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National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

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NSAC’S Blog

NSAC’S Blog

Release: Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship Recognizes Outstanding Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture

June 20, 2023

The Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network (SAAFON), the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) announced the names of three students selected to receive the 2023 Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship. Three students: Zymora Davinchi, Miles Lee, and Rodnisha Owens will each receive $5,000 awards to support their studies and bolster their ongoing efforts to advance racial equity in the food and farm system. … Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Press Releases

Comment: NSAC Celebrates Introduction of the Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act 

June 16, 2023

NSAC celebrates the introduction of the Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act, landmark legislation that supports the resilience and innovation of American farmers. Greater investment in publicly funded, regionally adapted, seed varieties and animal breeds will supply US farmers and producers with the tools they need to build a more resilient food system in the face of climate change. Public plant and animal breeding programs have encountered shrinking budgets, declining institutional support, increased labor and land costs, and insufficient federal investments…. Read More →

Filed Under: Press Releases, Research, Education & Extension

Release: Farmers and Advocates Take the Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol

June 15, 2023

This week, advocates and farmers from across the country came to Washington, DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. Hosted by NSAC, a cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates from 6 states met with Congressional leaders and 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 →

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Press Releases

Waste and Water Woes

June 14, 2023

This guest post by Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP), discusses how popular conservation programs should focus on small-scale and sustainable farms, not industrial-scale farms…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

Release: 102 Groups Urge Congress to Choose Farmers over Big Meat in Ag Appropriations Bill

June 13, 2023

102 groups urge Congress to choose farmers over big meat in Ag Appropriations Bill. The letter calls out an appropriations policy rider as an “unacceptable attack” on the USDA’s ability to ensure fair competition for farmers…. Read More →

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases, Sustainable Livestock

Comment: More Than Fifty Food, Farm, and Conservation Organizations Call on Congressional Appropriators to Protect Agriculture Research

June 12, 2023

A letter was sent on behalf of more than 50 food, farm, conservation, and rural organizations to Congressional Appropriators on June 9, 2023, urging them to protect publicly funded agriculture research, especially funding for USDA’s innovative climate change research.

… Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases, Research, Education & Extension

Who Benefits? A Look at the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities Preliminary Awards

June 2, 2023

In February 2022, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) first announced details of its Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities (PCSC). The PCSC is a centerpiece of the Biden Administration’s strategy to help farmers and ranchers address climate change. In late 2022 USDA announced further details about projects, and more recently debuted the Partnerships Network. As the PCSC ramps up in earnest, now is an important moment to take stock of where the program stands and gauge its future promise. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Bipartisan Agrivoltaics Bill Introduced in Senate

June 1, 2023

On May 31, 2023, Senators Heinrich (D-NM) and Braun (R-IN) introduced the Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act of 2023 (S. 1778). Featuring a proposal first outlined in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), the bill provides for the Department of Energy (DoE) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) to jointly focus on advancing research on agrivoltaics and demonstrations of the value of such systems…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

What the debt-ceiling deal means for food and agriculture

May 31, 2023

Over Memorial Day weekend, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) struck a “tentative” deal intended to avoid a catastrophic default on the United States’ debt. In the days since the initial announcement, more details about the deal – now known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, H.R. 3746 – have continued to emerge. As of posting, Congress is expected to pass H.R. 3746 without amendment before June 5, when the Treasury Department would have “insufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations.” In this post, NSAC examines several major components of the deal to better understand these impacts, including annual appropriations and the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. … Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel

Following the Money: A Look at the Billions Behind CBO’s Farm Bill Baseline

May 30, 2023

Every spring, CBO – Congress’s official budgetary scorekeeper – publishes its ten-year projection (or “baseline”) for government spending. CBO’s baseline covers everything funded by the federal government – including farm bill spending. Published most recently on May 12, 2023, CBO’s baseline will be adopted as the official baseline for the 2023 Farm Bill. In this post, NSAC digs into the latest CBO changes to the four largest funding items within the farm bill – Commodity (Title 1), Conservation (Title 2), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, in Title 4), and Crop Insurance (Title 11). It also looks through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, PL 117-169) spending projections included in CBO’s most recent updates…. Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Farm Bill

House FY24 Appropriations Draft Undermines Farmers and Food System

May 22, 2023

Last week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee released their proposal to fund the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for fiscal year (FY) 2024.  At the Subcommittee markup on May 18, House Agriculture Appropriations Chair Andy Harris (R-MD-01) released the text of the House’s FY 2024 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. … Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel

The Country’s Largest Climate Change Planning Effort Needs Input from Agricultural Organizations

May 22, 2023

This guest blog post, authored by Jeanne Merrill, policy consultant representing NSAC on the US EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee, discusses the states and municipalities participating in developing Climate Pollution Reduction Plans under the new Inflation Reduction Act-funded program. This is the first federal program of its kind to support the comprehensive development and implementation of plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

