On August 30, NSAC and 43 other other organizations in the Campaign for a Renewed Rural Development sent a letter to Capitol Hill regarding the importance to rural America of renewing the Farm Bill this year. In the letter, the 44 organizations urged the House of Representatives to bring the Farm Bill to a vote […]
Archives for August 2012
Fall 2012 National Organic Standards Board Meeting Announced
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will be holding its next meeting in Providence, RI, from October 15 to 18. The NOSB was established by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and is charged with making recommendations on allowed and prohibited substances in organic production and handling, assisting in the development of standards for […]
USDA Announces 2012 Beginning Farmer Awards
For Immediate Release August 30, 2012 (updated August 31, 2012) Contact: Ferd Hoefner or Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 USDA Announces 2012 Beginning Farmer Awards Washington, DC, August 30, 2012 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $18 million in funding to support new farmer training and education programs at the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Boone, […]
USDA Announces 2012 Beginning Farmer Training Grants
Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $18 million in funding to support new farmer training and education programs at the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. These new grant awards were made available through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) – a federal competitive grants program administered by USDA’s National Institute of […]
For Immediate Release: NSAC Releases Applicant Resource Guide for Value-Added Producer Grants
For Immediate Release August 29, 2012 Contact: Ferd Hoefner or Helen Dombalis, 202-547-5754 NSAC Releases Applicant Resource Guide for Value-Added Producer Grants Washington, DC – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition released a Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. This guide is being released on the heels of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement […]
USDA Awards Fifty-Nine Conservation Innovation Grants
Last week, USDA Secretary Vilsack announced the award of $26 million in Conservation Innovation Grant Program (CIG) funding to 59 projects in 47 states. The CIG program, which is part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, requires that CIG grant funding is matched 1:1 with funding from project sponsors. Water Quality Trading Awards Twelve of […]
Conservation Stewardship Program – First Farm Bill Cycle Acreage and Dollar Totals
This post includes a first glance look at enrollment data for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for the four enrollment years during the 2008 Farm Bill cycle (2009-2012). Background This year’s drought is an urgent reminder of the importance of working lands resource conservation. Increasing farm system resiliency through improved soil quality and careful management […]
Mandatory Price Reporting Final Rule for Wholesale Pork Transactions
This week, USDA issued a Final Rule that requires meatpackers to report information on wholesale pork transactions under the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act. The rule is set to take effect on January 7, 2013, but USDA will have an additional four months to train meatpackers in meeting the requirements of the reporting program. As enacted in […]
Rural Business Enterprise Grant Awards Include Food and Agriculture Development
USDA announced two rounds of funding for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program this summer. On June 26, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced funding for seven projects in two states. The second round of RBEG awards was announced August 21 for 16 grant recipients from 17 states. USDA explains RBEG as a program […]
USDA Announces Awards Targeted at Socially Disadvantaged Producers
On Wednesday, August 8th, USDA announced $19 million in grants that will support outreach and technical assistance projects aimed at socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including Hispanic, tribal, African-American, and women producers. These grants were awarded through USDA’s Outreach and Technical Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program, also known as the 2501 Outreach […]
USDA Approves Ohio Program for Interstate Shipment of State-Inspected Meat and Poultry
On August 9, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced Ohio as the first state to receive approval for the interstate shipment of state-inspected meat and poultry products under a cooperative federal-state inspection program created by the 2008 Farm Bill. Prior to establishment of this Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, state-inspected meat and poultry products could not […]
USDA Awards Rural Energy for America Program Grants and Loans
On August 14, USDA announced the award of nearly $8.7 million in FY2012 funding for Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) loans and grants for 106 renewable energy system and energy efficiency projects on farms and rural businesses in 29 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The funding also included an award of $59,365 to Washington […]
USDA Announces Funding Opportunity for Value-Added Producer Grants
On August 15, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced the availability of $14 million in funding for its Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) competitive grants program. The Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) can be found in the August 15, 2012 Federal Register. Applications are due October 15, 2012. Program Basics: VAPG is a competitive grants program that […]
Glickman, Moseley Urge Conservation Compliance in Farm Bill
On Thursday, August 2, two former senior-level Administration officials penned an op-ed in The Hill urging Congress to reattach basic soil and wetland conservation requirements to federal crop insurance premium subsidies. Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Bill Clinton, and Jim Moseley, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: House Passes Stand-Alone Disaster Bill
On Thursday, August 2, the House of Representatives passed a stand-alone disaster bill by a vote of 223 to 197. Thirty-five Democrats voted for the bill, while 46 Republicans voted against the measure. The bill would cut $639 million from two conservation programs — the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program — […]
Guest Blog: Celebrate National Farmers Market Week! — August 5-11
We want to thank Stacy Miller from NSAC member Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) for her contribution. Stacy is Executive Director of FMC, and will be transitioning to the role of Project Director with the expected arrival of her first child later this month. FMC works to strengthen farmers markets for the benefit of farmers, consumers, […]