It’s been a busy month at NSAC with four separate advocacy campaigns put in play. On June 28th, NSAC and a broad coalition of farm, conservation, wildlife, and forestry organizations representing millions of Americans orchestrated a National Day of Action to protest huge cuts to farm bill conservation programs and an attack on local and […]
Archives for June 2011
FAPRI releases report on impacts of eliminating direct payments to US farmers
On Thursday June 29th, the University of Missouri’s Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) released a report entitled “Potential Impacts of Limiting Direct Payments.” The report estimates the economic impacts to farmers, landowners, federal budgetary outlays and consumers if direct payments to farmers are eliminated. The report comes at a time when Congressional leaders […]
Senate Democrats Unveil Budget Next Week
On Wednesday, June 29, Senate Budget Committee chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) announced that Senate Democrats had come to agreement on a proposed budget, which they plan to unveil as soon as next week. Conrad says that the proposal would cut over $4 trillion from the deficit, but revealed no other details, saying only, “We’ve reached […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Livestock Hearing Highlights NRCS Successes
On Tuesday, June 28, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing entitled “The State of Livestock in America.” The hearing focused on rising feed prices due to increased worldwide demand for grains, the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Act that is still awaiting the issuance of a final rule […]
Congress Should Reward Farmers Who Are Good Stewards
Check out this post for Common Dreams by Brenna Norton, Grassroots Organizer for NSAC, on the extreme cuts to farm bill conservation programs.
Socially Disadvantaged Producer Coop Grants
On Wednesday, June 29, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service of USDA announced that its Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant Program (formerly known as the Small, Minority Producer Grant Program) will be open for applications until the deadline of August 15, 2011. The full Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) appears in the June 29 edition of the […]
EPA and Army Corps Extend Comment Period for Waters of the U.S. Guidance
On Monday, June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers extended the public comment period by 30 days for the draft guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act. The new comment deadline is July 31, 2011. As we reported in late April, the EPA and Army Corps issued […]
National Day of Action
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release June 28, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 National Day of Action to Preserve Conservation and Local Food Development Funding On June 28th, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and a broad coalition of farm, conservation, wildlife, and forestry organizations representing millions of Americans are joining forces for a […]
Forget Your Farmer, Forget Local Food
The agriculture appropriations bill the House of Representatives just passed slashes $1 billion from mandatory farm bill conservation funding and tells USDA to drop the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative (KYF, KYF). The House measure would slash programs that support farmers who protect the soil and water on which our nation’s future productivity […]
Farm Value-Added Grants Available
For Immediate Release June 28, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 . Farmers Have 60 Days to Apply for Value-Added Grants from USDA . Washington, DC June 28, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a notice inviting farmers to apply for Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG). Today’s notice combines two year’s worth of funding […]
Secretary Vilsack Includes Organic Agriculture Leaders on Biotech Advisory Committee
On June 24, 2011, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced 22 appointments to the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture. The Committee, commonly referred to as AC21, has been dormant since 2009. The new members hail from 16 states, and a handful of appointees are important advocates for organic agriculture. Secretary Vilsack stated […]
Value-Added Producer Grant NOFA Released – 60 Day Turn Around for Applications
On Tuesday, June 28, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service will announce that its Value Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) will be open for applications until the deadline of August 29, 2011. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) appears in the June 28 edition of the Federal Register. Advocates for the program are delighted the long anticipated […]
Coalitions Send Letters to President, Congressional Leadership Urging Support for Farm, Food, Conservation Programs
After another series of meetings between Vice President Biden and six congressional leaders attempting to negotiate a deal to raise the federal debt limit while reducing the deficit, the week ended with some dramatic developments. First House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) walked away from the process, followed by Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ). […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Explores Program Duplication and Efficiency
On Thursday, June 23, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing with heads of four USDA mission areas to talk about possibilities for streamlining USDA programs, rooting out inefficiencies, and measuring performance. The hearing also touched on ongoing efforts to crack down on fraud and abuse. REAP In one of the harder hitting lines of […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Passes House Pesticides Bill
On Tuesday, June 21, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted favorably on the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 (H.R. 872). The bill will now go to the full Senate for a floor vote. Although the bill passed the Committee by a voice vote, Democrats on the Agriculture Committee and others have stated publicly that a […]
Farmers and Ranchers Call the White House
For Immediate Release: June 22, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner (202) 547-5754 Farmers & Ranchers Tell the White House to Issue Final GIPSA Rule Washington, D.C. June 22, 2011. Farmers and ranchers applauded when the Obama campaign pledged to restore open and competitive markets and fair contracts for livestock and poultry producers and again when last […]
400 Organizations Send Letter to Congress to Protect Conservation Programs
On Tuesday, June 21 the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, The Nature Conservancy and 400 other organizations from across the United States sent a letter to Vice President Biden and the “Gang of Six” congressional leaders negotiating a budget deal, as well as Congressional Appropriations leaders, urging them to preserve funding for Federal conservation programs. Federal […]
Senator Feinstein Sponsors Bill to Restrict Antibiotic Use in Livestock Industry
On Friday June 17, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), S. 1211, which aims to reduce the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry. If the bill becomes law, it would: Phase out the non-therapeutic use of medically important antibiotics in the livestock industry; Require new applications […]
Rebuilding the Good Food Supply by Supporting New Farmers
Check out this guest blog for Maria Rodale’s Farm Country Kitchen by NSAC’s Executive Director, Susan Prolman, on rebuilding the good food supply by supporting new farmers, and how you can join the movement and make a difference today.
We’ve Waited Long Enough….
THREE YEARS AGO, Candidate Barack Obama promised to stand up for open and fair markets for family farm livestock producers. THREE YEARS AGO, Congress passed a farm bill directing USDA to write rules to end price discrimination against small and mid-sized farmers by corporate meatpackers and processors and to ensure fair production contracts for poultry […]
Conflicting Congressional Action on Ethanol Subsidies
This week the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives debated and voted on measures addressing ethanol subsidies with contradictory results. Background in Brief Currently, a Volume Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) provides a $0.45 cent tax credit for each gallon of ethanol blended into gasoline at U.S. refineries. In addition, U.S. ethanol production benefits […]
Genetic Diversity and Food Security
The July 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine carries an excellent piece on the importance of preserving both genetic diversity and farmer knowledge in meeting the world’s growing demand for food. Food Ark, by Charles Siebert, highlights the efforts of several seed banks around the world including the Seed Saver’s Exchange in Decorah, Iowa and […]
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Visit DC
On June 15, eleven beginning farmers and ranchers from across the country arrived in Washington, DC to tell legislators what measures our country can take to support beginning farmers and ranchers. Anticipating the 2012 Farm Bill process, beginning farmers and ranchers sought support for a marker bill with a package of provisions for beginning farmer […]
House Agriculture Committee to Hold 2012 Farm Bill Hearings
The House Agriculture Committee will begin preparatory hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill next week. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) spoke about the upcoming hearings during debate of the agriculture appropriations bill by the full House this week. “The process of developing the 2012 farm bill would begin in the Agriculture Committee next […]