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…
Release: NSAC Honors Iowan and Harkin Staff Member Mark Halverson
February 21st, 2014
Release: NSAC Honors Iowan and Harkin Staff Member Mark Halverson February 21, 2014, Washington, DC – Iowan and staff member for Senator Tom Harkin, Mark Halverson, was honored January 29 at the annual meeting of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) for his decades-long leadership in the service of family farming, agricultural conservation, and progressive Read the Rest…
Funding Available for Farm to School
February 20th, 2014
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the release of a request for applications for the third round of USDA’s Farm to School grants, including the addition of a new funding track for training events and conferences. These grants help to improve the health and well being of students through school meals Read the Rest…
Congress Extends Automatic Spending Cuts
February 19th, 2014
Last week, the Senate voted 95-3 to pass a House-passed bill that reverses a $6 billion cut to cost-of-living increases (COLA) in military pensions. The cut was included in last year’s bipartisan budget deal. To pay for the restoration of funds, Congress chose to extend automatic, across-the-board cuts to direct spending (also known as mandatory Read the Rest…
