In addition to announcing awardees for the Community Food Projects Grant Program (CFP) on October 13, the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) posted on its CFP webpage the latest Request for Application for fiscal year 2016. NIFA anticipates awarding approximately $8.64 million in grants through CFP. The deadline for applications is 5:00pm EST on Monday, […]
Nutrition & Food Access
$9 Million Awarded to Increase Community Food Security
On Tuesday, October 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $8.6 million through the Community Food Projects (CFP) competitive grant program to organizations dedicated to increasing food security in underserved communities through local solutions that also build up local food systems. The Community Food Projects program seeks to address food insecurity by supporting nonprofits, tribal organizations, […]
Guest Post: Touring Sustainable WA Farms with Representative Newhouse’s Staff and Tilth Producers
We’re pleased to share this piece from NSAC member organization Tilth Producers of Washington, written by Ariana Taylor-Stanley. It was originally published on Tilth Producers of Washington’s blog and has been reposted with permission. Congress on the Farm While Congress was on August recess, Tilth Producers hosted Kyle Kunkler, DC Agriculture Staffer for Congressman Dan Newhouse, for […]
Grants Available to Incentivize SNAP Produce Purchases
USDA recently announced the availability of $16.8 million through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives Grant program…… Read More →
New Initiative to Fight Rural Child Poverty
As a follow-up to recent announcements by the White House on efforts to combat rural child poverty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced the selection of ten communities for the Rural Integration Models for Parents and Children to Thrive (Rural IMPACT) Demonstration project. […]
Child Nutrition Act Markup Postponed – Time for Renewed Action!
The highly anticipated Senate markup for the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR) that was scheduled for Thursday, September 17th, has been postponed. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), announced the postponement yesterday, September 14, 2015, noting in a statement that he is “continuing negotiations with ranking member [Debbie] Stabenow [D-MI] to get a bipartisan, […]
New Report Highlights Successes of Farm to School Grantmaking
On Friday, September 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the release of a new report on the USDA Farm to School Grant Program, highlighting the successes of the program over its three year history. Authored by the USDA Farm to School Team, with assistance from PEER Associates and the Center for Rural Studies […]
Congress Returns to Full Plate and Looming Deadlines
Congress returned to Washington, D.C. this week to face a full fall agenda after more than one month away. The docket for the next three months includes: A long-term bill to fund infrastructure repairs and updates on bridges, highways, and transit; An extension of funding authority for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); An extension of […]
National School Food Survey Reveals Strong Support for Farm to School
A new national survey that was released Tuesday, August 18, commissioned by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), shows strong support for the current U.S. school nutrition standards as well as farm to school. The 2015 School Food Poll was a follow up to a similar survey administered by WKKF in 2010 to find out if American […]
Congress Leaves for Summer Recess with Big Plate Pending for Fall
Members of Congress are heading out of town this week and next for their month-long August recess, and have left many loose ends, with more to follow when they return after Labor Day. The House began their recess mid-week, while the Senate may continue their work into early next week before leaving for recess. There […]
House Committee Passes USDA-FDA Funding Bill, Rejects Reform Amendments
On Wednesday, July 8, the House Appropriations Committee passed the 2016 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which funds most of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can visit our previous post for a full breakdown of the bill as it stood before debate by the full […]
DC School Demonstrates Farm to School Success With the Help of Farm to School Grant
For many schools with summer sessions, June means farm to school activities running in high gear. At Walker Jones Education Campus in the nation’s capital, summer brings students outside and onto the farm (“K Street Farm”) for lessons in agriculture, food, and nutrition while allowing them to enjoy an abundance of local food through its […]
House Hearing Unexpectedly Highlights Farm to School
With Congress just days away from a week-long recess coinciding with Independence Day, the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on Wednesday, June 24th entitled Child Nutrition Assistance: Looking at the Cost of Compliance for States and Schools. The hearing is one of several that […]
Farm to School Benefits Make Another Appearance at House Hearing
Joint blog post from the National Farm to School Network and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition On Tuesday, June 16th, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing in preparation for the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was the sole witness for this hearing entitled “Child Nutrition Assistance: Are Federal Rules and Regulations Serving the Best […]
New Grant Funding to Help Farmers Markets Accept SNAP Benefits
On Tuesday, May 5th, Kevin Concannon, USDA Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNS), announced the availability of $3.3 million in funding for Farmers Market SNAP Support Grants. The program aims to support the ability of farmers markets to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as a form of payment. “We have seen […]
The Farmer Perspective: Championing the Farm to School Act of 2015
“Farm to school is great for a community because it builds social capital around health and wellness and makes the connection between the farming community and local schools.” —Jason Grimm, Farmer, Iowa Valley Food Co-op (North English, IA) When most people think of the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR), they think of children. However, federal […]
House Committee Hearing Highlights Farm to School
Guest blog post by the National Farm to School Network. The House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday April 15 to discuss the importance of federal child nutrition programs as the Committee begins an effort to reauthorize these programs within the upcoming Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR). The current bill expires at […]
$31 Million Awarded for Programs Assisting Fruit and Vegetable Purchases by SNAP Participants
Today in Orlando, Florida, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced $31.5 million in funding for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program. FINI grants are awarded to organizations to advance incentive programs to improve the nutrition and health status of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households. Authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, FINI is a joint effort […]
Farm to School Resources Released Along with Plea to Participate in Farm to School Census
Farm to School programs not only help instill healthy eating habits and agricultural literacy in the next generation, but also support the local farming economy. Whether incorporating food products from local and regional farmers into school meals, providing lessons about agriculture and nutrition, or building school gardens full of vegetables, farm to school programs exist […]
Local Food and Farm to School Funding Available
USDA announced $96.8 million for four programs supporting specialty crop producers, local food entrepreneurs, and farm to school efforts…. Read More →
The Farm Bill Reloaded
The House Budget Committee is expected to markup the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution on Wednesday March 18. The Senate Budget Committee is expected to follow suit the next day…. Read More →
Budget Time on Capitol Hill – Farm Bill to be Re-Opened?
Two recent events on Capitol Hill are colliding in a potentially significant way. First, on March 9, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) – the scorekeeper for federal legislators on budgetary matters – issued its budget “baseline” that will be used in decision-making on legislative proposals for the balance of this year, including the annual congressional budget resolution process that is about to begin…. Read More →
Sustainability and Diet – A Linkage Whose Time Has Come
This guest post is by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) policy intern for the spring term, Katie Merritt. Katie is currently a graduate student in Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University and holds a BA from the University of Colorado in Psychology and Neuroscience, Integrative Physiology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. We […]
Good News for Farmers and Kids: Farm to School Bill Introduced
Congress will consider the Farm to School Act as part of the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act…. Read More →