Editor’s Note: For more information on the state of organic agriculture, see this article’s companion post: “Inter-Agency Blockages Threaten to Halt Further Progress on Organic Crop Insurance“ Consumer demand for organic products has been growing steadily – U.S. organic food sales approached an estimated $37 billion in 2015, up 12 percent from the previous year. […]
NSAC’S Blog
Inter-Agency Blockages Threaten to Halt Further Progress on Organic Crop Insurance
Editor’s Note: For more information on the state of organic agriculture, see this article’s sister post: “Consumer Sentiment and Supply Scalability Will Determine Future of Organic Price Premiums“ In just one year’s time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has more than doubled the number of organic crops that are able to […]
RELEASE: Farm Groups and Farm Lenders Appeal for Assistance During Credit Crunch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754, jobudzinski@sustainableagriculture.net Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754, fhoefner@sustainableagriculture.net Farm Groups and Farm Lenders Appeal for Assistance During Credit Crunch Washington, DC, June 2, 2016 – Operating loans are the lifeblood of farming. They help farmers get crops in the ground, by financing needed supplies and equipment, and when necessary, refinancing earlier loans. The federal government […]
Seven Major FSMA Rules Now Final
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently finalized two of the remaining major rules required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): one governing shippers, carriers, and any other entity involved in transporting food (the “Transport Rule”), and another overseeing intentional acts of adulteration in the food supply (the “Intentional Adulteration Rule”). These […]
Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of GE Crop Production Raise Concerns
While the issue of GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling is certainly an important one, there are many other concerns with genetically engineered (GE) crops and food of importance to the sustainable agriculture movement, and that are often at risk of being overshadowed by the labeling debate. A prime example of this are questions regarding the […]
USDA Finds Rising Income Inequality Is Main Driver of Increasing Rural Child Poverty
Nearly a decade after the 2007 recession, the U.S. economy continues to move steadily toward recovery; unemployment has been cut in half (down to 5 percent), and average family incomes have increased 6 percent in just the last two years. By now the slow but rising tide of economic improvement has touched most corners of the […]
$3 Million Available for Biomass-to-Energy Projects
When you think of sustainable energy, what comes to mind? For most people, solar and wind power would top the list, but many may not realize that sustainable energy can also be generated from on-farm plant matter and animal waste. Many farmers are already using this method, called “bioenergy”, which is produced from a variety of […]
House Passes Controversial Child Nutrition Reauthorization Amidst Growing Opposition
Eight months after the last iteration of the Child Nutrition Act expired, the House Education and Workforce Committee this week advanced a controversial Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR) out of committee. After several hours of discussion and 31 proposed amendments, the “Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016” (H.R. 5003) passed by a 20 […]
A Breakdown of the Senate’s Annual Food and Farm Spending Bill
Each year, Congress debates and makes key decisions about federal funding priorities for all government agencies, programs, and initiatives – including programs and resources that support our nation’s farmers and ranchers. This week marks an important step in that process (known as appropriations), as the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill to fund the U.S. […]
$100 Million Available for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grants
More than $100 million in grant funding is now available to support farm and food research, education, and extension projects that address key challenges, including those facing sustainable and organic farming systems and rural communities. This support is made available through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – USDA’s largest federal competitive research grants […]
USDA Report Shows Organic Crop Insurance Losses Roughly Track Conventional
Organic producers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP), are limited to farming according to a set of practices and standards that must demonstrate a commitment to protecting natural resources and conserving biodiversity. They also may only use NOP-approved substances (e.g., herbicides, fertilizers, etc.). Given organic agriculture’s adherence to a more […]
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Food and Farm Programs
Editor’s Note: ‘Tis the season for federal program deadlines. In our ongoing effort to keep readers appraised of upcoming opportunities, we are issuing a revised list of program application information. As warmer weather settles in, farmers are busy planting crops, livestock are grazing on pasture, and farmers markets across the country are once again full […]
SARE Stories from the Field: The Buzz on Pollinator Conservation
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth and final blog in our series highlighting the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Our previous blog featured farmers in California’s Salinas Valley and how they were able to reduce farm inputs through improved nutrient management When you hear the term “pollinator”, what do you think of? For most people, honeybees would […]
Senate Debate of Agriculture Appropriations Bills to Begin Next Week
This week, Congressional appropriators returned from their weeklong recess to pick up where they left off and continue finalizing funding bills for fiscal year (FY) 2017. While the House Appropriations Committee passed its agriculture appropriations bill on April 19, which included funding bills for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug […]
RELEASE: New “Farmers’ Guide” Helps Organic Producers Apply for Buffer Initiative
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition announces the publication of their Organic Farmers’ Guide… Read More →
Final Environmental Cost-Share Rule Fails to Incorporate Sustainability Recommendations
Farmers and ranchers are important stewards of our natural resources. Through national initiatives like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is able to support farmers and ranchers in their efforts to introduce conservation efforts on their lands and more sustainably manage their operations. EQIP, managed by USDA’s Natural Resource […]
$72 Million Investment in Soil Health to Help Farmers Address Climate Change
As the impacts of climate change become more extreme, resilient agriculture systems are critical to maintaining economic, ecological, and community health. In the face of such uncertainty, we must prioritize the establishment of food production systems that are diverse and flexible enough to deal with a changing climate. On May 12, 2016, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) […]
Rural Energy Awards Help Farmers Keep the Lights On
As climate variability and energy costs continue to rise, producing on-farm, renewable energy has become an attractive option for many farmers and ranchers. In order to help farmers and ranchers save money by becoming more energy efficient, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants and loans to farmers and rural businesses to make […]
USDA Enrolls 800,000 Acres in Long-Term Conservation Contracts
Healthy soils are the underpinning of the agricultural economy. On the most marginal, highly erodible lands, soils are best cared for by keeping them covered in grasses or trees year-round and avoiding agricultural production. On more productive fields, soils can be enhanced through the use of sustainable farming tools like conservation buffers – riparian buffers, grassed […]
To Accurately Track Organic Sector Growth, Better Data Collection Is Needed
There is no question that organic production is on the rise. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported twelve percent growth in the organic sector between 2014 and 2015, the highest growth rate the sector has seen since 2008. However, given the diverse sets of data that make up this growth rate, […]
$8.7 Million Available for Risk Management Education and Targeted States Programs
The Federal Crop Insurance Program, managed by the Risk Management Agency (RMA), provides subsidized coverage through private insurance companies to over $100 billion worth of agricultural products across 298 million acres. Despite a seemingly high level of farmer participation overall, many underserved, organic, diversified, and specialty crop farmers lack information about and access to insurance […]
New FSA Cooperative Agreements Expand Farmer Outreach Efforts
Even the best designed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs can fail to find success if farmers don’t have the knowledge or tools to access them. In order to increase program awareness and participation among underserved farmer communities, last year the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced a new cooperative agreement that would develop innovative […]
USDA Awards $32 Million for Rural Development and Food Security Research
Success in agriculture requires not only hardworking farmers and ranchers, but also innovative researchers, agronomists, and other scientists. As the U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) largest competitive grants research program the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program awards grants for experiments and research projects that address a variety of challenges faced by farmers, rural […]
Cost-Share Program Makes Organic Certification More Affordable
As demand for organic products has continued to rise across the country, the industry has struggled to keep pace. Farmers interested in organic production often face significant barriers to entry, such as difficulty accessing or transitioning land, and daunting financial costs. As part of efforts to reduce these barriers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s […]