As peak harvest season starts to wind down for farmers and food producing communities across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been busy pumping out grant award announcements and application opportunities. Adding to an October already full of great news about local and regional food-focused projects, USDA has recently announced over $60 million […]
Archives for October 2017
Over $20 Million Awarded for Organic Research Projects
Editor’s Note: This blog was written in partnership with our member organization, the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced more than $20 million in competitive grant awards to support one of agriculture’s fastest growing sectors – organics. The funding was […]
SARE Roundup: News on Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program funds farmer-driven research and education through a competitive grants program. SARE is the only competitive research grant program offered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that focuses solely on sustainable agriculture; the program been supporting research in this field for nearly 30 years. SARE is administered […]
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Releases 2018 Farm Bill Platform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Releases 2018 Farm Bill Platform Washington, DC, October 24, 2017 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its comprehensive 2018 Farm Bill policy platform, An Agenda for the 2018 Farm Bill. NSAC has been a leader in […]
Coalition Calls for Congress to Prioritize Research in 2018 Farm Bill
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition joined with over 60 other organizations and educational institutions in delivering a consensus document to legislators with priority recommendations for the Research, Education, and Extension Title of the 2018 Farm Bill. The undersigned universities, farmer and research organizations, and advocates emphasized the danger of allowing America’s investment in research […]
$5 Million Available for Farm to School Grant Projects
America’s family farmers are planting, harvesting, and selling fresh, healthy produce year-round. They’ve got the farming thing down; but barriers exist that often prevent them from reaching new and expanding markets for their products, including customers that might be in the same town or state. One way the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hopes to […]
RELEASE: Investments in Beginning Farmer Training Are Paying Off
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Investments in Beginning Farmer Training Are Paying Off New Report from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Analyzes Impact of BFRDP Washington, DC, October 19, 2017 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released findings from the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of the U.S. […]
Gaps in Organic Data Make Projections a Challenge
When it comes to agriculture, revenue is only one of many important metrics in measuring growth and industry health. For the last two years, organic producers and consumers have cheered reports citing growth in sales revenue. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2016 Organic Production Survey, production rose 23 percent from 2016 to […]
COMMENT: Administration Chooses Corporate Profit Over Family Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Administration Chooses Corporate Profit Over Family Farmers This is truly a sad day for American farmers. Without the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule on competitive injury, it will be virtually impossible for family farmers to defend themselves against unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory practices by packers and poultry dealers. […]
Harvesting Local Food Opportunities
For family farmers, fall is one of the busiest times of the year. While farmers are keeping busy harvesting their fields, food and farm advocates have been occupied with their own bumper crop of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program announcements. In fact, in the past two weeks, USDA awarded approximately $40 million in grants […]
Land Tenure Provision Provides Opportunities for Current and Future Farmers
For producers enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Land Tenure Provision provides an opportunity to bring land back into production and give a hand up to the next generation. The Land Tenure Provision, which is only available for the least environmentally sensitive CRP acres, incentivizes producers to transfer (by […]
Filling the Local Foods Gap in the Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran on the website of the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). To view the original article, click here. When we started our partnership with St. Cloud’s Reach Up Head Start program, Nutrition Services Coordinator Haley Anderson knew she wanted to […]
Value-Added Producer Grant Program Webinar Will Help Producers Apply for USDA Funds
Editor’s Note: Click here to watch a recording of the webinar, and here to download the powerpoint presentation. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Value-Added Producer Grant Program Webinar Will Help Producers Apply for USDA Funds National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and USDA Will Co-Host the Online Training Washington, DC, October 9, […]
Clock Ticking On FY 2018 Appropriations
The end of the fiscal year (September 30) has come and gone, and with fiscal year (FY) 2017 funding levels extended through December 8, the time Congress has to negotiate final spending levels for FY 2018 is quickly running out. There is a lot on the line in this appropriations package for farmers and consumers […]
RELEASE: Local FARMS Act Will Make Farm to Fork Investments in American Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Local FARMS Act Will Make Farm to Fork Investments in American Communities National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Praises Bipartisan Effort Washington, DC, October 4, 2017 – Today, a bipartisan coalition led by principal bill authors Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Chellie Pingree […]
RELEASE: NSAC Endorses American Prairies Conservation Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Kanika Gandhi, 202-547-5754, kgandhi@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Endorses American Prairies Conservation Act Washington, DC, October 4, 2017 – The American Prairies Conservation Act, a bipartisan bill introduced today by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) […]