Expanding Packing and Cold Storage Loan Options for Diversified Farms
March 10th, 2014
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced several changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program that will greatly improve the program’s ability to support diversified producers that sell their produce through localized market channels, such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and farm-to-institution. Farm Storage Facility Loans are financed through the Farm Read the Rest…
Release: NSAC Applauds USDA Efforts to Aid Mid-Scale Farms and Regional Agriculture
March 10th, 2014
For Immediate Release March 10, 2014, Washington, DC – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced several initiatives to assist small and mid-scale farms and local and regional agriculture. Among the highlights were two initiatives — changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan program and the creation of Whole Farm Diversified Risk Management revenue insurance Read the Rest…
National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health
March 7th, 2014
Last month, 300 agricultural innovators, experts, and leaders convened in Omaha, Nebraska for the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health. This conference was organized to provide a national forum to discuss moving the dial toward a more sustainable American agricultural system by focusing on improving soil health. Organized by the Sustainable Agriculture Research Read the Rest…
Farm Bill Implementation on Beginning Farmer and Rancher Programs Already Underway
March 7th, 2014
Beginning in 2011, NSAC launched a campaign around Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher programs in the Farm Bill, and ultimately helped win on quite a number of issues in the final legislation. The NSAC-championed marker bill, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act, was championed by members in both chambers, led by Senator Read the Rest…
NSAC Submits Coexistence Comments to USDA
March 5th, 2014
Yesterday, NSAC submitted comments to USDA in response to a request for information about how farmers who raise genetically engineered (GE) crops and those who don’t can better coexist as neighbors. NSAC’s was one of the over 4,000 comments that were submitted on the topic by yesterday’s deadline. The challenges associated with coexistence have significant Read the Rest…
What Does the President’s 2015 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
March 5th, 2014
President Obama sent his budget proposal for 2015 to Capitol Hill yesterday. The overall spending number in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year (FY) would match the two-year budget deal Congress reached last year, though the President also includes an aspirational $56 billion add-on, which he calls the Opportunity, Growth, and Security (OGS) Read the Rest…
Community Food Projects Grant Program Funding Available for FY 2014
March 3rd, 2014
Late last week, the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) posted a Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2014 round of the Community Food Project Grants Program (CFP). Unfortunately, NIFA posted this to their website without issuing a press release or a Federal Register notice, so there was no way of knowing the RFA had Read the Rest…
USDA Releases Updated “Food Environment Atlas”
February 28th, 2014
Last week, the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) released an updated and expanded Food Environment Atlas, with 2012 data for many variables and 2013 data for farmers’ markets. New variables include SNAP policy variables, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), very low household food security, and 2012 State-level obesity rates. The Food Environment Atlas Read the Rest…
USDA Pollinator Protection Initiative Leaves out CSP
February 26th, 2014
New EQIP Initiative The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week announced the availability of $3 million to protect vulnerable pollinators through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). These targeted funds will support conservation practices that both foster environmental benefits and provide habitat and forage for pollinating species. Farmer applications for this special EQIP initiative Read the Rest…
FDA Settles Lawsuit over FSMA Rules
February 21st, 2014
Background The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) became law in January of 2011. FSMA directed FDA to complete the corresponding rule-making process by the following year. It is not unusual for Congress to include in statute very aggressive time frames for rulemaking. In this instance, as it became increasingly clear that FDA could not possibly Read the Rest…
