ask two main questions:
1) What are the barriers and opportunities for
farmers selling into low wealth communities?
2) What are the gaps in the market chain that public
and philanthropic investment could fill in order to
build a more equitable food system?
Our ultimate goal is to use research results to support
entrepreneurial and community based solutions to food
access.
Connect2Direct
In 2014 we kicked off a partnership with the
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project on a
major new initiative to increase farmer direct sales and
expand local food access. The goal for the collaboration
is to support and build equitable community-based
local food economies through the development of direct
markets for farmers.
Connect2Direct aims to increase farm to consumer
direct sales and the usage of EBT/SNAP at farmers
markets in North Carolina – by over 100% within two
years – by providing training and technical assistance
to markets and market vendors, creating effective
marketing and outreach campaigns, facilitating the
transactional process for EBT/SNAP, and building
statewide capacity and efficiency to sustainably ensure
that all residents have access to fresh foods grown by
local farmers.
Beyond
hunger
relief
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15. and FOOD for thought
Our Come to the Table staff took a break from
preparing for the 2015 conferences to organize three
learning tours across the state, and to provide training
and technical assistance to faith groups starting or
expanding food and hunger-related ministries.
With our flagship conferences, Come to the Table
convenes faith leaders and lay people, hunger relief
advocates, farmers, farm workers, school nutrition
directors and others to find mutually beneficial
solutions to food insecurity.
“Loved the field trips and the tour was wonderful.
I am so inspired by seeing the different models of
giving gardens.” – Learning tour attendee
“The best part was hearing folks’ real, honest
perspectives about the challenges and barriers
they face and what helped them through or what
lessons they learned and can share!”
– Learning tour attendee
come to the
table
project
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16. FOR ALL WHO LABOR IN AGRICULTURE
The Agricultural Justice Project was formed in 1999 as
a partnership between RAFI, the Farmworker Support
Committee (Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores
Agricolas or CATA), Florida Organic Growers, and
Peacework Organic Farm to develop, promote and
launch domestic fair trade standards that could
be adapted for use anywhere in the world. The
Northeastern Organic Farming Association (NOFA) is a
current partner.
The goal of AJP standards is to reward fair treatment
of workers, fair prices for farmers, and fair business
practices. When farmers are able to gain fair prices and
agreements, they can pay living wages to their workers
and to themselves, creating an economic incentive for
social equity and just working conditions.
A New first for New York
In 2014 the Agricultural Justice Project announced that
GreenStar Natural Foods Co-op and The Piggery Butcher
and Local Grocer had become the first Food Justice
Certified (FJC) food stores in New York State. West
Haven Farm in Ithaca, NY became the first Food Justice
Certified farm in NY.
16|2014AnnualReport
Food Justice Certified
farms and businesses:
• Farmer Direct Co-operative
Ltd. Regina, SK, Canada
• GreenStar Natural Foods
Co-op, NY
• Pie Ranch, CA
• Swanton Berry Farm, CA
• The Family Garden/Browns
Organic Farm, FL
• The Piggery Butcher &
Local Grocer, NY
• West Haven Farm, NY
Agricultural
justice project

17. our team in 2014
Scott Marlow, Executive Director
Kathy Zaumseil, Administrative Director
Elizabeth MacLachlan, Finance Director
Edna Rodriguez, Development Director
Chris Bouton, Development Assistant
Victoria Bouloubasis, Communications Manager
Benny Bunting, Lead Farm Advocate
Michael Sligh, Program Director, Just Foods Program
Kelli Dale, BOPS Project Coordinator
Joe Schroeder, Program Director, Farm Sustainability
Francesca Hyatt, Program Director, Beyond Hunger
Relief
Salem Neff, Local Food Access Coordinator
Athan Lindsay, CTTT Project Manager
James Robinson, Research & Policy Associate
Viola Glenn, Research Coordinator
Jean Willoughby, Project Director, Agricultural
Reinvestment Fund
Kavita Koppa, AmeriCorps VISTA Member & Farm
Community Organizer
AMERIcorps Vista
members
Kavita Koppa
Rita Bennett-Chew
Amanda Bravo
Hannah Henza
Emily Stallings
Ben Paynter
Annie Segal
Hayes Simpson
17|2014AnnualReport
2014
STaff

