NSAC Archives for October, 2010
Biomass Crop Assistance Program – Additional Concerns
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Earlier this week NSAC issued a blog on the final rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), a rule that does not do nearly enough to ensure that BCAP will focus on projects for the establishment of perennial bioenergy crops. USDA’s Farm Service Agency also issued this week a record of decision for the Read the Rest…
USDA Announces Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program Awardees
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
On Thursday, October 28, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the 75 awardees of grant and loan funds from USDA’s Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP). Merrigan made the announcement in Lexington, Kentucky, one of 36 states in which projects will receive funding. “This program creates opportunities for small businesses to prosper by giving them access Read the Rest…
USDA Calls for Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Applications
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
On Tuesday, October 26, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) issued a request for applications (RFA) for its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) for the fiscal year 2011. The application period runs through December 22, 2010, with awards expected to be made by or before October 2011. The farm bill provides Read the Rest…
USDA Announces Community Food Project Awards
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Today, October 27, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the recipients of the 2010 Community Food Projects grants, administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The grants are intended to help build community food systems and fight hunger and food insecurity in low-income communities. The $4.8 million in grant awards went to 27 Read the Rest…
NIFA Announces Organic Research and Extension Grants
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Today, October 27, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 30 grants totaling over $22 million to enhance the ability of organic producers and processors grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. In announcing the awards, NIFA Director Roger Beachy noted “More and more farmers are adopting organic agriculture practices to produce Read the Rest…
USDA Risk Management Agency Announces $9.6 Million in Partnership Agreements
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
On Tuesday, October 26, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced its annual Partnership Agreement awards, which are geared primarily toward small and underserved producers. This year, $9.6 million in funds were awarded, including $3.6 million in Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships. According to the USDA press release, these partnerships “can help farmers diversify production and Read the Rest…
Biomass Crop Assistance Program Final Rule Major Disappointment
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
The final rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program is scheduled for official publication in the Federal Register on October 27. The final rule was addressed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack last Thursday as part of a set of bioenergy policies. NSAC submitted comments to USDA on the BCAP proposed rule back in April of Read the Rest…
NRCS Seeking Comments on Draft CEAP Chesapeake Bay Report
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
On Monday, October 25, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that it is seeking comments on a draft of its second Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) report, entitled “Assessment of the Effects of Conservation Practices on Cultivated Cropland in the Chesapeake Bay Region.” The full report is available for download here. Comments should be Read the Rest…
USDA Announces 2010 Specialty Crop Research Grants
Monday, October 25th, 2010
Today, October 25, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the 28 recipients of 2010 Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grants. The SCRI, administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), was established in the 2008 Farm Bill to support the specialty crop industry through research and extension activities. Specialty crops are defined as Read the Rest…
USDA Announces Subsidies for Biofuels
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
On Thursday, October 21, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a series of measures to expand and develop infrastructure and incentives for the production of biofuels, including a rule to implement the Farm Bill’s Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). He also called on Congress to extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax which in the near term Read the Rest…
