On Friday, October 1, USDA announced the release of a new study evaluating the health and productivity of non-federal rangelands in the western United States, which make up 21% of the total area of the lower 48 states. Findings indicate that less than 25 percent of non-federal rangelands have significant land degradation, but that non-native […]
Research, Education & Extension
Congress Extends FY2010 Spending Levels through December 3
Just before midnight this morning, Congress passed a continuing resolution to extend this year’s federal spending levels into fiscal year 2011. The Senate approved the continuing resolution yesterday evening before sending it to the House for a final vote. The House sent the bill to the President early this morning. The continuing resolution will fund […]
NSAC Delivers AFRI Recommendations to USDA
At its annual summer meeting, the member organizations of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition adopted a set of eight recommendations in support of USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Those recommendations were forwarded to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and his agricultural research leadership team today. NSAC has been a key supporter of AFRI and of […]
Sustainable Ag Symposium a Success
On Thursday, September 16, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Farm Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, and USDA sponsored an all-day symposium on the recently published National Research Council report Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. The event, held at the National Press Club, was attended by 125 people, including […]
Senate Confirms Hagen and Woteki at USDA
On Thursday, September 16th, Senate voted to confirm Elisabeth Hagen as USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety and Catherine Woteki as USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. The appointments are encouraging, not least because the position of Under Secretary for Food Safety has remained unfilled for over a year. Hagen was appointed back […]
Senate Ag Committee Holds Organic Hearing
On Wednesday, September 15th, the Senate Agriculture Committee gathered for an oversight hearing entitled “The National Organic Law at 20: Sowing Seeds for a Bright Future.” The hearing in part commemorated the 20-year anniversary of the passage of the Organic Food Production Act (OFPA), which standardized organic certification and labeling regulations across the country. Before the […]
Revised Senate Food Safety Bill Includes Important Amendments
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a copy of the “manager’s amendment” to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) which is, in essence, the bill as reported out of the HELP Committee late last year as modified by a long and arduous set of negotiations that have taken place […]
Revised Chart on FY 2011 Ag Appropriations
With both the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee and the full Senate Appropriations Committee now having taken action on their Fiscal Year 2011 agricultural spending bills, NSAC is posting a revised version of its annual agriculture appropriations chart to our website. The chart provides detailed funding level decisions on a program-by-program basis for about 40 USDA […]
Senate Committee Adopts Ag Spending Bill
On Thursday, July 15, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2011 Agricultural Appropriations bill by voice vote. The action on the agriculture bill came after a lengthy partisan debate over the overall discretionary spending levels for the entire government for FY 2011, which concluded with the adoption of Chairman Inouye’s proposed spending allocations. […]
June ERS Reports: Opportunities & Constraints to Local and Alternative Production Systems
This June the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) published reports identifying the opportunities and constraints facing both local food supply chains and grass-fed livestock production systems. In response to the exploding demand for local foods the ERS published, “Comparing the Size, Structure and Performance of Local and Mainstream Food Supply Chains.” The report looks at […]
Farmers Fly to Washington D.C. to Have Their Voices Heard
On June 23rd, 11 farmers from around the country flew to Washington D.C. to have their voices heard. NSAC hosted the Budget and Appropriations “Fly-In” at a critical juncture as the USDA prepares it’s budget proposals for the Fiscal Year 2012 and Congress starts work to finalize 2011 agricultural appropriations. The farmers and NSAC staff […]
USDA Seeks Nominations for Research Advisory Board
Today USDA announced that it is seeking nominations for its research advisory board, the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB). The 25-member Advisory Board provides recommendations to the Secretary on food and agriculture research, extension, education, and economics. The Board also consults directly with congressional agriculture committees and agricultural appropriations […]
NSAC Delivers Research Comments; Opportunity to Comment Still Open
On Wednesday, June 2, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) held a stakeholder listening session on its largest competitive research grants program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). NSAC’s Policy Director Ferd Hoefner and member organizations, the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Market Forces, delivered oral remarks. Significantly overhauled, the AFRI […]
USDA releases comprehensive Local Food Systems Report
This week, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a comprehensive report on Local Food Systems drawing together findings from the existing academic literature and ERS analysis. The report is divided into five main sections: local food definitions characteristics of local food suppliers demand for local food from consumers and institutions government programs and policies affecting […]
GE Crop Roundup for April 2010
April was an eventful month for genetically engineered (GE) crops, with release of a National Research Council report and litigation developments, plus a news story on the concern of scientists about Roundup Ready crops, whose use has resulted in the application of massive volumes of glyphosate herbicide to the nation’s farmland. On April 13, Reuter […]
Opportunity to Give Input on AFRI RFA
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is accepting public comments on its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to help guide the development of the 2011 Requests for Applications (RFAs). NIFA will also host a public meeting on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at One Washington Circle […]
USDA Seeking Public Input on Animal Disease Traceability
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the first three of a series of public meetings where stakeholders can offer input on the framework for a new APHIS rule on animal disease traceability. May 11, 2010: Kansas City, MO — Holiday Inn Kansas City SE—Waterpark, 9103 East 39th Street May 13, 2010: […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Organic Research within AFRI
This is the fourth in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Check out the third post about Climate Change and Conventional Breeding. Over the course […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Conventional Breeding and Climate Adaptation
This is the third in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Check out the second post about Integrated Projects on Local and Regional Food Systems. […]
New SARE Handbook on Multifarm CSAs
This Monday, April 5, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) released a handbook on cooperative marketing for community supported agriculture farms (CSAs). The 130-page manual gives concrete details on strategies for forming and maintaining a multifarm CSA, including advice on staffing, volunteer boards, distribution, and legal topics. Local Harvest: A Multifarm CSA Handbook […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Integrated projects on Sustainable Food Systems
This is the second in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Check out the first post about Small and Medium-Sized Farms and Rural Community Prosperity. […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Small and Medium Farms and Rural Communities
This is the first in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).Look out over the course of this week for more information on other opportunities in […]
Senators Support Continued Innovation in Agriculture
Eighteen Senators have signed-on to a bipartisan letter spearheaded by Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Specter (D-PA) in support of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program – USDA’s premier competitive research, education, and extension grants program advancing the development of sustainable agricultural systems. The letter was submitted to the Chair and Ranking Member of […]
USDA Releases Request for Applications for AFRI Competitive Grants
This week, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (formerly, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) released the long-anticipated 2010 Request for Applications (RFAs) for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Significantly overhauled and with more funding to award than ever, the AFRI RFAs define a substantive portion of USDA’s research agenda, […]