NSAC's Blog
Funding Restored for Outreach and Assistance for Underserved Farmers
July 24, 2014
Funding available to support programs for minority, tribal, and veteran producers
New School Lunch Pilot for Locally-Grown Produce Accepting Applications from States
July 22, 2014
Yesterday, July 21, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a Request for Applications from states interested in participating in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Kevin Concannon, the USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, announced […]
USDA Webinar on the Grass Fed Program for Small Livestock Operations
July 22, 2014
On Tuesday, August 5, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a webinar about the previously announced Grass-Fed Program for Small and Very Small (SVS) Producers. The webinar will be held from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern Time. During the webinar AMS will provide an overview of the USDA […]
$13 million in Organic Certification Cost Share Assistance Now Available
July 18, 2014
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of approximately $13 million in Farm Bill funding for organic certification cost-share assistance for organic producers and handlers. Payments for certification-related expenses incurred from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014 can cover up to 75 percent of an individual producer’s or handler’s certification costs, […]
USDA Evaluates Environmental Impacts of 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Choices for the Conservation Reserve Program
July 18, 2014
On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) released its Draft Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SPEIS) for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The draft SPEIS seeks to assess the ways in which changes made to CRP in the 2014 Farm Bill will impact vegetation, wildlife, protected species, soils, surface […]
USDA Releases Final Rule to Expand Nondiscriminatory Protections
July 16, 2014
On Wednesday, July 16, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its final rule, “Nondiscrimination in Programs or Activities Conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture.” It follows the proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2013 for public comment. The USDA regulation on nondiscrimination was last revised in 1999. […]
Conservation Stewardship Program Renewal Process Starting
July 11, 2014
Farmers and ranchers who enrolled in the the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in 2010 can re-enroll their farms for another five years by submitting a renewal application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation (NRCS). The window to apply to re-enroll extends from July 11 to September 12. CSP is a comprehensive working lands […]
House Subcommittee Votes to Curtail Environmental Protections
July 9, 2014
On Wednesday, July 9, the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and related agencies in fiscal year (FY) 2015, which begins on October 1, 2014. The bill cuts EPA funding by $717 million, or 9 percent, relative to […]
Final Week to Submit Pre-Proposals for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program
July 8, 2014
Monday, July 14 is the last day to submit pre-proposals to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Through RCPP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partners with producer associations or cooperatives, units of state or local governments, Indian tribes, water or irrigation districts or utilities, institutions of higher education, or […]
New Report Finds that Wetland and Grassland Destruction is Common
July 3, 2014
On Tuesday, July 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published a new report on the status of wetland and grassland loss in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the upper Midwest and Plains States. Wetlands The report finds that between 1997 and 2009, net wetland acreage declined by roughly 6,200 acres per year. […]
