The term “specialty crop” is a bit of a misnomer. A specialty crop is not some kind of exotic plant, not an obscure herb or flower, specialty crops are quite simply the fruits and vegetables that are (or should be) a staple of most diets. Even though specialty crops consist of some of the healthiest […]
NSAC’S Blog
Final Rule Released for Conservation Stewardship Program
USDA today released the final rule for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which makes changes to CSP as required by the 2014 Farm Bill. The release of this final rule follows the publication of the Interim Final Rule (IFR) in November 2014. CSP is a comprehensive working lands conservation program designed to help farmers and […]
New Funding Available for Local and Regional Food Systems
APPLICATION DEADLINE is this week – 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 12, 2016 Local and regional food systems are expanding nationwide. These systems create new economic opportunities for small and mid-sized family farmers, increase consumer access to fresh and healthy food, and improve rural livelihoods. Over the past decade, local and regional food systems have […]
USDA Commits $20 Million to Reward Conservation Innovation
Every day farmers and ranchers are developing creative ways to conserve the air, water, and soil on their lands. … Read More →
New Outreach and Education Tools Available to Support to Organic Certification
New resources for transitioning organic producers are now available through the Agriculture Marketing Service’s National Organic Program (NOP). Through the Sound and Sensible initiative, NOP aims to makes organic certification more “accessible, affordable, and attainable” by helping transitioning farmers on a wide array of issues including record keeping and documentation, preventative practices, and much more. Utilizing […]
House Republican Leadership and Conservative Wing Close in on Reaching Budget Agreement
In recent weeks, the leaders of the Republican Party in the House have been negotiating with the Party’s most conservative wing to reach an agreement on federal spending. The vehicle for the agreement would be a “budget resolution,” which the House and Senate are charged with passing each year in order to set top-line spending […]
FDA Requests Information on Manure Use
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the first opportunity for the public to weigh in on their approach to assessing the risks posed by raw manure used in growing produce. According to the FDA: The risk assessment will consider pathogen survival and growth under different agricultural and ecological conditions (e.g., soil types, […]
The Contract Price Addendum: A Good Risk Management Tool for Certified Organic and Transitioning Producers?
The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has recently announced an important update to the Contract Price Addendum (CPA) — transitioning to organic acres will now be eligible. With this change have come a flurry of questions about CPA and how it works, including “What are CPAs?”, “Is my crop eligible for this?”, and “Should I use […]
GMO Labeling Debate Heating Up in Senate
The debate over genetically engineered or genetically modified food labeling has been fiercely contested … Read More →
The Fate of Food and Agriculture Programs in 2017 Will Be Decided in Appropriations
Last week, several food and agriculture agencies came before the House Subcommittee to defend their programs … Read More →
Farmers Fly-in to Fight for Sustainable Ag Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754 Farmers Fly-in to Fight for Sustainable Ag Funding National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Helps Farmers Share Their Stories with Legislators Washington, DC, March 1, 2016 – This week the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), one of the nation’s leading voices in food and agriculture policy, kicks off a month-long series […]
USDA Makes Payments Available for Organic Field Border Buffers
Many organic farmers install conservation buffers strips around the edges of their crop fields. These ‘field border’ buffers provide multiple conservation and environmental benefits, and also help farmers meet U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic certification requirements, which include protecting soil and water quality and enhancing biodiversity and habitat). In some circumstances, the buffers can […]
RELEASE: New Conservation Option for Organic Farms Unveiled
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner, Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754 New Conservation Option for Organic Farms Unveiled U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in establishing up to 20,000 acres of new conservation buffers Washington, DC, February 26, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a new conservation option for organic farmers–cost-share and land […]
Conservation Stewardship Stories: Cornelius Joe
This post is the second in a series chronicling stories from farmers and ranchers who have experienced success with the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The first story, highlighting Alabama farmer Miguel Otero can be found here. As a third-generation farmer in Greensboro, Alabama, Cornelius Joe knows firsthand the importance of taking care of working lands today, so […]
Tomorrow’s Table: The Rise of Local and Regional Food Economies
Commodification is on the rise in many sectors of the American economy, but lately many consumers have been bucking that trend when it comes to their food. Increasingly Americans are interested in food that is not only good for them, but also in food that is grown sustainably, by local and regional farmer and ranchers. […]
Do FDA’s New Food Safety Rules Apply to Your Farm or Food Business?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized two new food safety rules under the FSMA… Read More →
Can USDA Support for Transitioning Organic Crops Spur the Market?
Interest in organic products has boomed over the last several years, between 2004 and 2016 sales of organic food more than tripled (from $11.1 billion to $39 billion), but farmers are finding it difficult to keep up with demand. Part of this difficulty stems from the time and expense of transitioning farmland from conventional to […]
$720 Million for Conservation Projects Generated Through Regional Conservation Partnership Program
Effective natural resource conservation often depends on the power of partnerships. Through the collaboration of governmental, non-profit, and private partners we have seen significant advances in conservation on agricultural lands over the last several years. Since the creation of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in the 2014 Farm Bill and its predecessors in early […]
Conservation Stewardship Stories: Miguel Otero
This piece is the first in a four-part series chronicling stories from farmers and ranchers who have experienced success with the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Farming and ranching is more than just a job; according to Alabama farmer, Miguel Otero, it’s a way of life. “I guess farming is something you carry in your genes,” said Miguel. “If […]
A Need for More and Better Targeted Plant Breeding Research Grants
A sustainable, localized, and resilient food system depends on the availability of seeds that are compatible with a variety of unique growing systems and climates. Organic farmers, for example, have different approaches to managing weeds and pests on their farms than traditional producers and therefore require seeds that are bred for their particular type of […]
What Does the President’s 2017 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
On Tuesday, February 9 the Administration released its budget request for fiscal year 2017…. Read More →
RELEASE: NSAC Comments on the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Greg Fogel, Senior Policy Specialist, 202-547-5754 NSAC Comments on the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request President’s request would preserve conservation funding and increase funding for sustainable agriculture priorities Conservation Alongside President Obama’s proposal to double funding for public lands conservation through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, his FY 2017 budget […]
New USDA Ruling Protects Contract Poultry Growers
During the peak of the Avian Flu (also known as “bird flu) outbreak in 2015, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) wrote about the problems with USDA rules that placed the burden for certain losses on contract growers, paying indemnities only to the integrators (companies that own but don’t raise the animals). At the time, […]
Organic Exemption from Checkoff Programs Expanded
Editor’s Note: We originally published the following post on December 31, 2015, when the the final rule to expand the organic exemption from commodity promotion (checkoff) programs was published in the Federal Register. The expanded exemption takes effect later this month, on February 29, 2016. We are now re-posting this update to include a recorded […]