March 21, 2019
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contract holders who originally signed up for the program in fiscal year (FY) 2014 are now eligible to extend their contracts for an additional year of payments. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) first announced the extension opportunity earlier this week. CSP is the only federal […]
March 20, 2019
In the West Willow neighborhood of Ypsilanti, Michigan, Growing Hope works to reduce food inequity and inequality among their fellow residents. Growing Hope’s vision is to see Ypsilanti transformed into “a community where all people–particularly those with barriers due to race, class, culture, language, ability, and mobility–have access to nourishing local food that is culturally […]
March 19, 2019
For each year President Donald Trump has been in office, he has put forward an annual budget request to Congress that included substantial cuts to federal food and farm programming. This year was no different. Last week, the President released his fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget, which recommended slashing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) […]
March 15, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net “Flawed Science” Delays Roll Out of Food and Drug Administration’s “Water Rule” National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition praises the decision to revisit and rethink rule Washington, DC, March 15, 2019 – Produce farms regulated under the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Standards for the […]
March 11, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net President’s Budget Puts Agriculture Back on the Chopping BlockFamily farmers, rural communities, and food insecure families face $2 billion cut to services Washington, DC, March 11, 2019 – Seemingly unphased by Congress’ resounding rejection of his previously proposed budget cuts to agriculture spending, today the President recommended […]
March 5, 2019
Food safety inspections on produce farms are beginning this month, but there are still questions as to what the first round of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule inspections will look like. The fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be regulating farms for the first time is concerning for many […]
March 1, 2019
In an effort to engage farmers and other stakeholders in the implementation process for the 2018 Farm Bill, this week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the first of many formal listening sessions to gather public input. On Tuesday, USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area held a formal listening session at the […]
March 1, 2019
This week, Congress started a new chapter in the 2018 Farm Bill process: oversight of the Department’s implementation efforts. The passage and signing of the new farm bill at the end of last year marked the conclusion of the bill’s “authorization phase,” and now that the fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations bill is finally in […]
February 21, 2019
Last week, the House and Senate were finally able to agree on and finalize spending levels for the seven remaining appropriations bills not yet signed into law – including funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The final appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2019 passed by […]
February 19, 2019
Editor’s Note: This is the final post in a multi-part blog series digging deeper into some of the new programs and policies of the 2018 Farm Bill. These posts detail how the new farm bill is likely to impact core sustainable agriculture programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Previous posts focused on: working lands conservation, local and regional food systems, and nutrition incentive and anti-hunger programs. […]
