A few weeks ago, the House Appropriations Committee released its FY 2012 bill for agriculture spending. The report language included attacks on USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative as well as the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) priority for local and regional food systems. The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative […]
Archives for June 2011
House of Representatives Passes FY 2012 Agriculture Funding Bill
On Thursday, June 16, the House of Representatives passed its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill by a 217-203 vote, with all Democrats and 19 Republicans voting no. The bill cuts nearly $3 billion in discretionary (annually appropriated) funds for USDA and FDA, a cut of nearly 14 percent. Combined with the cuts already […]
Act Now to Rebuild the Food System
Looking for an opportunity to help rebuild the local and regional food system? The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) — the federally chartered agency that oversees the nationwide network of locally-controlled and borrower-owned cooperative lending associations that make up the Farm Credit System (FCS) — is asking the public to comment on a proposed rule that, […]
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program – 2010 Outcomes Report
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) released its 2010 Outcomes Report this week. The report highlights the 29 projects that were funding in FY 2009 that helped to train, educate and provide outreach and technical assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers throughout the United States. The […]
Request for Applications for Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program
On Tuesday, June 14, USDA’s Risk Management Agency released its Request for Applications (RFA) for the Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program. Approximately $3.5 million in funds is available for the program. Projects will be funded for up to one year, and will range from $20,000 to $100,000 per project. This Request for Applications […]
USDA Enrolls 2.8 Million Acres in 41st CRP Sign-up
On Monday, June 13, USDA announced the results of the 41st Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign up. According to the press release, USDA accepted 2.8 million acres for enrollment in the program. The sign up was held from March 14-April 15, 2011 The 2.8 million acres were selected from 38,000 offers totaling 3.8 million […]
Crop Insurance Conservation Issues Loom as Spring Planting Proceeds
The 2008 Farm Bill included a measure that would allow governors in states in the Prairie Pothole National Priority Area to opt into a limitation on federal crop insurance or Non Insured Disaster Assistance Program coverage that would help protect native prairie. If a governor opted in, USDA would not offer crop insurance or disaster […]
House Takes Up Agriculture Appropriations Next Week
The House of Representatives is scheduled to debate and vote on the agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012 on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 14 and 15. The measure will be in front of the House Rules Committee on Monday afternoon. At the Rules Committee, House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member […]
Farm Credit Agency Highlights Farmer Diversity
On May 25, the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) issued a proposed change to regulations for Farm Credit Systems that would require institutions to include an emphasis on diversity as part of their business plan. The pool of farmers, FCA notes, is becoming not only more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past, but includes […]
Budget Talks Continue, Seek Reactions from Senators
After a two-and-a-half hour session on Thursday, June 9, Vice President Joe Biden’s bipartisan and bicameral group of six lawmakers agreed to meet three times next week to continue talks. The group negotiating a bipartisan deficit reduction plan spent much of Thursday’s meeting discussing revenues and listening to a presentation from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner […]
New Value-Added Grant Cycle to Start Next Week
After many months of delay and anticipation, NSAC is excited to alert our members and readers that the Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) for the Value Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) is expected to be published in the Federal Register mid-to-late week next week. Since the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 funds were never released […]
Council on Environmental Quality Releases National Action Plan
On Thursday, June 2 the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Interagency Climate Change Task Force released a draft National Action Plan for managing freshwater resources in a changing climate. The report can be found on the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) website, along with supporting documents regarding the development of the report. […]
White House Announces Rural Development Council
The White House announced Thursday, June 9, the formation of the new White House Rural Council to address challenges facing rural communities and help improve the implementation of the Obama Administration’s rural strategies. The Council will be comprised of Cabinet members from over twenty agencies and offices. “Strong, sustainable rural communities are essential to winning […]
USDA Conservation Innovation Grants Focus on Climate Change
On Wednesday, June 8, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award of $17.4 million in FY2011 Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) funding for nine large-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects in 24 states. These projects are intended to demonstrate practices and systems which farmers and ranchers can use reduce GHG emissions or sequester carbon. In addition, […]
Senators Introduce Bill to Reform Farm Payments
On Thursday, June 9, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced the Rural America Preservation Act of 2011, a bill designed to lower the per farm cap on farm commodity program payments, simplify eligibility, and ensure that payments flow to working farmers. Senator Grassley has previously championed similar legislation, co-sponsored for many years […]
Pfizer Suspends Use of Poultry Arsenic Drug
The Food and Drug Administration announced on June 8 that a major drug company voluntarily agreed to suspend US sales of an arsenical drug used in poultry production. This step follows an FDA study that found higher levels of arsenic in the livers of chickens treated with 3-Nitro (Roxarsone) than in untreated chickens. Pfizer Inc. […]
USDA Announces $7 Million for Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative for 2011
On Tuesday, June 7, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will award $7 million for 31 projects in 11 states under the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) for fiscal year 2011. CCPI, a program originally conceived by NSAC in 2001, supports special local and regional conservation projects that […]
Opposition to NLGMA Rises
In late April, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued a proposed national food safety rule for leafy greens. Structured as a marketing agreement – a legal tool normally used for achieving orderly marketing and promotion of particular commodities – the AMS food safety rule covers only leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, and cabbage). It will […]
USDA Releases RFA for Rural Development Grant
On Tuesday, June 7, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service released the Request for Applications (RFA) for its Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) to help rural cooperatives expand economic opportunities in their area. Up to $7.4 million in funds is available for competitive proposals of up to $225,000 per grant. Rural Cooperative Development Grants are made for […]
Will Ideology Trump New Economic Opportunities for Farmers and Rural Communities?
We have previously reported on major funding decisions made by the House Appropriations Committee for the 2012 USDA and FDA budgets (see our Subcommittee markup report and full Committee markup report). While funding programs is the appropriations committees’ function, they also play an important oversight role and at times helps shape policy, particularly through the […]
“Big Ag” at it Again
Last year we won a hard fought battle, securing appropriate food safety rules in the Food Safety Modernization Act for small-to-midsized farms and processors producing fresh and healthy food for local and regional markets. Now, out of left field, a marketing agency – the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) — has issued a proposed national […]
Apply Now for 2011 Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is now accepting applications for the 2011 Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP). The Notice of Funding Availability appeared in the June 1 Federal Register. For 2011, $10 million dollars in competitive grant funds are available for projects that expand direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Grant funds may be used for the […]
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Launches New Website
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program had launched its newly designed website. The new site features enhanced search capabilities, seamless connection between SARE national and regional websites, and a Learning Center with free book downloads, online courses, grant information, videos and more. The site is mobile-device friendly and can be easily accessed by […]
Proposed FY2012 Food and Agriculture Cuts One Step Closer to Becoming Law
On Tuesday, May 31, the full House Appropriations Committee passed its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill, which was first passed by the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee last week. If it were to become law, this bill would make truly massive cuts to conservation, extension, research, renewable energy, and rural development programs. A number […]