September 22, 2017
Farmers and agriculture advocates have for years been extolling the benefits of cover crops – crops grown specifically with the intention of enriching the soil. Not only have producers seen the health and biodiversity of their soil increase, erosion decrease, and improvements in crop production thanks to the use of cover crops, their experiences are […]
September 21, 2017
Roughly one out of every eight Americans was food insecure (meaning that at times these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members) in 2016, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). Of those households, slightly less than […]
September 20, 2017
In recent months, members of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) have viewed with growing concern a series of policy proposals and actions aimed at reducing the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States and maintaining the agricultural workforce without providing those individuals a mechanism for attaining legal status. These efforts not only cause […]
September 15, 2017
Back in May, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a USDA reorganization plan that eliminated its Rural Development Mission Area and downgraded the status of what was the Under Secretary for Rural Development to an Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, closing the Office of the Under Secretary in the process. […]
September 13, 2017
Editor’s note: On September 19, 2017 NSAC published on editorial piece in The Hill, which discussed how the 2018 Farm Bill could help to promote soil health. To read the full text of that article, click here. While agricultural consensus can be hard to come by, there is mounting agreement on the need to maintain […]
September 11, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net “Farmers’ Guide” Will Help Producers Navigate Value-Added Producer Grant Program National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Releases Newly Updated Resource Washington, DC, September 11, 2017 – Following months of consternation by farmers and advocacy groups alike, on Monday, August 28, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally announced […]
September 8, 2017
Farm to school programs are making a big impact on the farmers, students and the communities they serve. According to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2015 Farm to School Census, purchases made by schools during the 2013-2014 school year added up to nearly $800 million spent on local food – and that means that […]
September 7, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Maximillian Merrill National Farm to School Network 919-606-0526, maximillian@farmtoschool.org Bipartisan Congressional Group Introduce Farm to School Act of 2017 Food and farm groups tout the legislation’s positive impact on American children and producers Washington, DC, September 7, 2017 – Senators Thad Cochran (R-MS) […]
September 7, 2017
Each year, Members of Congress head back to their home districts for a month-long legislative break known as “August recess”. With the holiday weekend over and September in full swing, Members are returning to the capital this week with a full schedule of big-ticket items ahead of them – many of which must be completed […]
August 30, 2017
For years, proponents of the status quo have rebuffed calls for modernization of the federal crop insurance program, claiming that any significant updates could cause the whole program to collapse. Like any good safety net, however, the program was never really that fragile. One of the challenges for those pushing for the program to become […]
