FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Lavender National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition mlavender@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 734.417.8710 Comment: NSAC Urges Senate to Support Grassley “Actively Engaged” Amendment Washington, DC, June 30, 2025 –– The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in support of Amendment #2527 filed by Senator Chuck […]
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Analysis: New Enrollments Reveal Path Forward
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP), a novel insurance product that offers farmers nationwide the option to insure the revenue of their entire operation, including crop, livestock, and nursery production, under a single policy. WFRP also rewards adoption of business practices that reduce risk with its premium discount for crop […]
Path to the Farm Bill: Expanding Access to Credit
Editor’s Note: This post is the sixth post in a multi-part series exploring some of the key sustainable agriculture and food systems challenges that the farm bill can address. Through a series of posts comparing the House and Senate Agriculture Committees’ proposals, we provide an assessment of how each chamber’s bill would address a given […]
Take Action: This Farm Bill Should Center Conservation, Not Consolidation
This week, farmers, consumers, and advocates across the country are making calls to Congress with a central message: pass a farm bill for all farmers that centers conservation, not consolidation. Farm bill negotiations may be heating up once again after a standstill that has left members of Congress divided about what to prioritize. Now is the time to act. … Read More →
Find a Crop Insurance Agent Who Sells Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Near You
The USDA’s RMA has released a directory of crop insurance agents specializing in Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP), aiding farmers in finding agents experienced in selling policies tailored to smaller, diversified operations. This resource, which NSAC has advocated for, aims to address the challenge of locating knowledgeable agents and is part of broader efforts to improve and expand WFRP through legislative initiatives like the WFRP Improvement Act…. Read More →
Farm, Taxpayer, Conservation Groups Agree: Don’t Raise Reference Prices
Groups at the Summit on the Future of Farm Subsidies agreed Congress must oppose increasing reference prices and curb unlimited insurance subsidies…. Read More →
Agricultural Diversification: Practice and Policy
On the eve of the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization, this post drills down into the potential shape of a diversified U.S. agricultural landscape and the policies that are most closely aligned with incentivizing its creation. This post focuses on policies most directly shaping on-farm landscape diversity…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds USDA Investments to Improve Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds USDA’s commitment of funds to improve the tracking and analysis of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. As the agency increasingly focuses on implementing incentive-based support for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, effective measurement becomes ever more vital. Our understanding of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture has developed substantially over the past decades, but remains inadequate for fully understanding the best paths toward greenhouse gas reductions in agriculture. The $300 million USDA is investing in developing measurement systems will be key to expanding our understanding of how crop and livestock systems can best be improved to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions to far below their current levels, and perhaps even to make agriculture a system with potential for net greenhouse gas sequestration.”… Read More →
Bipartisan Agrivoltaics Bill Introduced in Senate
On May 31, 2023, Senators Heinrich (D-NM) and Braun (R-IN) introduced the Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act of 2023 (S. 1778). Featuring a proposal first outlined in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), the bill provides for the Department of Energy (DoE) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) to jointly focus on advancing research on agrivoltaics and demonstrations of the value of such systems…. Read More →
Why Congress Should Mandate a Farm Credit Grant
The Farm Credit System (FCS), agriculture’s government sponsored enterprise (GSE), is a nationwide network of customer-owned lenders with a mission to support rural communities and agriculture. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) 2023 Farm Bill Platform includes a proposal that requires FCS, agriculture’s GSE, to grant 15 percent of its annual profits to support underserved producers and food systems enterprises. These grants will build upon successful programs already facilitated by some Farm Credit associations and help fulfill its mission and public mandate to serve young, beginning, and small farmers and ranchers. … Read More →
Senate Hears Commodity and Industry Perspectives on Farm Safety Net and Credit
This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee held two hearings featuring commodity and industry perspectives on the farm safety net and credit…. Read More →
Largest Federally-Funded Climate Change Planning Effort Gets Underway
This guest blog post authored by Jeanne Merrill, policy consultant representing NSAC on U.S. EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee, discusses plans and next steps related to EPA-funded climate planning efforts resulting from the Inflation Reduction Act. … Read More →
The Agriculture Resilience Act in 2023
The Agriculture Resilience Act represents a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change in agriculture. First of its kind, the act addresses climate change throughout much of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) programming–not only that which affects farmers, but elements that shape the larger food system, as well. There is broad public support for government incentive-based solutions to climate challenges in agriculture. With its focus on incentives for best practices throughout agricultural programs, the ARA represents exactly what the public, researchers, and advocates have been calling for to move agriculture toward climate resilient systems…. Read More →
GAO Urges Congress to Reduce Crop Insurance Subsidies… Again
GAO released a report urging Congress to reduce crop insurance subsidies for the highest-income participants and private insurance companies…. Read More →
Record-High Crop Insurance Subsidies Are Unsustainable
Record-high subsidies to the federal crop insurance program are unsustainable and must be curbed in the 2023 Farm Bill…. Read More →
DON’T HARM CROP INSURANCE, IMPROVE IT!
Barriers in program design and implementation leave small and nonconventional farmers without access to crop insurance…. Read More →
Big Wins on Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
The Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently announced significant changes to improve the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program…. Read More →
$300 Million Invested into New Organic Transition Initiative
The Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) is USDA’s recent program aimed at helping “build new and better markets and streams of income” for organic farmers and producers, by providing producers with technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring, financial assistance for conservation and crop insurance, and support developing markets. … Read More →
Long-Term Agroecological Research Showcases New Innovations for Resilient Agriculture
A virtual briefing featured the ground-breaking research of USDA’s LTAR network, which helps farmers and ranchers overcome productivity challenges while improving environmental stewardship…. Read More →
How do working lands conservation programs shape cover crop adoption?
A recent study led by the American Soybean Association (ASA) claims to demonstrate the differing value of two agricultural working lands conservation programs and their ability to create increased adoption of cover crops. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) takes issue with several aspects of the study. … Read More →
PLANS TO BOOST COMMODITY PRODUCTION A HOUSE OF CARDS
Recent executive actions and proposals in Congress to boost commodity production will only perpetuate a failing food and farming system…. Read More →
New $25 Million Funding Opportunity to Provide Technical Assistance to Underserved Farmers Closes Soon
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new investment of $25 million in grants for the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Technical Assistance Investment Program (ARPTAI) – a new program to provide historically underserved farmers, ranchers and forest landowners technical support in accessing USDA programs and services…. Read More →
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Analysis: A Few Bad Apples
Due to complicated rules, farmer skepticism, and insurance agent disinterest, the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program is not performing near its optimal potential. … Read More →
$19 Million Available to Support Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in 2022
USDA announced $19 million for the BFRDP in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Request for Application (RFA). Applicants have until May 19, 2022, to apply for this year’s round of grants…. Read More →

