National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

NSAC’S Blog

NSAC’S Blog

What the Expiration, and Likely Extension, of the 2018 Farm Bill Means for Food and Agriculture

On October 1, 2023, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 – more commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill – expired. Thankfully, in recent days Congress has begun to turn its attention toward a much-needed extension of the 2018 Farm Bill. Yet until an extension is passed, many essential programs will continue to be impacted. This blog post takes a deep dive into the current and potential future impacts of the expired bill, examining which programs are stranded, and what it means for food and agriculture…. Read More →

Release: NSAC Praises Introduction of the Supporting Urban & Innovative Farming Act of 2023 in the House

Representatives Alma Adams, Shontel Brown, Barbara Lee, Jonathan Jackson, Nikema Williams, Eleanor Norton, Jasmine Crockett, Danny Davis, Donald Payne Jr, Elissa Slotkin, Jamie Raskin, Josh Gottheimer, James McGovern, and Sheila Jackson Lee introduced the Supporting Urban & Innovative Farming Act. These Congressional champions join their Senate colleagues in their efforts to secure support for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, while improving content and service delivery for urban, suburban, and innovative producers throughout USDA’s service center network…. Read More →

Building Resilience Through the Conservation Stewardship Program

A key question in the 2023 farm bill reauthorization is whether Congress will approve a bill that builds climate resilience for farmers whose livelihoods depend on it. USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program is perhaps the single most ready-made tool for farmers to voluntarily tackle climate change. This post examines how CSP’s unique design creates greater conservation benefits than other approaches and how spending within the program shows a record of delivering support to producers ready to implement climate friendly practices on their farms…. Read More →

What’s At Stake: Appropriations, Shutdown, and Farm Bill

Last week, both the House and Senate were back in session after more than a month of Congressional recess. As of today, Congress has one week – just 4 session days – until the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 on September 30. This post looks at where things stand across all of these moving pieces as Congress enters a crucial week of fiscal negotiations that will undoubtedly impact on federal food and farm policy…. Read More →

Release: Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act Introduced in Both Houses

Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and David Valadao (R-CA-22) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act (Procurement Reform Act) in both the House and the Senate. The Procurement Reform Act directs the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a fresh produce purchasing program that prioritizes purchasing from beginning, small and mid-size, and socially disadvantaged farmers and distributes high quality produce to food insecure communities nationwide. … Read More →

Correcting the Record: The IRA Made More Money Available for All Conservation Work

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) invested billions of dollars in working lands conservation programs, making more money available to all farmers and for all conservation activities. This post looks at what this means for farmers hoping to implement CSAF practices as well as other conservation activities…. Read More →

More Money Out the Door! Farm Bill and IRA Funding Available Through Conservation Innovation Grants

USDA NRCS announced the availability of $65 million for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. This funding is split into two separate opportunities: $50 million for CIG On Farm Trials and $15 million for CIG Classic. Half of the funding for the On Farm Trials competition was provided through the historic Inflation Reduction Act. This post provides details on both programs and how to apply before the October 30, 2023 deadline…. Read More →

On IRA’s One Year Anniversary, the Top 5 Things to Know About the Historic Investment in Climate-Friendly Agriculture

Just over a year ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The IRA invested nearly $20 billion in climate-friendly agriculture practices. As an organization that represents small and midsized-farmers across the nation, it is difficult to overstate the transformative potential of this funding to support all farmers in building vibrant and productive farms that can contribute to a climate-resilient future. As Congress inches toward Farm Bill reauthorization, this post highlights 5 key things to know about the IRA’s $20 billion investment in climate-friendly agriculture. … Read More →

NSAC Heads to the Rockies – A Summer Meeting Recap

This year’s NSAC Summer Meeting was held last week in sunny (although unusually rainy) Boulder, Colorado. More than 100 members and NSAC staff from across the country gathered at the foothills of the Rockies to re-energize and strategize ahead of the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. Summer Meeting is one of two annual opportunities when NSAC’s nearly 150 member organizations come together in person to discuss the Coalition’s policy and grassroots priorities for the year. At more than 5,000 feet above sea level and with its endless opportunities for outdoor adventure and good food, Boulder was the perfect backdrop to get down to coalition business. … Read More →

USDA Announces $300 Million in Awards to Support Access to Land, Capital, and Markets for Beginning and Undeserved Farmers

This month, the USDA Farm Service Agency announced more than $300 million in awards to 50 projects focused on increasing underserved farmers and ranchers’ access to land, markets, and capital. This post details some of the projects that were awarded under the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (Increasing Land Access) Program (LCM), which funds cooperative agreements or grants for projects that help move underserved producers from surviving to thriving. … Read More →

Guest Post: USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program Details for Growers

This is a guest post written by our partners at the Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG). On July 7, 2023, the USDA announced the opening of the USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, authorized by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). The Farmers’ Legal Action Group has published a Brief Farmers’ Guide to USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, this post outlines key information also available in the free guide…. Read More →

Release: NSAC Celebrates Introduction of Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act

Today, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) Program Improvement Act alongside Senators Booker (D-NJ), Fetterman (D-PA), Smith (D-MN), and Welch (D-VT). If incorporated into the 2023 Farm Bill, this bill will expand insurance access to producers historically left out of the federal crop insurance program. Strong bipartisan interest exists to expand voluntary access to crop insurance to include underserved producers. This Act is the moving vehicle to do that…. Read More →

Release: NSAC Praises Introduction of the Supporting Urban & Innovative Farming Act of 2023 

Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Supporting Urban & Innovative Farming Act. This bill expands support for urban, suburban, and rural farmers through programmatic reforms to improve the content and delivery of technical assistance to urban and innovative producers, increases access to grant funds among farmers, and scales composting and food waste initiatives spearheaded by the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production…. Read More →

COWS Act Aims to Boost Dairy Profitability and Sustainability

Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today introduced the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act. Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced a companion bill in the House (H.R. 4327).The COWS Act would establish a new federal program aiming to improve economic viability and sustainability for the dairy and livestock industry…. Read More →