Grazing Lands Awards Bolster Sustainable Conservation Practices

May 19, 2023

Last month, USDA NRCS announced awards for 49 new projects under the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI). This post gives an overview of the most recent round of cooperative agreements and makes the case for why continuing to fund the GLCI is critical to ensure that all farmers and ranchers with grazing operations can access the resources they need to implement conservation on the land…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Sustainable Livestock

Comment: NSAC Responds to House Subcommittee Markup of FY 2024 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

May 17, 2023

NSAC is deeply disappointed to see the initial draft FY 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. There is no surer way to undermine the success of farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and In its current form, this bill represents a consequential step backward for market access, fair competition, climate resilience, equity, and food security…. Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Press Releases

Why Congress Should Mandate a Farm Credit Grant

May 15, 2023

The Farm Credit System (FCS), agriculture’s government sponsored enterprise (GSE), is a nationwide network of customer-owned lenders with a mission to support rural communities and agriculture. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) 2023 Farm Bill Platform includes a proposal that requires FCS, agriculture’s GSE, to grant 15 percent of its annual profits to support underserved producers and food systems enterprises. These grants will build upon successful programs already facilitated by some Farm Credit associations and help fulfill its mission and public mandate to serve young, beginning, and small farmers and ranchers. … Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Farm Bill, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

Historical Perspectives on Food System Transformation

May 12, 2023

This blog post is the culmination of a fellowship research project by NSAC Grassroots Fellow Anthony Singh-Reynoso and highlights three case studies: the struggle for farmworker justice and the United Farm Workers; the necessity of community-based methods of self-sufficiency and the Freedom Farm Cooperative; and the origins of the Farm Bill and the farmer response to the Dust Bowl…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Farm Bill, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

Release: Taxpayer, Farm, and Environmental Advocates Urge Congress to Reject Farm Subsidy Increases

May 10, 2023

A diverse group of taxpayer, agriculture, and environmental organizations held a press conference at the National Press Club to urge Congressional leaders to reject attempts to increase reference prices for covered commodity crops as Congress debates the farm bill. The organizations participating in the press conference included the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Environmental Working Group (EWG), Rural Coalition, FreedomWorks, National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Taxpayers for Common Sense, R-Street, and Farm Action. … Read More →

Filed Under: Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Press Releases

$45 Million Available for Outreach and Assistance to Underserved Producers

May 5, 2023

The USDA announced $45 million in funding for 2501 grants, almost $10 million more than was available last year, to help organizations conduct targeted outreach and provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers. This post details the program, eligibility requirements and features some of the 2022 projects. … Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Grants and Programs, Research, Education & Extension

Senate Hears Commodity and Industry Perspectives on Farm Safety Net and Credit

May 5, 2023

This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee held two hearings featuring commodity and industry perspectives on the farm safety net and credit…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Farm Bill

Release: USDA Announces Details of 12 Regional Food Business Centers and $420 Million for the Regional Food System Initiative

May 3, 2023

The USDA shared details of two of its programs, the Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs) and the new Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). USDA has announced the lead organizations selected for each of the twelve RFBCs. These Centers will provide coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building to help farmers, ranchers, and other food businesses access new markets and navigate federal, state, and local resources. … Read More →

Filed Under: Local & Regional Food Systems, Press Releases

Local Farms and Food Act Strengthens Regional Food Economies Across the US

April 27, 2023

Senator Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4) introduced the Local Farms and Food Act (S.1205, H.R. 2723) that would offer reforms to LAMP among other programs, to respond to lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sustain investments in impacted communities, and promote a resilient local and regional food system. In this post, NSAC outlines how the bill will strengthen local and regional food systems. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access

Release: Farm Safety Net House Subcommittee Hearing Yields Red Flags

April 27, 2023

The House Agriculture Committee’s General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Subcommittee held a hearing entitled: “Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill.” The two-part hearing featured 10 witnesses representing major commodity producers, who shared perspectives on federal crop insurance, commodity price support programs, disaster assistance, and access to lending. … Read More →

Filed Under: Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Farm Bill, Press Releases

Release: Farmer Letter in Support of Agriculture Resilience Act Delivered to Bill Sponsor Representative Pingree

April 21, 2023

NSAC delivered to Representative Pingree (D-ME) a letter in support of the Agriculture Resilience Act. Signed by over 1,000 farmers from 48 states and Puerto Rico, the letter outlines the fundamental threat that climate change presents to agriculture. However, it also points to the ways in which agriculture offers solutions to climate change. … Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases

Release: NSAC Applauds Support for Working Land Conservation Programs in Senate Subcommittee Hearing

April 20, 2023

Today, the Senate Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry and Natural Resources held a hearing entitled: “Conservation in the Farm Bill: Making Conservation Work for Farmers and Ranchers.” Witnesses spoke about the importance of federal conservation programs that support soil health and on-farm infrastructure, and that provide streamlined access opportunities to help build future generations of farmers prepared to meet the challenges of climate change…. Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases

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