NSAC Archives for the 'Renewable Energy / Climate Change' Category
USDA Solicits Stakeholder Input on Agricultural Research
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Last week, over 150 people attended a stakeholder listening session to provide feedback on ways to improve the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – USDA’s largest competitive grants program that funds agricultural research, education, and extension projects. The session was hosted in Washington, D.C. at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) – Read the Rest…
USDA Announces Two New Conservation Initiatives
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
USDA recently announced two new initiatives, the Highly Erodible Cropland Initiative within the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the expanded On-Farm Energy Audits Initiative within the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The Highly Erodible Cropland Initiative, which USDA Secretary Vilsack announced Tuesday, will enable producers to plant wildlife-friendly, long-term cover on cropland with an erodibility Read the Rest…
Obama’s FY 2013 USDA Budget Request
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
On Monday, February 13, President Obama submitted his budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. For sustainable agriculture interests, the budget proposal is a mixed bag, with big cuts to working lands conservation programs, and both cuts and increases to discretionary spending accounts for sustainable agriculture programs. As far as the upcoming 2012 Read the Rest…
USDA Taking Applications for Rural and Farm Energy Funding
Friday, January 20th, 2012
On January 20, USDA announced that it is taking applications for Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding. For FY2012, USDA has $25.4 million in budget authority for REAP, which will support at least $12.5 million in grant funding and approximately $48.5 million in loan guarantees. USDA is taking applications for all components of the Read the Rest…
Changing Landscape for Biofuels in 2012
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
A number of actions at the end of 2011 and early 2012 may result in a changed landscape for biofuels in 2012. EPA Sets Renewable Fuel Standards for 2012 On January 9, EPA issued a final rule with standards for the Renewable Fuel Standards Program (RFS2) in 2012. A link to the final rule, a Read the Rest…
USDA Wraps Up FY2011 Rural Energy for America Program Grants and Loans
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
USDA has announced the final FY2011 loan and grant awards for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The program funds renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses. REAP grants can fund up to 25-percent of a project’s costs, up to $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for Read the Rest…
Food and Farm Bill Alive in 2012!
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Dear Supporters, We previously reported to you that a 2011 Food and Farm Bill appeared imminent. Days before Thanksgiving the Congressional “Super Committee” failed to reach agreement on $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. With that, the 2011 Farm Bill proposal intended for inclusion in the Super Committee’s deficit reduction bill is thus no more. The Read the Rest…
New USDA Guide Highlights Ecosystem Credit Trading Opportunities and Challenges
Monday, December 5th, 2011
by Jeanne Merrill We welcome this guest blog post from Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director, California Climate and Agriculture Network, an NSAC member organization. The USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service recently released a new guide, The Natural Resources Credit Trading Reference. The reference is intended for NRCS staff, policymakers, and others interested in the potential of Read the Rest…
Ranking Dates for EQIP Conservation Initiatives Announced
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
USDA has announced the 2012 ranking dates for four major conservation initiatives administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The four initiatives are the On-Farm Energy Initiative, the Organic Initiative, the Seasonal High Tunnel Pilot Initiative, and the Air Quality Initiative. NRCS will have three ranking periods in 2012 Read the Rest…
The Farm Bill is Dead! Long Live the Farm Bill! – Part Two
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
In part one of this post, we discuss what might be next for the ongoing congressional budget debate and in turn for the new farm bill. In part two we turn to details about what was in the short-lived and now dead 2011 Farm Bill deal. What We Know About the Farm Bill that Did Read the Rest…
