With Farm Fresh Food Days and school gardens, these Michigan schools are changing the way their students eat, one bite a time! Once a month, students at Dexter Community Schools see a table spread in their cafeteria that looks more like it belongs at a farmers’ market than a school. Students are drawn to the […]
Release: Assessment Recommends Improvements to National Beginning Farmer & Rancher Grants Program
Contact: Megan Buckingham, Land Stewardship Project, 612-722-6377; Ferd Hoefner, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 202-547-5754 Minneapolis, Minn., June 3, 2015 — The nation’s leading public training program for assisting beginning farmers and ranchers is more popular than ever, and with some key adjustments could better fulfill Congress’s intent to target public funding to community-based organizations that conduct […]
Programs in Action: SARE Supports Beginning Farmers on the Forefront of Organic Research
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of blog posts highlighting Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) projects that support the next generation of farmers. Check out our first blog here, which features two innovative women farmers who used SARE to increase profitability on their farms. The SARE program is a farmer driven research, education […]
Programs in Action: Building Viable Speciality Industries with SARE
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of blog posts highlighting Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) projects that support women and beginning farmers. The SARE program is a farmer driven research, education and extension grants program designed to help advance sustainable agriculture across the country. Over the past 25 years, SARE has […]
Programs in Action: Growing Business with the Value-Added Producer Grant Program
Last week, USDA announced the request for applications for this year’s Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program cycle. Today we check in with a past VAPG grantee to see how their farm business has grown thanks to the grant funding made possible through this important federal program! In 2012, Steve McKaskle and his family had a […]
Release: Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding, $30 Million Available This Cycle
Washington, DC, May 8, 2015 – In conjunction with today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture inviting applications for funding through the Farm Bill’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is releasing a new, updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. In addition to the $30 million notice of […]
The Farmer Perspective: Championing the Farm to School Act of 2015
“Farm to school is great for a community because it builds social capital around health and wellness and makes the connection between the farming community and local schools.” —Jason Grimm, Farmer, Iowa Valley Food Co-op (North English, IA) When most people think of the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR), they think of children. However, federal […]
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Food and Farm Programs
NSAC has compiled a list of April through June deadlines for grant applications and grant assistance workshops…. Read More →
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 →
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 […]
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 →
Release: Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up Extended to March 13
Washington, DC February 23, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the sign-up period for the 2015 edition of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) – the federal farm bill’s largest working lands conservation program. Farmers and ranchers now have two additional weeks – until March 13 – to complete the initial application form. Coinciding […]
Release: New Free Tools Help Farmers, Ranchers Apply for Conservation Stewardship Program Before February 27 Deadline
Washington, DC February 11, 2015 – With a February 27 deadline approaching, farmers and ranchers have only two weeks left to apply to enroll in the federal Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for 2015. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has released two free resources to help farmers and ranchers nationwide learn how the program works […]
New Year, New USDA Farm to School Webinars
Farm to school activities connect school children with healthy foods from local farmers. These efforts include bringing locally produced food into school cafeterias, integrating lessons in agriculture, food, and nutrition into the school day, and establishing school gardens. Farm to school also provides new economic opportunities for local farmers, ranchers, and fishers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports […]
Act Now: Comments on Conservation Stewardship Program are Due January 20!
Using sustainable farming methods to grow food and fiber is nothing new – in fact, sustainable farming is the foundation of growing practices in our nation and around the world. Although many of today’s farmers know more than a thing or two about feeding our nation’s families while conserving soil for future generations, keeping our […]
Release: Farmers and the public must act to help improve nation’s largest conservation program
January 13, 2015, Washington, D.C. – The nation’s largest federal conservation program that helps working farmers manage their land sustainably – the Conservation Stewardship Program – is in major need of improvements, says the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, reflecting the views of farmer constituents of their member organizations. Problems with the program are making it […]