On Tuesday, March 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that $322 million is now available for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for fiscal year (FY) 2015. The deadline for applications for enrollment in FY 2015 is May 15, 2015. Wetlands and grasslands are some of our most threatened national land resources across […]
Archives for March 2015
Senators Speak Up for Conservation Funding in 2016
On Friday, March 27, 29 Senators delivered a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee urging them to oppose cuts to conservation programs in fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations legislation. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) led the letter. Among the many other signers was Senate Agriculture Committee […]
Budget Resolutions Set Stage for Appropriations; Farm Bill Re-Opening Still a Possibility
This week the House and Senate both passed their respective budget resolutions for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The House passed its budget on Wednesday, March 25 while the Senate passed its budget in the wee hours of Friday morning. Budget resolutions provide the blueprint for the appropriations process that will take place in the coming […]
Bill to Thwart GMO Labeling Effort is Back
Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) has reintroduced his bill that would block federal and state efforts to require the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut have passed laws requiring GMO labeling, and many more states are currently considering similar legislation. “Right to Know” GMO labeling ballot initiatives were narrowly defeated […]
FDA Responds to Farmer Concerns Regarding Intrusive Farm Visits
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing the way they do certain on-farm visits, according to a recent Q&A published to the agency’s website. FDA is authorized to do what’s called “surveillance sampling” of certain products to test for bacteria and assess whether the preventive approach to food safety is working. FDA routinely […]
Release: USDA Proposes to Continue Farm Subsidy Abuse
March 25, 2015, Washington, DC – Yesterday USDA issued the long awaited proposed rule to reform farm subsidy payments. Sadly, the proposed changes to the “actively engaged in farming” rules amount to very little in the way of real reform, missing the best chance yet for President Obama to make good on his number one […]
USDA Proposes to Continue Farm Subsidy Abuse
The USDA proposed its “actively engaged in farming” rule defining eligibility for commodity subsidies…. Read More →
Digging Deeper into Continuous CRP Enrollments
Earlier this month, NSAC teamed up with water quality, conservation, and grain and oilseed processor groups to encourage the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to set aside at least a third of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the State Acres for Wildlife […]
Last Chance to Contribute to Organic Production Survey!
There are just two weeks left for organic farmers across the country to complete their 2014 Organic Production Survey! This important survey is a follow-on to the 2012 Census of Agriculture and focuses exclusively on issues and trends facing organic producers. NSAC encourages organic producers to participate by filling out the survey they received by mail or […]
House and Senate Budget Committees Advance 2016 Budgets
March 20 – This week the House and Senate Budget Committees each passed their Fiscal Year 2016 budget resolutions on party line votes. Each Committee’s resolution will now go to the floor of the House and Senate for consideration. This will likely take place next week with final passage targeted for the end of the […]
Agriculture Funding Debates Continue, Decisions Loom
This week and last, the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees continued their examination of the Obama Administration’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2016. Food & Drug Administration On Thursday, March 12, Senate appropriators questioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about their increased budget request to support implementation of the Food Safety Modernization […]
Farmers, Ranchers Visit DC to Speak Out on Critical Sustainable Agriculture Programs
On March 18th, independent family farmers and ranchers from all over the country traveled to DC to meet with their Congressional members to advocate for critical sustainable agriculture programs. They discussed the importance of federal funding for programs that support working lands conservation, agricultural research, and food safety outreach. Over the course of the day, the farmers met with their Senators and Representatives to discuss their personal experiences working with sustainable agriculture programs. The farmers explained how funding for these programs is an effective investment in rural economies, local food systems, and environmental improvement…. Read More →
Farm to School Resources Released Along with Plea to Participate in Farm to School Census
Farm to School programs not only help instill healthy eating habits and agricultural literacy in the next generation, but also support the local farming economy. Whether incorporating food products from local and regional farmers into school meals, providing lessons about agriculture and nutrition, or building school gardens full of vegetables, farm to school programs exist […]
Local Food and Farm to School Funding Available
USDA announced $96.8 million for four programs supporting specialty crop producers, local food entrepreneurs, and farm to school efforts…. Read More →
The Farm Bill Reloaded
The House Budget Committee is expected to markup the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution on Wednesday March 18. The Senate Budget Committee is expected to follow suit the next day…. Read More →
Budget Time on Capitol Hill – Farm Bill to be Re-Opened?
Two recent events on Capitol Hill are colliding in a potentially significant way. First, on March 9, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) – the scorekeeper for federal legislators on budgetary matters – issued its budget “baseline” that will be used in decision-making on legislative proposals for the balance of this year, including the annual congressional budget resolution process that is about to begin…. Read More →
Letters Supports CRP Conservation Buffers and Grasslands
Farmers can protect the environment by placing small portions of their farms in permanent vegetation designed to control or intercept soil, nutrients, and pesticides and to slow wind and snow. Often referred to generically as conservation buffers, these targeted environmental practices can be in-field (e.g., contour grass strips), at the edge of fields (e.g., field […]
Organic Farming Research Funding Available
USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released the Requests for Applications (RFA) for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – Organic Transitions (ORG). These two programs are the flagship federal research, education, and extension grant programs for organic production. Approximately […]
Sign Up For CSP By Friday, March 13!
The deadline to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for 2015 ends on Friday, March 13! Applications can be submitted to your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office at any time throughout the year, but if you miss the March 13 cutoff, then your application won’t be considered until 2016. What is CSP? […]
Sustainability and Diet – A Linkage Whose Time Has Come
This guest post is by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) policy intern for the spring term, Katie Merritt. Katie is currently a graduate student in Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University and holds a BA from the University of Colorado in Psychology and Neuroscience, Integrative Physiology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. We […]
Expanding Farm to School Nationwide
Many of our nation’s children eat two of their meals every day (plus snacks!) at school – what better place to invest in growing healthy kids? Farm to school programs are part of the solution: they introduce children to new and healthy foods choices in the cafeteria, classroom, and garden, and encourage children to have […]
Farmers Can Participate in Cover Crop Survey
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is sponsoring a national survey on cover crops that is being conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). CTIC and SARE are asking farmers of all stripes to respond to the survey; there is no need to be a current user of cover crops. The survey […]
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Farm and Food Grant Programs
NSAC has compiled a list of upcoming deadlines for federal grant applications and grant assistance workshops…. Read More →
Congress Holds Hearings on Farm Bill and USDA Funding
Last week, the House Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations held three hearings to examine the Obama Administration’s budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees also held hearings. The House Committee held two hearings on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while the Senate Committee held a hearing to examine the […]