As we do every summer, NSAC coalition members recently gathered for our summer meeting, from August 4-7, in Stowe, Vermont. Located some 25 miles east of Vermont’s largest city, Burlington, and about 40 miles from the US-Canada border, we met at the Trapp Family Lodge (yes, that’s right – owned by the Von Trapp Family, […]
NSAC’S Blog
Cross Post: Impacts of Budget Reconciliation and Colorado Farms: Hurt for Farmers and Farm Communities, and the Need for a New Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Nourish Colorado, an NSAC member. This is part three of a five part series. See part one, Budget Reconciliation: An Unwanted Outcome for Coloradans, and part two, Impacts of Budget Reconciliation and Coloradans’ Health. “Welcome” is an odd word to use to begin this post, given the profoundly and universally negative […]
Release: Bipartisan House Bill Connects Local Farmers to Food Insecure Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Bipartisan House Bill Connects Local Farmers to Food Insecure Communities Washington, DC, July 30, 2025 – On Tuesday, July 29, Representatives Robert Bresnahan (R-PA-8), David Valadao (R-CA-22), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1), Josh Riley (D-NY-19), Tony Wied (R-WI-8), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4), Zachary Nunn […]
Comment: Without Input from Farmers and Experts, USDA Reorganization Would Close Offices and Lead to Staff Reductions
Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: Without Input from Farmers and Experts, USDA Reorganization Would Close Offices and Lead to Staff Reductions Washington, DC, July 24, 2025 – On Thursday, July 24, the US Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, announced a reorganization of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The […]
Release: Bipartisan Senate Bill Boosts Local Farmers and Expands Access to Healthy Food for Families
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Bipartisan Senate Bill Boosts Local Farmers and Expands Access to Healthy Food for Families Washington, DC, July 22, 2025 – On Friday, July 18, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced the Strengthening Local Food Security (SLFS) Act of […]
Release: Strong Farms, Strong Futures Act Introduced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net1 Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Strong Farms, Strong Futures Act Introduced Washington, DC, July 18, 2025 – On Wednesday, Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Zach Nunn (R-IA) introduced the Strong Farms, Strong Futures Act. This bill directs NRCS to establish region and production-specific climate change mitigation […]
What’s Really Inside the Final Budget Reconciliation Bill: A Breakdown of Food and Agriculture Provisions
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB, P.L. 119-21) into law. Spanning nearly 900 pages of legislative text, OBBB relies on draconian cuts to the American social safety net – including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – in order to fund an extension of 2017 […]
Comment: NSAC Responds to Termination of Regional Food Business Centers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: NSAC Responds to Termination of Regional Food Business Centers Washington, DC, July 15, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Hannah Quigley, NSAC Policy Specialist, in response to the termination of cooperative agreements with Regional Food […]
Release: Congress Sends Reconciliation Bill to President’s Desk, Cannibalizing American Food and Farm System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Release: Congress Sends Reconciliation Bill to President’s Desk, Cannibalizing American Food and Farm System Washington, DC, July 3, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, following the House of Representatives’ […]
Comment: NSAC Laments Senate’s Passage of Budget Reconciliation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Comment: NSAC Laments Senate’s Passage of Budget Reconciliation Washington, DC, July 1, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, following the Senate’s 51-50 approval – with Vice President J.D. Vance […]
Comment: NSAC Urges Senate to Support Grassley “Actively Engaged” Amendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Comment: NSAC Urges Senate to Support Grassley “Actively Engaged” Amendment Washington, DC, June 30, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in support of Amendment #2527 filed by Senator Chuck […]
Release: Seventh Class of Cynthia Hayes Scholarship Recipients Honor Her Legacy
Washington, DC, June 26, 2025 – The Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network (SAAFON) and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced that three students have been awarded the Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship. The three student awardees: Vicki Mines, Alaina Parr, and Mikelanj Ajinaku were each presented with $5,000 to support their continued work in […]
Support for Farmer-Led Research Hinges on SARE Funding
Recently, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), alongside 100 food, farm, conservation, and rural organizations, delivered a letter to Congressional appropriators urging them to fully fund the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) at $60 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026. SARE was one of NSAC’s first legislative accomplishments over 35 years ago, and […]
Comment: Partisan Senate Reconciliation Bill Ends Decades-Long Era
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: Partisan Senate Reconciliation Bill Ends Decades-Long Era Washington, DC, June 12, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee’s title of the […]
Comment: NSAC Unpacks the House FY26 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: NSAC Unpacks the House FY26 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Washington, DC, June 10, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, ahead of Wednesday’s House Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) […]
Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open
Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $26.5 million in competitive grant funding available through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. This year marks a notably shorter application window, but there are several resources available to support […]
Comment: NSAC Responds to House Subcommittee’s FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: NSAC Responds to House Subcommittee’s FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Washington, DC, June 4, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, […]
Examining the House Agriculture Committee’s Reconciliation Bill
On May 22, 2025, the House of Representatives approved its budget reconciliation legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB, HR 1), by a vote of 215-214-1. Just a week earlier, on May 15, the House Committee on Agriculture approved, by a party line vote of 29-25, components of OBBB that fall within its jurisdiction. […]
We Took Action to Defend Our Food System — Now It’s Your Turn
In anticipation of President Trump’s 100th day in office, a coalition of organizations from across the nation participated in a Week of Action between April 22 and April 29, 2025, to collectively highlight the disruption and attacks the administration has made on our food system and farmers. During the Week of Action, organizations coordinated efforts […]
Comment: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee Budget Reconciliation Approval
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee Budget Reconciliation Approval Washington, DC, May 15, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the following statement attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the House Agriculture Committee’s 29-25 […]
Healing Land and Legacy Through Urban Agriculture
Ask someone to imagine a “farm” and they will probably conjure a barn, a silo, rolling hills of crops, and pasture. That is, they will imagine rural areas. But one of the fastest growing – and underutilized – forms of agriculture is happening in America’s cities and suburbs, neighborhoods surrounded by industry, infrastructure, and millions […]
Release: Budget Bill Steamrolls Farm Bill Future, Slashing Billions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Budget Bill Steamrolls Farm Bill Future, Slashing Billions Washington, DC, May 13, 2025 – Yesterday evening, the House Agriculture Committee released its budget reconciliation bill text. Although a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score was not yet available, summary materials provided by […]
When USDA Cuts Staff, Farmers Pay the Price: Lessons from the ERS and NIFA Relocations
In a move reminiscent of past disruptions but at a much larger scale, the Trump administration is implementing widespread staffing cuts across federal agencies. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is facing a significant reduction, expecting approximately 30,000 USDA positions to be eliminated. About 16,000 employees have already accepted deferred resignation offers. This downsizing […]
Farmers Need Climate Research to Thrive
Since its establishment in the 2008 Farm Bill, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has advanced research that helps American farmers and ranchers stay at the cutting edge of innovation and adapt to challenges such as natural disasters. Farmers and ranchers depend upon NIFA-supported research that invests in developing resilient crops, innovative soil […]