National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

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

NSAC’S Blog

NSAC’S Blog

NSAC’s New Farmers’ Guide to CART Published

Fall is here, and it has brought with it new Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) program deadlines! NRCS recently unveiled a comprehensive list of program deadlines by state for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. This list has information on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program […]

RELEASE: NSAC Urges Congress to Pass Historic Budget Reconciliation Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net  Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: NSAC Urges Congress to Pass Historic Budget Reconciliation Package  Funding Prioritizes Climate Solutions for Agriculture Washington, DC, October 28, 2021 – Today, Congress shared language from the proposed budget reconciliation bill, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to S. Con. Res. 14, the […]

Budget Reconciliation: The Missing Pieces

A lot has changed since we last blogged about budget reconciliation, agriculture, and climate change just two weeks ago. At that point, there were still major outstanding details about the proposed agriculture, forestry, and rural development investments the House and Senate Agriculture Committees had put together, including the entire anticipated conservation and debt relief provisions. In this latest post, NSAC analyzes the conservation and debt relief provisions and give an update on the process and path forward to developing and passing the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation bill. … Read More →

COVID Relief Funding NOW Available for Farmers Markets, Processors and Underserved Farmers

With farmers pulling long hours at the height of harvest season, and cases of the coronavirus skyrocketing across the country, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now providing additional funding to help many in our food and farm supply chains who were left out of previous aid programs. As of October 6, USDA […]

Farmers, Get Your Applications in! COVID-19 Aid Program Closes Next Week

With the cooler fall weather, farmers all across the country are finally beginning to slow down and prepare for the end of this year’s farming season. With the second harvest amidst a global pandemic shortly coming to a close, many farmers will be taking stock over the next few months of how their operations and […]

Everything You Wanted to Know About Budget Reconciliation

Editors Note: At the time of publication, the anticipated conservation and debt relief provisions were not yet publicly available, they have since been released to the public, for analysis on those previously missing pieces, check out our subsequent post “Budget Reconciliation: The Missing Pieces”. At this point if you are paying attention to the news […]

Closed out: How U.S. farmers are denied access to conservation programs

Editor’s Note: This blog post is co-authored by Cathy Day, PhD, NSAC Climate Policy Coordinator and Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP). ITAP is an NSAC member organization with a 30-year history of pursuing cutting edge solutions that benefit family farmers, rural communities and […]

COMMENT: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee FY22 Budget Reconciliation Markup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net  Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee FY22 Budget Reconciliation Markup Washington, DC, September 13, 2021 – In response to the markup and approval of the House Agriculture Committee’s portion of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package today, the National Sustainable Agriculture […]

Advancing Racial Justice and Equity Through the USDA

NSAC recently submitted a response to USDA’s request for comment on how the department can advance racial justice and equity for underserved communities. USDA is hoping to identify barriers that Black, Indigenous, and other BIPOC communities and individuals may face in accessing, enrolling, and participating in USDA programs and services, and engaging with USDA staff. […]

Livestock and Poultry Competition Reform on the Horizon

Livestock consolidation and concentration have been gaining traction in Washington, D.C. Last month, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, signaling a whole of government effort to address concentration and consolidation in US markets. Several initiatives announced could have a far-reaching impact on agriculture, including the intent to strengthen […]

RELEASE: Letter Urges Congressional Leaders to Prioritize Climate Solutions for Agriculture in Budget Reconciliation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net  Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: Letter Urges Congressional Leaders to Prioritize Climate Solutions for Agriculture in Budget Reconciliation Washington, D. C., August 25, 2021 – Today the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) along with 62 leading farming, environmental, and rural development organizations, sent a letter to […]

NSAC Releases Brief on Financing Options for Meat Processing Infrastructure

Editor’s Note: This blog post was co-authored by Matt Kneece, S.C. Policy Coordinator for Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the lead drafter of NSAC’s Issue Brief on Financing Options for Local/Regional Meat Processing Infrastructure and Kelly Nuckolls, Senior Policy Specialist at NSAC. As the food system begins to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, […]