NSAC Archives for February, 2010
Sustainable Biofuels Alert
Friday, February 26th, 2010
ACTION ALERT Help Make the Next Generation of Biofuels Sustainable! COMMENTS TO USDA’S FARM SERVICE AGENCY ON THE NEW BIOMASS CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ARE DUE APRIL 9, 2010 The 2008 Farm Bill included a new program to provide incentives to farmers and foresters for the production of energy efficient and resource conserving bioenergy crops. Congress Read the Rest…
Ranking the Sustainability of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Results from a recent survey conducted by Tufts University, in cooperation with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, demonstrate that a majority of the conservation practices funded by the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are ranked as advancing sustainability, while several rank as not advancing sustainability. The survey results and accompanying article are published in the Read the Rest…
Opportunity for Farmers to Speak About Justice to Power
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
The U.S. Department of Justice and USDA have announced the agenda for the first in a series of 5 workshops intended to give these agencies and the public in-depth information about the increasing concentration and decreasing competition in the agricultural sector. The workshop will be held March 12 in Ankeny, Iowa. Attendance at all the Read the Rest…
House Ag Appropriation Hearings kick off with questions for Vilsack
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Yesterday’s hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture kicked off the annual ag appropriations cycle with a round of questions for Secretary Vilsack on the USDA’s budget proposals for 2011. Members covered a wide swath of issues, and specifically addressed a number of programs of interest to NSAC members, including the Biomass Crop Assistance Read the Rest…
Delayed, not diminished: Vilsack on Child Nutrition priorities, including Farm to School
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
After being postponed for two weeks by the blizzard that shut down the capitol, USDA Secretary Vilsack outlined the Administration’s priorities for the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization yesterday at a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Child Nutrition Act includes authorization for the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, summer food, Read the Rest…
Policy Considerations in Revitalizing Local and Regional Food Systems
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Last week, Ferd Hoefner, NSAC’s Policy Director, addressed an audience at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum 2010 with an assessment of the policy opportunities and barriers to strengthening local and regional food systems. The USDA’s increasing focus on connecting farmers with local and regional markets for their products is evident in cross-cutting initiatives like Know Read the Rest…
Position Announcement: NSAC Executive Director
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
NSAC seeks a new Executive Director to provide leadership to the coalition and coordinate activities in the Washington DC office and among member groups. The Executive Director promotes the mission of NSAC through a wide variety of public engagements, by overseeing efficient and responsible use of organizational resources and the implementation of the coalition’s priorities Read the Rest…
Want to support sustainable ag? Serve as a federal grant reviewer.
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
NSAC advocates for federal grant programs that provide resources for farmers, researchers, and grassroots organizations to get things done on the ground. But once a program is established, money is secure, and applications are in, there’s still at least one more step before policy can translate to action. Someone has to decide which projects to Read the Rest…
$320 Million to Improve Health of Mississippi River Basin
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
In November of last year Secretary Vilsack announced a commitment of $320 million over the next four years for a Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watershed Initiative (MRBI) to address water quality, wildlife habitat and natural resource conservation concerns in the Basin. The Agency’s focus will bring badly needed resources to bear on the very serious water quality problems in the Basin. Read the Rest…
Pigford: One step closer to closure?
Friday, February 19th, 2010
On Thursday USDA and the Justice Department announced a $1.25 billion settlement agreement in a class action brought by African American farmers on outstanding discrimination claims, which were not covered by the 1999 consent agreement in the case Pigford v. Glickman (Pigford I). Under the Pigford I consent agreement, USDA paid 16,000 farmers about $1 Read the Rest…
