NSAC's Blog
September 23, 2016
The ever-evolving biotechnology sector continues to be an important topic among farmers and consumers, and business and the government. However, the process has been criticized for being convoluted and uncoordinated in its nature, with unclear boundaries of where each federal agencies’ jurisdiction lies, and how stakeholder input is obtained and utilized across agency functions. In […]
September 22, 2016
Education and training to help farmers manage risks related to food production and the natural resources that underlie that production – as well as all manner of financial, marketing, and legal risks – can play a critical role in keeping farmers on the land and helping a new generation of farmers get off to a […]
September 22, 2016
On Tuesday, September 20, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to probe further into a series of recent proposed mergers and acquisitions in the seed and agricultural industry. The hearing was convened after news of three significant mergers of top agricultural input companies that control 60 percent of the global seed market and 64 […]
September 20, 2016
Organic acreage has increased 20 percent from 2014 to 2015, reaching about 4.4 million acres. A closer look at the 2015 Organic Production Survey reveals that virtually all of the increase of 691,289 acres can be attributed to a single organic operation becoming certified in September 2015. Due to the addition of this large livestock […]
September 16, 2016
Farm to school programs are a win for kids, farmers, and communities. They empower our children and their families by informing them about their food system and giving them the tools and confidence to make healthy choices. At the same time they support local farmers financially by connecting them to new market opportunities. In March, […]
September 15, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner or Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 Farm Credit Shortfall Must Be Addressed Swiftly Farm and financial organizations appeal to Congress to shore up Farm Service Agency farm loan programs in both the Continuing Resolution and the final appropriations bill Washington, DC, September 15, 2016 – Farming communities and agricultural groups applauded […]
September 13, 2016
With FDA’s new food safety rules finalized and compliance clocks ticking, one of most common questions we hear is: who is going to be enforcing these new rules on farms, and how? While many of the details surrounding how exactly the rules will be implemented remain uncertain, last week FDA took a step toward answering […]
September 9, 2016
In an effort to spur innovation in agricultural production and sustainable management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $26 million to 45 projects that show promise in promoting on-farm conservation. The awards are issued through USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program – part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Since its establishment […]
September 8, 2016
It’s no secret: farmers need land to farm, and lately they are having an increasingly difficult time obtaining it. Today, nearly half of all farmland is rented and many farmers are forced to cobble together plots of land by contracting with multiple landlords in multiple locations. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research […]
September 7, 2016
Congress returns to Washington, D.C. this week with less than a month left to wrap up business for the current fiscal year (FY). Members are back in town until the end of the month, though many could leave even earlier to begin their fall campaign breaks. With so much to do in so little time, […]
