FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Release: Congress Sends Reconciliation Bill to President’s Desk, Cannibalizing American Food and Farm System Washington, DC, July 3, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, following the House of Representatives’ […]
NSAC’S Blog
Comment: NSAC Laments Senate’s Passage of Budget Reconciliation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Comment: NSAC Laments Senate’s Passage of Budget Reconciliation Washington, DC, July 1, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, following the Senate’s 51-50 approval – with Vice President J.D. Vance […]
Comment: NSAC Urges Senate to Support Grassley “Actively Engaged” Amendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Comment: NSAC Urges Senate to Support Grassley “Actively Engaged” Amendment Washington, DC, June 30, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in support of Amendment #2527 filed by Senator Chuck […]
Release: Seventh Class of Cynthia Hayes Scholarship Recipients Honor Her Legacy
Washington, DC, June 26, 2025 – The Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network (SAAFON) and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced that three students have been awarded the Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship. The three student awardees: Vicki Mines, Alaina Parr, and Mikelanj Ajinaku were each presented with $5,000 to support their continued work in […]
Support for Farmer-Led Research Hinges on SARE Funding
Recently, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), alongside 100 food, farm, conservation, and rural organizations, delivered a letter to Congressional appropriators urging them to fully fund the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) at $60 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026. SARE was one of NSAC’s first legislative accomplishments over 35 years ago, and […]
Comment: Partisan Senate Reconciliation Bill Ends Decades-Long Era
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: Partisan Senate Reconciliation Bill Ends Decades-Long Era Washington, DC, June 12, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee’s title of the […]
Comment: NSAC Unpacks the House FY26 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: NSAC Unpacks the House FY26 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Washington, DC, June 10, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, ahead of Wednesday’s House Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) […]
Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open
Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $26.5 million in competitive grant funding available through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. This year marks a notably shorter application window, but there are several resources available to support […]
Comment: NSAC Responds to House Subcommittee’s FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: NSAC Responds to House Subcommittee’s FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Washington, DC, June 4, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, […]
Examining the House Agriculture Committee’s Reconciliation Bill
On May 22, 2025, the House of Representatives approved its budget reconciliation legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB, HR 1), by a vote of 215-214-1. Just a week earlier, on May 15, the House Committee on Agriculture approved, by a party line vote of 29-25, components of OBBB that fall within its jurisdiction. […]
We Took Action to Defend Our Food System — Now It’s Your Turn
In anticipation of President Trump’s 100th day in office, a coalition of organizations from across the nation participated in a Week of Action between April 22 and April 29, 2025, to collectively highlight the disruption and attacks the administration has made on our food system and farmers. During the Week of Action, organizations coordinated efforts […]
Comment: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee Budget Reconciliation Approval
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee Budget Reconciliation Approval Washington, DC, May 15, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the following statement attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the House Agriculture Committee’s 29-25 […]
Healing Land and Legacy Through Urban Agriculture
Ask someone to imagine a “farm” and they will probably conjure a barn, a silo, rolling hills of crops, and pasture. That is, they will imagine rural areas. But one of the fastest growing – and underutilized – forms of agriculture is happening in America’s cities and suburbs, neighborhoods surrounded by industry, infrastructure, and millions […]
Release: Budget Bill Steamrolls Farm Bill Future, Slashing Billions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Budget Bill Steamrolls Farm Bill Future, Slashing Billions Washington, DC, May 13, 2025 – Yesterday evening, the House Agriculture Committee released its budget reconciliation bill text. Although a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score was not yet available, summary materials provided by […]
When USDA Cuts Staff, Farmers Pay the Price: Lessons from the ERS and NIFA Relocations
In a move reminiscent of past disruptions but at a much larger scale, the Trump administration is implementing widespread staffing cuts across federal agencies. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is facing a significant reduction, expecting approximately 30,000 USDA positions to be eliminated. About 16,000 employees have already accepted deferred resignation offers. This downsizing […]
Farmers Need Climate Research to Thrive
Since its establishment in the 2008 Farm Bill, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has advanced research that helps American farmers and ranchers stay at the cutting edge of innovation and adapt to challenges such as natural disasters. Farmers and ranchers depend upon NIFA-supported research that invests in developing resilient crops, innovative soil […]
Release: On the Eve of House Agriculture Committee Markup, Farmer-Serving Organizations Urge Congress to Stand for a New, Full Farm Bill over Budget Reconciliation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: On the Eve of House Agriculture Committee Markup, Farmer-Serving Organizations Urge Congress to Stand for a New, Full Farm Bill over Budget Reconciliation Washington, DC, May 8, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) joined 160 farmer-serving organizations from across […]
Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities Washington, DC, May 2, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a statement in response to the Trump Administration’s release of its “skinny” budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 discretionary […]
USDA Programs Freeze: What We Know
Last Updated: April 29, 2025 For more than three months, billions of dollars of lawfully obligated USDA funding have been frozen or terminated. While the agency has still not made public the full scope of what remains frozen or targeted for termination, the harms to communities, farmers, and organizations are already clear. This blog post […]
Release: The Strengthening Local Processing Act Addresses Critical Livestock and Poultry Supply Chain Issues, Bolstering Resilient Food Systems
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: The Strengthening Local Processing Act Addresses Critical Livestock and Poultry Supply Chain Issues, Bolstering Resilient Food Systems National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the Senate introduction of this bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive bill to support small processing plants Washington, DC, April 30, […]
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Analysis: New Enrollments Reveal Path Forward
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP), a novel insurance product that offers farmers nationwide the option to insure the revenue of their entire operation, including crop, livestock, and nursery production, under a single policy. WFRP also rewards adoption of business practices that reduce risk with its premium discount for crop […]
Release: Agriculture Resilience Act Advances Bold, Farmer-Driven Vision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Agriculture Resilience Act Advances Bold, Farmer-Driven Vision National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Proudly Endorses Critical Climate and Agriculture Bill Washington, DC, April 22, 2025 – Today, on Earth Day, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Agriculture Resilience […]
Release: NSAC Responds to USDA Announcement on Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program
For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Email: press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: NSAC Responds to USDA Announcement on Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program Widespread Farmer Support Informs USDA Decision to Rebrand Program and Restart Payments, but Overhaul Nonetheless Disregards Lawful Agreements with Farmer-Serving Organizations Washington, DC, April 14, 2025 – Today, the […]
Newly Updated Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program Available
NSAC has published an updated 2025 Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The guide provides an in-depth look at the program and is designed to help farmers, ranchers, and foresters prepare and apply for this comprehensive conservation program that is authorized by the federal farm bill and administered by the US Department of […]