18. SUPPORT AND REVENUE
Private foundations and public funds
Service contracts and honoraria
Individual contributions
Corporate contributions
Rental income
Registration fees
Special events income
In-kind contributions
Interest and dividends
Change in value of charitable gift annuity
TOTAL support and revenue
Expenses
program services
supporting services
General and administrative
Fundraising
Total supporting services
Total expenses
Changes in net assets
net assets beginning of year
net assets end of year
2014 totals
$1,415,985
136,204
99,270
6,997
19,957
8,269
4,902
1,424
273
-300
1,692,981
1,371,145
265,900
95,382
361,282
1,732,427
-39,446
2,081,282
2,041,836
SUPPort and Revenueexpenses
General and administrative
15%
79%
Program Services
6% Fundraising
84%
Private foundations &
public funds
8%
6%
Service contracts
& honoraria
Rental income 1%
Corporate contributions
& all other support 1%
Individual contributions
18|2014AnnualReport
2014
financial
report

19. We are grateful to the following funders who supported our
work in 2014 through a donation worth $5,000 or more.
AmeriCorps VISTA*
Alces Foundation
Cedar Tree Foundation
Ceres Trust
Clif Bar Family Foundation
Charles W. Gaddy and Lucy Finch Gaddy Endowment Fund
C.S. fund
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps
Farm Aid
Fenwick Foundation
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
First Citizens Bank
Gaia Fund
GBL Charitable Foundation
Google, Inc.*
Hillsdale Fund
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
LeFort-Martin Fund of Chicago Community Trust
Mary Lynn Richardson Fund
Mary Norris Preyer Fund
North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church
North Carolina Specialty Crop Grant Program
North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
North Carolina State University
North Pond Foundation
Oak Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation
Organic Valley Family Of Farms
Park Foundation
Presbyterian Hunger Program
Singing for Change Foundation
Southern Risk Management Education Center
The Duke Endowment
The Haw River Ballroom*
The McKnight Foundation
The Salesforce Foundation*
Elise Jerard Environmental and Humanitarian Trust
The William Zimmerman Foundation
Tivka Grassroots Empowerment Fund of Tides Foundation
United States Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development
Wallace Genetic Foundation
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Inc.
*In-kind donations valued above $5,000.
Your gift is 100% tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Financial information about Rural Advancement Foundation Interantional and a copy of our North Carolina solicitation
license are available from the Charitable Solicitation Licensing Section at 888-830-4989.
This license is not an endorsement by the State of North Carolina. RAFI has earned the Guidestar Gold Exchange Seal,
demonstrating our commitment to transparency.
19|2014AnnualReport
2014
supporters
DONATE
Looking back, we are
reminded of how many
people have come together
to help create the just and
sustainable agricultural
community that we
envision.
Please consider making a
contribution to help
support family farms.
Consider becoming
a monthly donor
by visiting:
www.rafiusa.org/donate

20. MAILING ADDRESS:
P.O. Box 640, Pittsboro, NC
27312
STREET ADDRESS:
274 Pittsboro Elementary
School Road
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Phone: (919) 542-1396
Fax: (919) 542-0069
Website: www.rafiusa.org
CONTENT AND DESIGN:
Hayes Simpson
Jean Willoughby
PHOTO CREDITS:
Front Cover: Gene Pickett photo courtesy of Beth Kahn
Page 6: Seed photo courtesy of Organic Seed Alliance
Page 7: Seed photo courtesy of Organic Seed Alliance
Page 14: Aardvark Farm (in circle) photo courtesy of ASAP
Page 16: Food Justice Certified strawberries photo courtesy
of Agricultural Justice Project
2014
Board
of
directors
Benny Bunting
Staff Representative
RAFI Lead Farm Advocate
Oak City, NC
Archie L. Hart
Special Assistant to NC Commis-
sioner of Agriculture
Knightdale, NC
Mary K. Hendrickson,
Vice President
Assistant Professor of Rural Sociol-
ogy at the University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
Alex Hitt, President
Organic Farmer, Peregrine Farm
Graham, NC
Lenwood V. Long, Sr.
President/CEO,The Support Center
Raleigh, NC
LaRhea Pepper
Managing Director,
Textile Exchange
Lander, WY
Randi Ilyse Roth,Treasurer
Attorney
Saint Paul, MN
Shirley Sherrod
Co-founder, Southwest Georgia
Project
Albany, GA
Tom Trantham, Emeritus
Dairy Farmer,Trantham’s 12 Aprils
Dairy and Happy Cow Creamery,
Inc.
Pelzer, SC