June 8, 2020
Last month, the world witnessed yet another killing of a Black person in America at the hands of police. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition grieves the murder of George Floyd and stands with those calling for justice for Mr. Floyd, for Ahmaud Arbery, for Tony McDade, for David McAtee, for Breonna Taylor, and for every […]
June 5, 2020
In May, as the country grappled with an emerging global pandemic and unprecedented demand for food assistance, a national collaboration of organizations working on food systems and healthy food access officially launched the Nutrition Incentive Hub. Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute for Food and […]
June 4, 2020
USDA has finally filled key new positions to ensure beginning farmers are fully supported and able to get the help they need to grow their farm.
May 28, 2020
Americans’ interest in knowing more about where, how, and by whom their food is produced has been growing for many years and the coronavirus pandemic has shown new light on the serious shortcomings in our highly concentrated food production system. Along with the rise of the local food movement there has also been a building […]
May 28, 2020
USDA recently announced changes to federal farm loan programs that may provide immediate, short-term relief to some farmers impacted by the COVID pandemic. However, there are important details and restrictions that farmers need to know about to see if they are eligible for relief.
May 28, 2020
Editor’s Note: This is the first blog in a series that focuses on the provisions of the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. The first blog focuses on the […]
May 27, 2020
The Reinvestment Fund (RF) recently announced the opening of 2020 applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Targeted Small Grants program. Funding for the HFFI is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the Farm Bill to offer $3 million in grant funds for food […]
May 22, 2020
USDA recently announced details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will open for enrollment on May 26, 2020. CFAP will provide $16 billion in aid to farmers who suffered economic losses due to the pandemic. NSAC is glad to see relief begin to flow to farmers, but there are several shortcomings in the program that will make it more difficult for some farmers to seek relief. In this blog, we break down what farmers need to know about this new program.
May 21, 2020
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced the availability of $15 million for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. This is in addition to the $25 million announced in March for on-farm trials. This funding announcement is the traditional CIG option that has been offered in the past and is referred to as […]
May 21, 2020
There is more meat available than it seems, and that is thanks to farmers and ranchers, plant workers, small plant operators, and others working throughout the food supply chain.