On Tuesday, May 24, USDA released the Request for Applications (RFA) for its Organic Transitions Program. The overall goal of the Organic Transitions Program is to support the development and implementation of research, extension, and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are newly […]
NSAC’S Blog
Breathtaking in its Recklessness
. If passed this bill will endanger our nation’s supply of clean water, increase the already alarming levels of soil erosion, and sell our farmers out to multinational meat and poultry conglomerates … to name just a few. ACT NOW Tell the Senate to Reject this Reckless Bill Yesterday afternoon, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee […]
House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Passes FY2012 Funding Bill
On Tuesday, March 24, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies passed by voice vote its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill, which would cut USDA and FDA discretionary programs by 13.4 percent on top of a similar amount in the FY 2011 bill completed last month. […]
House FY2012 Appropriations Bill Would Slash Conservation, Rural Development, and Research Programs
On Monday, May 23, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies released a draft of its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill. The Subcommittee will debate, potentially amend, and almost certainly pass the bill on Tuesday during an afternoon markup. Before the bill can become law, […]
The Long and Winding (Budget Deal) Road
Washington continued down the long and winding road toward a budget agreement this week. Depending on one’s point of view, nothing happened or lots happened. What did not happen was introduction of a Senate budget resolution, much less mark-up of a resolution in the Senate Budget Committee. But here are some of the things that […]
Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Livestock Farmers and Ranchers from Packer Price Manipulation
On Thursday, May 19, Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chuck Grassley (D-IA), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced a bill (S. 1026) with measures to protect independent livestock farmers and ranchers from price manipulation by packers and processors. Senators Enzi, Grassley, and Johnson co-sponsored a similar bill in 2009. The Livestock Marketing Fairness Act […]
Merrigan Keynotes Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Foods Gathering
Introduced by Congressman Sam Farr (D-17th/CA) as “someone who really gets it,” USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan keynoted Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions conference on May 19. The event attracted food and agriculture writers who could have a real book editor salary from around the nation. The good news, Merrigan explained, is that “there’s […]
House Members Join Big Packers’ Effort to Deny Justice to Farmers and Ranchers
On Monday, May 29, a letter signed by 147 members of the House of Representatives was delivered to USDA Secretary Vilsack urging him to withdraw a proposed fair competition rule issued on June 22, 2010. The anti-farmer and rancher letter was sent despite containing a major factual inaccuracy that was called to the attention of […]
Healthy Farms, Healthy People Summit
by NSAC Policy Associate Helen Dombalis A diverse group of over 100 farm, food, and health stakeholders came together in Washington, DC Tuesday and Wednesday for Healthy Farms, Healthy People: A Farm & Food Policy Summit for a Strong America. The summit was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and convened […]
National Genetics Board Being Re-Established
On Monday, May 16, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) published a notice or intent and request for nominations in the Federal Register for the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council. The Council has been dormant but is in the process of being re-established. Its purpose is to formulate recommendations on actions and policies with respect […]
House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Funding Allocation and Markup Date
On Wednesday, May 11, House Republican appropriations leaders outlined their plans for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 government funding bills, with a goal to scale back funding by a net of $30 billion relative to FY 2011 (and $122 billion relative to the Administration’s requested levels). The Department of Defense appropriation would shoot up $17 […]
NSAC Joins 160 Organizations to Urge Release of Report on Antitrust – Regulatory Enforcement Workshops
On Wednesday, May 11, NSAC joined 160 organizations on a letter urging USDA and the Department of Justice to complete and release a report on the findings from five workshops held in 2010 on antitrust issues and regulatory enforcement in farm and food sectors. Hundreds of farmers and ranchers attended the workshops held across the […]
Deadline to Apply for FY 2011 Organic Initiative Support Next Week
The deadline to apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives (EQIP) Organic Initiative Program is coming up fast. USDA has allocated $50 million for the Organic Initiative Program in 2011, which is available for all three of the following: certified organic growers, those transitioning to organic farming systems, and farmers exempt from formal certification.* The Organic […]
Funds Available for Healthy Food Financing Initiative
On Thursday, May 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for a portion of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). A total of $10 million is available for “projects located in food deserts and designed to improve access to healthy, affordable foods.” In addition to retail […]
SARE Grant Proposal Deadlines
A number of important deadlines for pre-proposals and proposals to USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program lie ahead this spring, summer, and fall. SARE, part of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, is a national competitive grants and education program operating in every state and island protectorate. The program is operated regionally […]
Prince Charles, Vilsack, and others explore Future of Food
Just five days after his son William’s wedding that drew millions of viewers, the Prince of Wales keynoted Wednesday’s Future of Food conference at Georgetown University with an impassioned 40 minute talk. Prince Charles, who has farmed “as sustainably as possible” for 26 years, explained why conventional agriculture is simply not sustainable. The “business as […]
Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network Releases Business Planning Guide
The Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN) recently released a small business planning guide for small scale meat processors. The short guide walks readers through a basic business plan, and provides financial projections for different types of processing facilities, from a mobile slaughter unit to a facility with a full service retail meat counter. Different […]
Farm Service Agency Makes Good Choice for First BCAP Project
On Thursday, May 5, USDA Secretary Vilsack announced that the first Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project area would cover 30 counties in western Missouri and nine counties in Eastern Kansas, with biomass facilities operated by the Show Me Energy Cooperative as the biomass conversion facilities for the project. About $15 million will be available […]
Senate Bills Take Different Routes to Phase-Out Ethanol Tax Credit
This week saw the introduction of two Senate bills with different routes to phasing out the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) for ethanol blended with gasoline and a tariff and ad valorem tax on imported ethanol, both of which are intended to stimulate ethanol production in the U.S. Last December, Congress approved legislation that […]
Food Desert Locator Tool Released
Following on previous efforts to make information available to the public using visual interfaces, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released the Food Desert Locator this week. This new tool provides population characteristics of areas considered food deserts according the definition by the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Working Group. The HFFI, a partnership between the […]
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Review Jury Award to Poultry Growers
On Monday, May 2, the U.S. Supreme Court declined, without comment, a petition of certiorari to review a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case O.K. Industries v. Been. The Appeals Court upheld a federal jury award of $14.5 million to poultry growers from a poultry processor because of the processor’s violations of […]
Don’t Sign This
A small handful of giant meatpackers and processors have been underpaying and unfairly treating farmers and ranchers for decades. 10 months ago USDA issued a proposed livestock and poultry rule (also called the “GIPSA” rule) that would rein in some of their worst practices The big meat packers and processors have lobbied hard against these […]
AGree?
On Tuesday, May 3, a new federal food, agriculture, and rural development policy initiative was launched by eight major foundations at a press event in DC. The new eight-year project will be aimed at “transforming US food and agriculture policy” with an equal focus on domestic and international impacts. It will be known as “AGree,” […]
Stop Cuts to Conservation
Think this might be a good time to cut spending on soil conservation? Think Again. The New York Times recently reported that higher prices for corn and soy coupled with severe storms fueled by climate change were producing unsustainable levels of soil erosion in Iowa and other Corn Belt states. That same week Congress approved […]