Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs
May 30, 2018
This week, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the availability of nearly $9 million to support risk management farmer education grants. Funded projects will be awarded through two distinct but related RMA grant programs: the Risk Management Education Partnership Program (RMEP) and the Crop Insurance in Targeted States (TS) program. Additional details on each funding […]
May 25, 2018
Each year, Congress passes far-reaching funding legislation, known as appropriations legislation, to fund federal programs across the government. This includes many of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Thursday May 24, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) […]
May 24, 2018
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part blog series on how the farm bill impacts farmers and rural communities in the U.S. Territories. This series was written and researched by NSAC policy intern Dariana Mattei-Ramos, a native of Puerto Rico and an advocate for food and agriculture justice. Dariana holds a master’s degree […]
May 18, 2018
Before 2013, the modern version of the federal farm bill had never been voted down on the floor the House of Representatives. Today is a historic day, because it marks the second time in history – but also the second time in just five years – that a farm bill has been defeated on the […]
May 18, 2018
This week has been a perfect embodiment of the popular expression, “when it rains, it pours.” Not only has the House – and the sustainable agriculture advocacy community – been busy trying to finalize and pass their version of the 2018 Farm Bill (the bill failed 198-213), they’ve had their hands full with fiscal year […]
May 17, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net House Farm Bill Fails on Every Level Farm and food groups urge Congress to vote no on anti-farmer, anti-family, anti-environment farm bill Washington, DC, May 17, 2018 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) – the nation’s longest-operating and largest sustainable agriculture policy […]
May 3, 2018
Editor’s Note: This is the final post of a 3-part analysis of FSA loan program usage throughout FY 2017. Prior posts focused on lending trends for beginning farmers and overall annual trends. Recognizing that farmers of color and female farmers have historically experienced disproportionate burden and discrimination when seeking access to loan financing, the National […]
April 30, 2018
1. Helps the big get bigger and rich get richer Over the last three decades, American agriculture has become increasingly consolidated. As of 2015, a majority of our food (51 percent) came from farms with over $1 million in annual sales – up 20 percent since 1991. Federal policy has historically contributed to this consolidation […]
April 27, 2018
The central question at last week’s House Small Business Committee hearing was this: Who does the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 7(a) program really help, and does that comport with the program’s stated intent? SBA’s 7(a) program has come under fire recently, following the release of an SBA Inspector General’s (IG) report that found SBA had […]
April 25, 2018
Editor’s Note: This is the second post of a 3-part analysis of FSA loan program usage throughout FY 2017. Stay tuned for our final post on lending trends for women and farmers of color. Access to credit is a make or break issue for farmers, particularly those just starting out. Rarely do beginning farmers have […]
