USDA today released the notice of funding availability (NOFA) for 2013 for the Rural Energy for America (REAP) program. The NOFA appears in the March 29 edition of the Federal Register. REAP provides financial assistance, both grants and loans, to farmers and rural small businesses for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. REAP grant or […]
Archives for March 2013
Making Healthy Eating Affordable
A USDA study contends that healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are often no more expensive than less-nutritious foods such as processed foods. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to a crowd from the aisles of a Hy-Vee Grocery Store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota this week to highlight the efforts the Agency has undertaken to […]
Nutrient Pollution Still Harms Our Nation’s Rivers and Streams
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for comment a draft report entitled National Rivers and Streams Assessment 2008-2009 (Draft NRSA). Comments on the Draft NRSA are due May 9, 2013. For more information on submitting comments, you can download the Federal Register notice for the comment period. The major findings of the Draft […]
Is There a Mega Budget Deal Coming?
At the end of December, Congress extended the current farm bill, but without renewed funding for beginning, minority, organic, specialty crop, and local food farmers; renewable energy; economic development; and disaster assistance. They also punted automatic across-the-board budget cuts until March 1. Then, at the end of January, Congress punted debate over the debt ceiling […]
Ten-Year Budget Plans Move Forward
On Thursday, March 21, the House voted 221-207 to pass its FY 2014 budget resolution, which provides a spending blueprint for the next ten years. The vote saw 10 Republicans join all of the Democrats in opposition. The Senate is currently debating its own FY 2014 budget resolution and voting on lots of amendments. The […]
Final 2013 Funding Bill Clears Congress
On Thursday, March 21, the House of Representatives voted 318-109 to adopt the Senate-passed continuing appropriations resolution, which will fund federal programs through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2013. The House did not make any changes to the bill, as amended and passed by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 73-26. Conservation Stewardship […]
For Immediate Release: Conservation Stewardship Program Back on Track With Passage of Government Funding Bill
For Immediate Release: Conservation Stewardship Program Back on Track With Passage of Government Funding Bill Washington, D.C. March 21, 2013 – A bill to fund the federal government for the remaining six months of fiscal year 2013 is now awaiting the President’s signature. The House of Representatives passed the government funding bill on Thursday morning […]
Comment on FDA Plan for Human Drugs Used in Food Animal Production
For many years, the Keep Antibiotics Working Campaign — a coalition of health, consumer, agricultural, environmental, humane, and other advocacy groups — has worked to eliminate the inappropriate use of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, in food animals. This use has been flagged as a major cause of resistance in numerous pathogens to antibiotics that are important […]
For Immediate Release: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition comment on Merrigan Resignation
For Immediate Release March 15, 2013 Contact: Susan Prolman 202-547-5754, sprolman@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition comment on Merrigan Resignation Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has finished four very solid years as second in command at the US Department of Agriculture. Over the years, she has built an impressive record of accomplishment, particularly with respect to the […]
Deputy Secretary Merrigan Resigns
In a statement released yesterday, USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan announced her resignation. She will be leaving USDA in May. In her statement, Deputy Secretary Merrigan said, “It has been an ambitious first term. From implementing the 2008 farm bill, improving school meals, expanding opportunities for American farmers, spending countless hours in the White House situation […]
Budget Blueprints Outline Radically Different Paths for New Farm Bill
This week, both the House Budget Committee and the Senate Budget Committee released their respective budget resolutions for fiscal year (FY) 2014. A budget resolution is a non-binding document that outlines a framework for budgeting decisions in the next fiscal year. Normally, the House and the Senate consider budget resolutions after the President has submitted […]
Agribusiness doesn’t speak for me.
Dear Supporter, The meat industry has worked tirelessly to drive independent producers out of business. Agribusiness giants like Monsanto want to overstep judicial processes and plant genetically engineered crops even if a court has ruled that the crops were approved illegally. And guess what? Some members of the Senate are on their side. The Senate’s […]
House and Senate Debate 2013 Farm Funding Levels
Late on Monday, March 11, the Senate released appropriations legislation to keep the government running through the remainder of fiscal year 2013. Recall that the House passed its own FY 2013 legislation last week. Overview The Senate bill provides a total of $20.532 billion in discretionary agriculture spending, inclusive of a 2.513 percent “across-the-board” cut. […]
Congress Prepares for Budget Battle as Deadlines Loom
This week and next, the House and Senate move closer to finalizing a funding bill for the remainder of FY 2013. At the same time, both chambers prepare to mark up their respective FY 2014 budget resolutions before an April 15 deadline. Sequestration officially went into effect on March 1, and the current government-funding bill […]
Farmers Travel to DC to Speak Out on Sustainable Agriculture Programs
On March 4 and 5, 60 independent family farmers, ranchers, and sustainable agriculture advocates from 24 states met with more than 105 legislative offices in Washington DC. Participants urged Congress to restore funding for critical sustainable agriculture programs and pass a farm bill that advances the sustainability of agriculture, rural communities, food systems, and natural […]
Our best chance.
Dear Supporter, Unless the Senate acts to fix the situation next week, 2013 is on track to be the worst setback for sustainable agriculture in years. Opportunities for farmers to implement smart conservation practices will be severely limited. Training opportunities for the next generation of beginning and minority farmers will dry up. Microloans to the […]
Farmers Speak Out On 2013 Farm Bill and Stranded Sustainable Agriculture Programs
For Immediate Release March 5, 2013 Contact: Sarah Hackney 863-244-1529, shackney@sustainableagriculture.net Photographs available; full list of participating farmers and ranchers available upon request Farmers Speak Out On 2013 Farm Bill and Stranded Sustainable Agriculture Programs Washington, DC – This week over 60 independent family farmers and ranchers from 24 states met with their legislators in […]
House Chair Introduces Food and Farm Funding Bill for Rest of 2013
On Monday, March 4, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) introduced legislation to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year (FY). The bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), would replace existing funding legislation, which expires on March 27. Discretionary Spending As expected, the Chairman’s bill includes sequestration cuts, which would reduce […]
Sequester and Beyond – What it Means for Food and Agriculture
Yesterday, the Senate voted 51-49 on the Mikulski-Murray-Reid bill to replace the across-the-board automatic budget cuts (sequestration) of $85 billion for the current year, and reduce the deficit by $110 billion. The measure failed because under Senate filibuster rules, a simple majority is not sufficient and a 60-vote super majority is needed to pass most […]
USDA Makes Progress on Improving Crop Insurance for Organic Farmers
USDA’s Risk Management Agency this week announced the removal, starting in 2014, of the five percent premium surcharge assessed against all organic farmers seeking federal crop insurance. This penalty against organic farming has been an issue NSAC has campaigned against for nearly a decade and we are delighted to finally report significant progress. The change […]
Farm Bills from Last Year Save Less Money Now
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the official scorekeeper for the funding implications of all legislation, today released a new projection of what the Senate-passed and House Agriculture Committee-passed farm bills from 2012 would cost if they were to be enacted, without changes, in 2013. According to CBO, the Senate farm bill from last year, if […]
Changes Give Minority and Women Farmers More Input on Farm Programs
USDA recently finalized federal regulations that allow the Secretary of Agriculture greater authority in ensuring fair representation and participation of minority, tribal and women farmers on local Farm Service Agency (FSA) committees. FSA is the credit lending arm of USDA, and also has responsibility for administering and delivering other services to producers, such as issuing […]