This post is the second in a two-part series highlighting farmers recognized as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. This post features Martin Kleinschmit of Nebraska. On October 26, the White House honored 12 farmers and educators as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. We congratulate all of these hardworking individuals for […]
Sustainable Livestock
White House Honors Champion of Change for Sustainable Agriculture: Loretta Jaus
This post is the first in a two-part series highlighting farmers recognized as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. This post features Loretta Jaus of Gibbon, Minnesota. On October 26, the White House honored 12 farmers and educators as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. We congratulate all of these hardworking individuals […]
Congresswomen Hold Briefing to Raise Awareness about Anti-Competitive GIPSA Rider
On Wednesday, June 3, Congresswomen Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) held a briefing for congressional staff and press to raise the awareness about the “GIPSA rider” in advance of likely House Agriculture Appropriations Committee action to advance the rider. The GIPSA rider has blocked USDA from finalizing rules of the road for the […]
FDA Rule on Food Animal Antibiotic Use Data Now Open for Comment
On May 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule that will enable more detailed data collection on antibiotic use in livestock production in the United States. This rule would require drug companies to obtain and report estimates of sales by major food producing species – namely cattle, chickens, turkeys, and pigs. The additional […]
Plant Breeding and Food Security Research Funding Available
On Monday, February 1, USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Food Security Challenge Area. The AFRI Food Security Program provides grants for research, education, and extension projects, with the long-term goal to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and the availability and accessibility […]
Enterprise Diversity and Farm Income
The recent news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that farm incomes are down — and expected to recede even more after several years of high incomes linked to historically high crop price — shines a light on something that NSAC has been talking about for many years. NSAC has long advocated for federal […]
Program Roundup – SARE Funding Available for On-Farm Research Projects
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program or SARE is a farmer driven research and education competitive grants program designed to help advance sustainable agriculture across the whole of American agriculture. North Central, Northeastern, Western, and Southern regional councils — comprised of producers, researchers, educators, and government representatives — individually set SARE policies and make […]
Farm Aid 2014: Making Policy Connections on North Carolina Farms
Decisions that legislators make in Washington, DC have real impacts on the ground in communities and on farms around the country. On Friday, September 12, 2014, several NSAC staff members toured several farms in and around Raleigh, North Carolina hosted by Farm Aid (an NSAC member) ahead of their 2014 Farm Aid Benefit Concert. The […]
USDA Climate Report Misses Sustainable Systems
On Thursday, July 31, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report, Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture and Forestry: Methods for Entity-Scale Inventory, which provides scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities. The report is designed to aid […]
USDA Webinar on the Grass Fed Program for Small Livestock Operations
On Tuesday, August 5, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a webinar about the previously announced Grass-Fed Program for Small and Very Small (SVS) Producers. The webinar will be held from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern Time. During the webinar AMS will provide an overview of the USDA […]
Livestock Industry Examined by House Agriculture Committee
On April 30, the Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to discuss challenges facing the livestock industry. The most common topics cited were feed costs, drought, animal disease, trade, and the regulatory requirements that impact this sector of the agricultural economy. Panel 1 – Questions for USDA The […]
New Grass-Fed Beef Option for Small Farms
On April 29, USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) announced the establishment of a new certification option for small grass-fed beef producers. The Grass-Fed Program for Small and Very Small (SVS) Producers is a new offshoot of the Grass-Fed Marketing Claim Standard available under the USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). The new option allows small operations […]