Editor’s Note: This guest blog post is by Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director for the California Climate and Agriculture Network, an NSAC member organization. Jeanne believes that agriculture can play a constructive role in responding to the climate crisis by reducing its carbon footprint. The rollback of federal action to address climate change began in this […]
Support the Farmer Fair Practices Rules, Comments Due Monday!
The deadline to submit your individual or organization’s comments in support of the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule (aka the “competitive injury rule”) is Monday, June 12. The Farmer Fair Practices Rules are a critical set of changes that would bring more fairness and equity to the contract agriculture system by allowing the US […]
Disaster Assistance: from “Not a Penny” to New and Improved
Last week, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) released a new report indicating that changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) made in the 2014 Farm Bill have been well-received by farmers and have led to a doubling of NAP applications – from 66,000 in 2014 to 138,000 in 2015. While this is […]
Au Revoir, Paris: a Bad Move for America, a Bad Deal for Farmers
Farmers are no strangers to the effects of climate change. Extreme weather events – catastrophic floods, severe droughts, and shifting pest pressures – have been impacting farmers across the country for years, and many have responded by increasing their conservation activities and moving to more sustainable production methods. Even with many farmers already implementing climate […]
New Opportunity to Influence Farm Policy at the Local Level
The power to make decisions about agricultural policies and programs lies not only with Congress and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials, but also in the hands of farmers, ranchers, and rural community members across the country. Stakeholders interested in being involved in federal decision making without taking a trip to Washington D.C., should explore the […]
USDA Secretary Testifies on Administration’s Budget Proposal, Department Reorganization
One day after the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget was released, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue headed to Capitol Hill to testify before the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. This subcommittee, along with its counterpart in the Senate, is comprised of the members of Congress who will ultimately determine discretionary funding levels […]
Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Would Spell Disaster for Rural America
The outcry from farmers, farm and food groups, and Members of Congress came swiftly this week following the release of President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget proposal. The nation got its initial preview of the Administration’s priorities this March in an outline budget document termed “the skinny budget”. This week the full proposal, which […]
RELEASE: Budget Proposal Throws Administration’s Promises to Rural America Out the Window
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Budget Proposal Throws Administration’s Promises to Rural America Out the Window Washington, DC, May 23, 2017 – President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request – “A New Foundation for American Greatness” – seeks to cut nearly $230 billion (21 percent) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) bottom line, […]
Progress on Organic Insurance Options and Data Collection
According to two recent reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to Congress, the Department is making some significant progress in their effort to increase the availability of data on organic production as well as the availability of insurance options for organic producers. Quality production data and the expansion of insurance options are inexorably […]
RELEASE: Budget Proposal Guts Rural Development, Cuts Conservation and Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Budget Proposal Guts Rural Development, Cuts Conservation and Research National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Warns Trump Budget Will Be Devastating for Farmers Washington, DC, May 19, 2017 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) had the opportunity to view the second installment of the Trump Administration’s budget […]
USDA Announces $17.5 Million in Agriculture Research Grants
Research is the foundation for growth – in agriculture as in many other industries. On Tuesday, May 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 47 grants totaling $17.5 Million for research projects to improve sustainable agriculture in rural communities. These grant recipients applied for funding through NIFA’s […]
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue Defends Elimination of Rural Development Mission Area
Last week the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) reported on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s plan to reorganize the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by eliminating the Rural Development Mission Area and moving the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) from the Natural Resources and Environment Mission Area to a newly created “Farm Production and Conservation” Mission […]
Bipartisan Legislation Proposes Funding Boost for Organic Agriculture Research
Organic is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture – over the last several years the organic food industry has been creating jobs at four times the national average. Unfortunately, growth in the organic sector has been held back from reaching its full potential due to a lack of investment in research, education programs, […]
Increasing Yield and Enhancing Natural Resources Through Crop Diversification
The conservation benefits of diversified crop rotations have long been known – from healthier soil and less erosion to fewer pests and better water retention, diversified rotations can help farmers address a multitude of environmental concerns. A new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) member organization, highlights […]
USDA Trades Away Rural Development
In its first reorganization in over two decades, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) stands to lose one of its core Mission Areas – Rural Development – according to a plan released yesterday by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. The Department’s restructuring is the result of a congressional directive included in the 2014 Farm Bill, which […]
RELEASE: Proposed Reorganization of USDA Trades Away Rural Development
Editor’s note: This release has been updated to correct a previous misstatement that USDA was restricted by law to having a maximum of seven undersecretary positions. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754, GFogel@sustainableagriculture.net Proposed Reorganization of USDA Trades Away Rural Development Washington, DC, May 11, 2017 – On Thursday, May […]
FDA Helps Businesses Assess FSMA Coverage Based on Sales
For farms and small businesses trying to determine whether and to what extent they may be impacted by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new food safety rules, FDA has recently published an informative website where producers can get some added assistance. If you recall from our previous posts about FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act […]
Stories From the Field: Conservation Programs for New Farming Futures
Raised in western Kansas, Ryan Speer grew up knowing that he wanted to farm. What he didn’t know, however, was how to farm in a way that was both economically and environmentally sustainable. Having come of age during some difficult economic times in farm country, Ryan took the opportunity to study and practice agronomy. Though […]
USDA Freezes New Enrollments in Continuous Conservation Reserve Program
As of May 3, 2017, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) will cease enrollment of any new acres – with the exception of State Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) enrollments – through the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2017. While USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers CCRP, will continue […]
Stories from the Field: Investing in Farmer Ingenuity
When your product is in more stores than there are people in town, you know you’re doing something right. Clay Oliver and his family are from the small town of Pitts, Georgia, but the artisan, cold-pressed oils they produce as Oliver Oil Company are found in kitchens across the country. The Oliver family’s creativity and […]
Wins for Sustainable Agriculture in FY 2017 Spending Package
After three continuing resolutions (CR), which cumulatively delayed the fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations package by over seven months, Congress has finally reached an agreement on funding levels for the remainder of FY 2017. Despite a particularly contentious political environment, one area on which Congress was largely able to agree in the omnibus spending bill […]
COMMENT: NSAC Applauds Congress for Supporting Family Farmers in FY 2017 Omnibus Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754 National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Applauds Congress for Supporting Family Farmers in FY 2017 Omnibus Budget Washington, D.C., May 1, 2017 – With this final FY 2017 spending bill, House and Senate appropriators have sent a clear message: our rural and agricultural communities need to be built up, […]
$5 Million Available for Farmer Food Safety Training Projects
With new federal food safety requirements recently finalized for produce farmers and food processors, there is a critical need for targeted food safety outreach, education, and training. In fact, when Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), it authorized the development of a brand-new competitive grants program specifically dedicated to providing the education and […]
A Late Start Doesn’t Have to Mean a Slow Start: 10 Things Secretary Perdue Can Do Now to Support Family Farmers
On his first day on the job, Sonny Perdue – a former two-term governor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) long-awaited new Secretary – addressed two very important audiences. The first, a formal introduction to USDA staff, was an opportunity for the Secretary to lay out his general vision for the department’s next four […]