USDA’s Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) issued proposed rules in June that promise to outlaw preferential pricing, expand producer rights to sue over unfair and deceptive practices, and compel contract fairness for poultry producers. The rules have been widely praised by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), NSAC member groups from all parts of the country, and many other farm organizations…. Read More →
NSAC’S Blog
Revised Senate Food Safety Bill Includes Important Amendments
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a copy of the “manager’s amendment” to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) which is, in essence, the bill as reported out of the HELP Committee late last year as modified by a long and arduous set of negotiations that have taken place […]
Senators Support USDA’s Comprehensive GIPSA Proposed Rule
On Friday, August 13, twenty-one Senators from joined on a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack in support of a proposed rule to clarify and strengthen the protections for farmers and ranchers provided in the Packers and Stockyards Act. The letter was sponsored by Senators Tom Harkin (IA) and Tim Johnson (SD). A copy of the letter […]
USDA Grants for Renewable Energy Systems Feasibility Studies
On Friday, August 6, USDA announced that $3 million in FY2010 funding is available for grants to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy systems for agriculture producers and rural small businesses. The grants are part of the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Grant applications must be submitted to your state Rural Development office by […]
Senate Passes Child Nutrition Bill
On Thursday, August 5, the Senate passed a child nutrition program re-authorization bill by unanimous consent. The bill provides a 6-cent per meal increase in school lunch reimbursements, expands school meal eligibility, and establishes stronger nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. It also includes $40 million in mandatory funding for the Farm to […]
Grassley-Feingold Re-Introduce Commodity Cap Bill
On Wednesday, August 4, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) introduced legislation to reduce farm program payment limits and close the loopholes that are being used by mega farms to game the system and soak the taxpayer. The Rural America Preservation Act (bill number not yet assigned) would cap commodity payments at not […]
Farmers Markets Week and New Resources
Farmers markets improve access to the freshest possible fruits and vegetables while providing direct market farmers with an important source of income. To celebrate the bountiful services they provide, the USDA has declared August 1-7, 2010 as National Farmers Market Week. As USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack declared, “farmers markets play a key role in developing […]
Take Advantage of the Summer Congressional Recess
ACTION ALERT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SUMMER CONGRESSIONAL RECESS TO TELL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO SUPPORT USDA’S PROPOSED RULES FOR FAIR PLAY IN LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY MARKETS You don’t have to go all the way to Washington DC to meet with your Congressman, Senators or their staff. Five times a year your legislators come […]
Know Your Farmer Blog and Agency Guides
USDA programs can often seem enigmatic and confusing. Many farmers, rural development and conservation groups in need of financial or technical assistance are often either unaware of what USDA programs exist, or lack access to the assistance they seek. The USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative seeks to remedy this disconnect by strengthening […]
USDA Interim Rule for the Conservation Reserve Program
On Wednesday, July 28, USDA issued an interim rule to implement provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which were not implemented under two previously issued CRP interim rules. The interim rule is effective immediately. USDA is taking public comments on the interim rule, due by September 27, 2010, that […]
USDA Extends Comment Period for GIPSA Proposed Rules
Bowing to pressure from a group of large-scale livestock and poultry packers and processors and House Agriculture Committee members who are aligned with them, USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) announced on July 26 that it is extending the public comment period on proposed rules for the Packers & Stockyards Act by 90 days. […]
Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act Update
The Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act, first enacted in 1999, requires USDA to establish a program of information regarding the marketing of cattle, swine, lambs, and the products of this livestock. The Act requires that the information, including price and volume information, be provided in a format that can be readily understood by producers; […]
Legislative Roundup: Farm Credit Funding Passes, Other Food and Farm Legislation Could Move
[Friday July 30 update to story below — A measure to fund the Pigford II class action settlement between USDA and black farmers is now expected to come to the Senate floor early next week as a stand alone measure. The Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) is now not expected to be taken up […]
Conservation Reserve Program General Sign-Up Announced
On Monday, July 26, USDA announced that a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up will be held from August 2-27, 2010. This is the 39th sign-up for the CRP according to the somewhat unusual Farm Service Agency (FSA) sign-up counting system. It will be the first general sign-up since 2006. Under a CRP general sign-up, […]
Letter Supports Reinstatement of Shirley Sherrod
The Rural Coalition has crafted a sign on letter that expressed disappointment in the hasty removal of Shirley Sherrod from her position as USDA State Rural Development Director for Georgia on July 19, 2010. The letter—which went out to the press, the Secretary, the President, and the Attorney General multiple times last week—acknowledges the leadership […]
Update on USDA Hoop House Pilot Program
In December, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched a 3-year pilot program to provide cost-share funding to farmers who want to extend the growing season on their farms by using high tunnels (sometimes referred to as hoop houses). Read NSAC’s last update on the program. A big ‘thank you!’ to all the NSAC […]
TELL CONGRESS THAT YOU WANT A FAIR DEAL FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS
Farmers and ranchers who raise livestock and poultry need your help to get a fair deal and a level playing field with meat and poultry processors. The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry held a hearing on Tuesday, July 20 that focused on USDA proposed rules to strengthen and clarify the protections for […]
Specialty Crop and Organic Producers Testify
Specialty crop and organic producers are “classic entrepreneurs” said Subcommittee Chair, Dennis Cardoza (D-CA). Rep. Cardoza spoke on Wednesday, July 21st at the House Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture hearing to review specialty crop and organic programs in preparation for the 2012 Farm Bill. Cardoza began the hearing with praise for specialty crop producers, […]
Senate Deliberates On Rural Development and Energy in the Farm Bill
On Wednesday, July 21, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry convened to hear from several witnesses regarding rural development and the farm bill. The hearing centered on the potential benefits of alternative fuels production and research both for developing rural communities and for strengthening national security. A list of witnesses and a link […]
NSAC Sends Letter to White House and Congress Opposing Conservation Cuts
On Wednesday, July 21, NSAC, along with over 70 other farm, conservation, and environmental organizations sent a letter to the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a letter to President Obama expressing strong opposition to any use of farm bill conservation program funding as an offset to pay for improvements to school meal programs. […]
Ad Calls for Urgent Action on Child Nutrition Bill
On Wednesday, July 21, a full page Feeding America advertisement appeared in CQ Today and Roll Call, two Capitol Hill publications, urging Congress to pass a “robust, well-funded child nutrition bill this summer.” Support for the ad stems from a large and diverse group of organizations, including the Alliance to End Hunger, the American Cancer […]
House Committee Looks at USDA Rural Development
On Tuesday, July 20, the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing to assess progress on Rural Development program implementation and hear ideas from the field in advance of the 2012 Farm Bill. USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager emphasized the “five pillars” the agency […]
Revised Chart on FY 2011 Ag Appropriations
With both the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee and the full Senate Appropriations Committee now having taken action on their Fiscal Year 2011 agricultural spending bills, NSAC is posting a revised version of its annual agriculture appropriations chart to our website. The chart provides detailed funding level decisions on a program-by-program basis for about 40 USDA […]
USDA Boosts Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
The USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) is requesting a second round of applications for the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Competitive Grants Program (OASDFR), a program that seeks to ensure equitable participation in USDA programs for minority producers. The OAO will fund up to $4.7 million in grants to […]