Last week we reported on several major pending pieces of legislation. At that time, two bills — the so-called tax extenders bill and the emergency supplemental appropriations bill — seemed like they might be resolved by today, the beginning of the congressional recess week for Memorial Day. Alas, while progress was made on both this […]
Archives for May 2010
30 Days To Comment on VAPG Rule
The long anticipated proposed rule for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program was published in today’s Federal Register. The comment period for the proposed rule is only 30 days with comments on the regulatory provisions due by June 28, 2010. We expect the announcement of VAPG awards from the 2009 competition next week, and will […]
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program Rule is Out with NOFA to Follow
Today’s Federal Register included the interim final rule for the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP), one of NSAC’s 2008 Farm Bill priority program. The interim rule goes into effect on June 28, 2010, but the USDA will be taking public comments until July 27, 2010. RMAP is a new program created in the 2008 Farm […]
Funding for Energy Audits and Renewable Energy Development Assistance
On Thursday, the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced the availability of $2.4 million dollars in competitive grants for energy audits and renewable energy development assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses as part of the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). State, tribal, and local governments, universities, rural electric cooperatives, and public power entities […]
Mobile Slaughter Units and Untapped Markets
On Tuesday USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) published a compliance guide to help operators of mobile slaughter units understand the regulatory requirements that pertain to them. It should also be must reading for entrepreneurs considering building a mobile slaughter facility. FSIS is requesting feedback on the guidance by July 26 and will incorporate […]
Organic Research RFA Focuses on Environmental Services
USDA is making $4.7 million available through the Organic Transitions integrated research, education, and extension program to fund projects examining environmental services provided by organic agriculture that contribute to climate change mitigation and support soil conservation. The Request for Applications (RFA) prioritizes two areas of much-needed research: 1. Documenting and understanding the effects of organic […]
Moving Legislation – What’s in it for Food and Agriculture
With the financial regulation bill approved in the Senate and moving to conference with the House-passed bill, and with the one week Memorial Day recess just a week away, several key legislative items are starting to move quickly. A brief review follows, highlighting what is in the bills for food and agriculture. Budget Resolution – […]
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 […]
Farmers Market Directory Registration Deadline Extended
USDA has extended the deadline for registering farmers markets for inclusion in the National Farmers Market Directory until June 4, 2010. The Directory is used by the general public and has also become an important tool for policymakers and researchers. The deadline extension is part of an effort to ensure the count is accurate as […]
DOJ/USDA Announce May 21 Workshop on Competition in the Poultry Sector
The Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Agriculture have announced the schedule and panelists for the May 21, 2010 joint workshop on competition and regulatory issues in the poultry sector. The workshop will be held in Normal, Alabama at the Ernest L. Knight Reception Center at Alabama A & M University from 9 am […]
USDA Rolls Out Conservation Reserve Program Incentive for New Farmers and Ranchers
On May 14, USDA issued an Interim Final Rule to implement a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) transition option provided in the 2008 Farm Bill for retiring landowners to transfer land to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Sign-up for the program, named the Transition Incentives Program (TIP), begins on May 17, 2010. The […]
Times may be tough, but there’s room in the Farm Bill tent
Thursday’s hearing in the House Agriculture Committee brought in two panels of farm and food policy experts to continue the conversation kicked off on late April in preparation for the 2012 Farm Bill. As in the first hearing in late April, the witnesses’ testimony and Representatives’ questions covered a wide range of topics, but consistently […]
Let’s Move! Plan to Beat Child Obesity Ventures Into Ag Policy
On Tuesday May 11 the White House released its action plan to reduce childhood obesity. Tied to the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!” initiative, the plan clearly endorses a role for local agriculture in improving food environments and suggests “discussion areas” to explore the role agriculture policy plays relative to the prices of healthy food and […]
Senate Funding Bill Includes Needed Boost in Farm Credit
In approving a $59 billion emergency supplemental funding bill to fund the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Haiti relief efforts, U.S. natural disaster aid, and disability compensation for Vietnam veterans, the Senate Appropriations Committee endorsed an amendment proposed by Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, to boost direct and guaranteed […]
Agriculture Featured in Chesapeake Bay Watershed Protection and Restoration
This week, the Obama Administration unveiled a comprehensive strategy for dealing with nutrient and sediment pollution in Chesapeake Bay watersheds and issued guidance for federal land managers in the region for reducing nutrient and sediment pollution. In addition, EPA announced a settlement in Fowler v. EPA, a case in which plaintiffs alleged that EPA […]
Help for Farmers in Accessing CSP
Thirty more days remain before the June 11th deadline for applications to the 2010 round of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). A number of NSAC member groups have resources to help producers sign up for CSP (with more to follow soon): ATTRA recently posted an updated step-by-step guide to the CSP application process to their […]
USDA Reallocates Funding for Agricultural and Forest Land Protection
On Tuesday, May 11, USDA announced the reallocation of over $80 million in FY2010 funding to 37 states for the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP), the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP), and the Healthy Forest Reserve Program (HFRP). Reallocation occurs when some states do not use all of the money originally allocated to them, […]
NSAC to host Ag of the Middle Briefing on June 8
Click here to forward on the invitation to colleagues. On June 8, 2010, NSAC, Farm Aid, Organic Valley, and Heifer International US Country Program will host a congressional briefing on Agriculture of the Middle: New Strategies to Support America’s Mid-sized Family Farmers. In recent decades, many mid-sized farmers and ranchers who rely on farming as […]
USDA Announces 2010 CSP Application Deadline
USDA announced today that farmers and ranchers have until June 11 to submit applications to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) this year. The brief application form can be filed at a local NRCS service center. After submitting the application, farmers will be scheduled for a follow-up meeting with NRCS to complete the CSP […]
Food Safety Bill Still Pending in the Senate
S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, is expected to be considered by the Senate right after the Memorial Day recess, according to Senate staff. The bill is the first significant effort to increase food safety in decades and gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new enforcement authority over industry and will also […]
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 […]
Organizations Urge Congress to Fund Farm to School
This Monday, May 3, NSAC and 40 other national agriculture, health, and food business organizations delivered a letter to House and Senate Congressional leaders urging them to include $50 million in mandatory funding for programs linking farmers with local schools as part of the 2010 Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. Among the signers were American Public […]
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: […]