The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Interim Policy Director, in support of the introduction of Representative Schrier’s H.R. 9667…. Read More →
NSAC’S Blog
NSAC’s Top 10 of 2022: A Year in Review
The end of a year signifies a time to reflect on all the most important accomplishments and tribulations of the past year. At NSAC, we had the opportunity to celebrate and find new reasons to expand our advocacy to support sustainable agriculture practices, small-scale producers, diversified farming, local food systems, and beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers. This post shares NSAC’s Top 10 accomplishments of 2022. … Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Advancing Racial Equity Across the Food System
This is the fifth post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform which discusses the need to craft a farm bill that advances racial equity by improving access to USDA funding and programs for underserved individuals and communities, and particularly farmers of color; increasing funding for programs and policies that support underserved communities and particularly farmers of color; and strengthening data collection, analysis, reporting, and transparency to inform racial equity-driven decision-making…. Read More →
Climate and Agriculture Policy Recommendations from House Climate Leaders
Two different bodies within the House of Representatives recently released recommendations for how to address climate change in agricultural legislation. Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) provided recommendations to House leadership on how to address climate change in the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. In addition, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) released a final report on its accomplishments as well as additional opportunities–including those that can be included in the next Farm Bill…. Read More →
Release: Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Advances
Congress released a $1.7 trillion year-end bipartisan spending package. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 consists of all 12 fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations bills. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is encouraged to see Congress taking steps to avoid a continuing resolution with concrete progress toward a bipartisan FY2023 spending bill…. Read More →
USDA announces another year of critical local food funding
USDA recently announced the 2022 Regional Food System Partnership and the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion program awards, totaling $64 million through 185 grants to bolster local and regional food economies across the country. In this post, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) highlights fourteen NSAC members that were awarded a grant this year. … Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Building a Climate-Resilient Future
This is the fourth post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform which details how conservation programs and research centered on ecologically beneficial approaches can support farmers and their communities, contributing to a climate-resilient future. … Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Leveling the Playing Field
This is the third post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, which advances recommendations that would level the playing field for small and mid-sized farms by supporting beginning farmers’ access to land and capital; fixing the flawed farm safety net and improving access for diversified farmers; and addressing corporate consolidation and restoring fair competition. … Read More →
Release: USDA Announces Second Round of Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities Awards
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the second-round awardees of the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities, a USDA effort to combat the climate crisis by partnering with agriculture, forestry, and rural communities to provide climate solutions that strengthen rural America. NSAC is pleased to see that the Administration’s latest round of awards will benefit more than 30 minority-serving institutions and more than 20 Tribal partners…. Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Investing in Healthy Communities
This is the second post in NSAC’s series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, focusing on how the Farm Bill can invest in healthy rural and urban communities by strengthening the resilience of local and regional supply chains, increasing market opportunities for small and mid-sized farms and processors, enhancing job growth and local economic development through workforce development and training, and ensuring the most vulnerable have ample access to nutritious, culturally-relevant, locally-produced foods…. Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Toward a More Resilient and Equitable Food and Farm System
This is the first post in a multipart series on NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, meant to serve as an introduction to the platform and to NSAC’s overarching goals and priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill…. Read More →
Release: Groups Share Bipartisan Principles for 2023 Farm Bill
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), R Street Institute, Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), and U.S. PIRG released a joint set of farm bill reform principles in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Publishes Comprehensive 2023 Farm Bill Platform
NSAC’s comprehensive 2023 Farm Bill Platform provides title-by-title recommendations across farm bill programs and policies detailing how Congress can better support farmers and ranchers by strengthening their bottom lines, their communities, and their resilience. … Read More →
Getting Into the Meat of It: A Roundup of Livestock and Poultry Reform and Resilience Bills
This post is a roundup of federal legislation, some new and some old, that would positively impact meat production, processing regulations, and food safety inspection. Most of the bills are in response to the effects of consolidation across the meat industry, and how consolidation allows for upward price manipulation…. Read More →
USDA Announces 2501 Grant Awards Supporting Farmers of Color and Veterans
Last month, USDA announced over $36 million in 2501 grants to 52 organizations across the country for outreach and technical assistance to underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers. The Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, more commonly known as the “2501 Program,” and administered by USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE), helps to ensure that historically underserved producers have equitable access to the information, programs, and opportunities that will help them to find success in agriculture…. Read More →
$100 Million to Support Transitioning and Existing Organic Producers
On October 24, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced cooperative agreements in six regions across the country for the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP will invest up to $100 million over five years in cooperative agreements with non-profit organizations to provide technical assistance to transitioning and existing organic farmers. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Applauds First Round of Investments to Expand Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity
NSAC applauds USDA’s announcement of the first round of new, historic investments to increase competition and expand meat and poultry processing capacity. The Biden-Harris Administration is investing $73 million in 21 grant projects through this initial round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) – a program which aims to increase options for livestock producers, promote competition across the economy, and lower costs for American families. … Read More →
Attention All Farmers: Be Represented in US Farm Policy by Participating in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is gearing up to send its survey for the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Whether or not you have participated in the past, filling out the survey is an important way for every farmer in America to influence the policies and programs that impact US agriculture every day…. Read More →
Farmers and Advocates Fly-in to DC to Call for Climate and Sustainability Action in the 2023 Farm Bill
With the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization on the horizon, advocates and farmers from across the country gathered in Washington, DC last month to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. NSAC hosted a cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates for more than thirty meetings with Congressional leaders and senior USDA officials to encourage them to prioritize sustainable food and farm needs in the upcoming farm bill and in ongoing program implementation efforts. … Read More →
Release: USDA Announces $800 Million in Assistance to Distressed Farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that distressed borrowers with qualifying USDA farm loans have already received nearly $800 million in assistance, as part of the $3.1 billion in assistance for distressed farm loan borrowers provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). … Read More →
USDA Invests $550 Million to Assist Underserved Producers: Funding Seeks to Increase Access to Land, Capital, and Markets and to Train the Next Generation of Agricultural Professionals
USDA is making a historic new investment to fund and direct action to help underserved producers with the resources, tools, programs, and technical assistance they need to succeed in agriculture. With funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Section 1006, as amended by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA will make available $550 million for projects that enable underserved producers to access land, capital, and markets, as well as train the next generation of agricultural professionals…. Read More →
Release: Updated NSAC Report Illustrates Minimal Impact of Crop Insurance Subsidy Caps on Farms
NSAC published an updated version of a special report projecting billions in taxpayer savings over 10 years if modest payment caps are instituted on subsidized discounts for farmers who purchase crop insurance. The updated report includes an addendum that features several projections demonstrating the real impact of payment caps outlined in the original report: An Economic Analysis of Payment Caps on Crop Insurance Subsidies, first published in July 2022…. Read More →
Big Wins on Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
The Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently announced significant changes to improve the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program…. Read More →
Release: New USDA Proposed Rule to Give Livestock and Poultry Growers Fair Shake
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauded Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for the publication of a new proposed rule to modernize the century-old Packers and Stockyards Act: “Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act.” This is the second of three expected rules first announced in President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy and arrives on the heels of a proposed rule to bring transparency to the poultry tournament system published in June.
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