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 […]
Archives for September 2010
USDA Moves to Outlaw Unfair Trade Practices
by Margaret Krome (reprinted from The Capital Times, Madison, WI) When our daughter was little, she loved our drives to southwest Wisconsin, kicking her feet up and down in excitement as we neared one particular farm, where we always saw hogs wallowing in the mud in the low spots. At some times of the year, […]
Food Safety Legislation Heading for the Senate Floor
ACTION ALERT! September 15, 2010 FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION MUST PROTECT FAMILY FARMS, SUSTAINABLE & ORGANIC AGRICULTURE CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY AND URGE THEM TO SUPPORT THE TESTER AMENDMENT The Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) could reach the Senate floor as early as tomorrow. NSAC has been able to win several improvements to the bill […]
USDA Enrolls 4.3 Million Acres in 39th CRP Sign-up
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced today that it will enroll 4.3 million acres of the farmland offered by landowners for the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) 39th general sign-up. This is the first general sign-up for the CRP since 2006. Over 50,000 landowners submitted bids for CRP contracts, totaling 4.8 million acres. Of the 4.8 […]
ERS Details the Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
On Tuesday, September 7, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a briefing paper discussing the agricultural sector’s role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The brief outlines policy options for encouraging farmers to reduce their GHG emissions. These options include a federal cap-and-trade system to regulate the nationwide burning of fossil fuels; direct incentive payments […]
Reverse Corporate Control Over the Livestock Industry
The recent developments in the livestock industry have highlighted the issue of mega meatpackers and poultry processors controlling the market, leading to price manipulation and unfair trade practices. Despite this issue being overlooked by the USDA in the past, there has been a significant shift in June. The Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) […]
Congress Back for Three Weeks – Time (Barely) for Action
Summer recess has come to a close and Congress returns to Washington next week, with three weeks and less than 12 actual legislative days before the start of the new federal fiscal year on October 1. With a packed agenda – including a small business tax bill, extensions of some or all of the 2001 […]
NSAC Comments on America’s Great Outdoors
At its annual meeting in August, the member organizations of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition developed and adopted a statement on President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative. The NSAC statement calls attention to the critical role played by USDA working agricultural lands conservation programs in advancing the Initiative’s goals. The document has been submitted […]
USDA Invites States to Apply for Organic Certification Cost-Share Programs
On Wednesday, September 8, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued a Federal Register notice inviting states to apply for the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program (NOCCSP). As part of the 2008 Farm Bill, NSAC succeeded in securing $22.0 million for the NOCCSP, and these funds will be allocated annually as needed until the next farm […]
USDA Publishes Updated Meat Slaughter Availability Maps
On Monday, August 23, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published an updated set of maps showing the availability of slaughter and processing facilities around the nation. See the full report here. FSIS published the original maps in May (click here to see the full report), but users responded that the maps were difficult […]
USDA Calls for Community Food Project Grant Applications
USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has issued a Request for Applications for the Community Food Project Grants Program (CFP). CFP is a grant program that addresses food insecurity in low income communities by supporting the development of community-based food projects including projects that address nutritional needs by promoting local, food and farm […]
USDA Announces 2010 Recipients of Rural Business Enterprise Grants
On Tuesday, August 31, USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager announced the 61 recipients of its Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program. According to the USDA news release, “the RBEG program helps to finance and facilitate the development of new and existing businesses in rural America. Funds can be used for start-up and working […]
FSA Issues Conservation Loan Rule
On Thursday, September 2, USDA announced the launch of the Conservation Loan program established by the 2008 Farm Bill. Though Congress appropriated money for the loan program in fiscal year 2010, enough to fund $150 million worth of loans, the program has been stymied waiting on the rulemaking. The new interim final rule appears in […]