. What’s New at NSAC: Budget Update: – NSAC, Farmers Partner to Advocate on Sustainable Agriculture Funding 2014 Farm Bill Drilldown Series: – Farm Bill Outcome Overview – Recap and Wrap up
Archives for November 2010
Food Safety Action Alert
Call Your Senators Today To Defend Family Farm Value Added – Processing and Local and Regional Food Systems Debate and voting on The Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) is set to begin on the Senate floor on November 17th. The bill takes important steps to improve corporate food safety rules but it is not […]
CSP 2010 Sign-Up Results and Payment Announcement
On November 5, USDA announced that it will begin this month to issue Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) payments to FY 2010 contract holders. USDA will pay $320 million for the 20,500 CSP contracts enrolled during the 2009 and 2010 sign-ups, and will pay an additional $180 million in FY 2011 payments to honor 15,000 Conservation […]
USDA, FDA, and Cornell University Form Produce Safety Alliance
On Thursday, November 4, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS), and Cornell University announced the creation of a public-private organization, the Produce Safety Alliance, which will provide produce growers and packagers with on-farm food safety knowledge and develop an information bank of up-to-date scientific and technical information related to on-farm […]
USDA Proposing Widespread GE Sugar Beet Planting
Today, USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released for public comment an environmental assessment (EA) in support of the agency’s proposal to allow the planting of genetically engineered H7-1 sugar beets. The H7-1 sugar beet has been genetically modified by Monsanto to resist the herbicide glyphosate. APHIS regulates GE plants under the Plant […]
USDA to Host Grant Writing Webinar for Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program
On November 22, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will host a webinar on how to write grants for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). The webinar, lasting from 2:00-3:30pm (EDT), will discuss the program, eligibility, changes in FY 2011, and major “dos” and “don’ts” of writing proposals. The request for applications […]
Upcoming eOrganic Webinars on Climate Change and Cover Crops
Throughout November and December, eOrganic, an organic agriculture resource with extensions around the country, will host several webinars on climate change and cover crops. The upcoming free webinars include: Impact of Organic Grain Farming Methods on Climate Change by Michel Cavigelli of the USDA-ARS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab in Beltsville, Maryland. In this webinar, Dr. […]
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Seeks Peer Reviewers
The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD), which published its inaugural issue, “Growing New Farmers,” in August 2010, is gearing up for its second issue and seeking to expand its pool of peer reviewers. The JAFSCD is a peer-reviewed online publication focused on the practice and applied research interests of agriculture and […]
Call for Nominations: NRDC’s Growing Green Awards
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has announced the nomination period for its third annual Growing Green Awards, given each year to individuals who have demonstrated original leadership in the field of sustainable food and farming. A Growing Green Award will be given to an outstanding individual in each of the following four categories: Food […]
ERS Report on No-Till Farming
On Tuesday, November 2, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a new report entitled, “‘No-Till’ Farming is a Growing Practice.” In the report, ERS profiles tillage practices for eight major crops (barley, corn, cotton, oats, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat) across the country. The report details the extent of no-till practices at various points between […]
2010 Midterm Elections: Results from Ag Perspective
Below is a quick take on 2010 election results for the Agriculture Committees and the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees in the House and Senate. Should anything change as a result of late tabulations or recounts, we will issue a revised story. House Ag On the House side, where Republicans have apparently gained a 239-185 majority (as […]