NSAC Archives for June, 2010
House Markups Ag Spending Bill
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
On Wednesday, June 30, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up and approved the annual spending bill for USDA and FDA for FY 2011. The bill was adopted after a series of ten Republican amendments were defeated on party line votes. The bill as a whole came in at $23.1 billion, about $200 million less Read the Rest…
USDA/Department of Justice Hear from Dairy Farmers
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
On June 25, USDA and the Department of Justice held the third in a series of workshops to hear about the impacts of market concentration and consolidation on farmers and ranchers around the country. The third workshop, held in Madison WI, focused on dairy farmers. In addition to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Assistant Read the Rest…
FDA Calls for Comments on Antibiotics Use Guidance
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
On Monday June 28th, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a draft guidance entitled “The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals,” calling for public comment during the next 60 days. The use of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, whether in people or animals, hastens the development of resistant microbes, including bacteria. Read the Rest…
Rural Coop Development Grants Available
Friday, June 25th, 2010
On Friday, June 25, USDA announced the availability of almost $8 million in competitive grant funds through the Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program (RCDG). The RCDG program is designed to improve the economic conditions in rural areas by funding the establishment or operation of Coop Development Centers that can help start up, expand or improve Read the Rest…
June ERS Reports: Opportunities & Constraints to Local and Alternative Production Systems
Friday, June 25th, 2010
This June the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) published reports identifying the opportunities and constraints facing both local food supply chains and grass-fed livestock production systems. In response to the exploding demand for local foods the ERS published, “Comparing the Size, Structure and Performance of Local and Mainstream Food Supply Chains.” The report looks at Read the Rest…
Farmers Fly to Washington D.C. to Have Their Voices Heard
Friday, June 25th, 2010
On June 23rd, 11 farmers from around the country flew to Washington D.C. to have their voices heard. NSAC hosted the Budget and Appropriations “Fly-In” at a critical juncture as the USDA prepares it’s budget proposals for the Fiscal Year 2012 and Congress starts work to finalize 2011 agricultural appropriations. The farmers and NSAC staff Read the Rest…
Food Safety Talks: An Interview with NSAC’s Ferd Hoefner
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
By Patty Cantrell, Senior Policy Specialist at Michigan Land Institute, a consultant for the National Good Food Food Network & Co-Chair of NSAC’s Marketing, Food Systems and Rural Development Issue Committee As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on new food safety regulations, the National Good Food Network (NGFN) has posted a series of interviews Read the Rest…
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in GE Alfalfa Case
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
On Monday, June 20, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farm. The ruling involved a challenge by the USDA and Monsanto to a federal court decision to impose a permanent and nationwide injunction on the commercial planting of “Roundup Ready” alfalfa, genetically engineered to resist the herbicide glyphosate Read the Rest…
USDA Issues Assessment of Conservation Practices in Upper Mississippi River
Friday, June 18th, 2010
On Wednesday, June 16, USDA announced the release of the report Assessment of the Effects of Conservation Practices on Cultivated Cropland in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The report is a comprehensive look at the effects of NRCS conservation practices on about 190,000 square miles, including the large portions of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin Read the Rest…
USDA Moves to Restore Competitive Markets and Contract Fairness in Livestock and Poultry Markets
Friday, June 18th, 2010
Washington, D.C. June 18, 2010 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture released new rules today that propose a host of reforms necessary to help restore competitive markets and contract fairness to livestock and poultry markets. The new rules directed by the 2008 Farm Bill, promise to outlaw preferential pricing, expand producer rights to sue over Read the Rest…
