March 4, 2015
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is sponsoring a national survey on cover crops that is being conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). CTIC and SARE are asking farmers of all stripes to respond to the survey; there is no need to be a current user of cover crops. The survey […]
March 3, 2015
Last week, the House Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations held three hearings to examine the Obama Administration’s budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees also held hearings. The House Committee held two hearings on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while the Senate Committee held a hearing to examine the […]
February 2, 2015
There are some positive signs in the budget request for sustainable food and agriculture priorities, but also some very major disappointments.
January 14, 2015
Secretary Tom Vilsack announces awards for the recently created Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
January 9, 2015
On Tuesday, January 6, the 114th Congress convened for the first time, after the 113th Congress officially adjourned on January 5. The new Congress takes over following the November election, in which Republicans expanded their majority in the House and won control of the Senate. For more information on the election results and what they […]
December 22, 2014
As 2014 comes to a close, we thought we would take a moment to recognize and celebrate this year’s victories for sustainable food and farming. Among the successes? From new or restored farm bill programs that are up and running, important progress on our campaign priorities, hill visits and hearings, and the release of our […]
December 17, 2014
Both the House and Senate have now finished, bringing this Congress to a close. A new Congress — the 114th — begins in January. This post summarizes some end of session activity. Legislation Government Spending Bill — The Senate approved the so-called “cromnibus” appropriations bill on Saturday, December 13 and the bill was signed into […]
December 12, 2014
The House of Representatives approved the government spending bill for 2015 last night by the relatively close final tally of 219-206 after a day of high drama over the deal negotiated by House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and the White House. Earlier in the day, the rule to proceed to the bill initially appeared to be […]
December 11, 2014
Late on December 9, Congress released their final annual appropriations bill to keep the government running for the rest of the fiscal year, and while there is some good news, overall it’s bleak news for sustainable agriculture – complete with drastic cuts to critical conservation programs and anti-farmer policy riders that favor big livestock integrators over actual […]
November 7, 2014
This week’s Republican wave election, combined with congressional retirements and term limits, will shake up the leadership of key congressional committees for food and agriculture. Here is the brief rundown. Senate Agriculture: With the Republican takeover of the Senate, it is highly likely that Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), the current Ranking Member of the Senate […]
