Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of blog posts highlighting Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) projects. Our last SARE: Stories from the field blog featured a Virginia project that used SARE funds for innovative public seed breeding. For over 25 years, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has enabled farmers, […]
NSAC’S Blog
Stories from the Field: Strengthening Kentucky’s Small Farms
Experience is an invaluable resource when it comes to agriculture. Fortunately for Kentucky farmers, Marion Simon and Louie Rivers of the Kentucky State University (KSU) Cooperative Extension’s “Small Farm Program” have a combined total of nearly 50 years of experience in extending outreach to small and limited resource farm operations. Much of the great work […]
Value-Added Producer Grant Webinar This Week
NSAC is partnering with USDA to provide a free webinar for prospective applicants to the VAPG program on May 6th at 2 p.m. EST…. Read More →
Farm Storage Loans Expanded to Help Farmers Reach Local Food Markets
Small and mid-scale family farms operating in burgeoning local and regional food markets received some welcome news from the USDA today… Read More →
RELEASE: FEDERAL LOW INTEREST FINANCING PROGRAM EXPANDED TO HELP FARMERS REACH LOCAL FOOD MARKETS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner or Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 Federal Low Interest Financing Program Expanded to Help Farmers Reach Local Food Markets Washington, DC, April 29, 2016 – Small and mid-scale family farms operating in burgeoning local and regional food markets received some welcome news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today. USDA’s Farm […]
Boosting Community Development through Value-Added Products in Fulton, MO
When farmers and entrepreneurs take raw agricultural products like vegetables, grains, or dairy and transform them into goods like sauces and bread, they increase their bottom line because of the higher prices they can demand and they also contribute to community and rural economic development by creating new jobs in processing, marketing, or retail. The […]
SARE Stories From the Field: Breeding Seeds of Success
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of blog posts highlighting Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) projects. Our last SARE: Stories from the field blog featured a Kansas project which used SARE funds to help farmers quantify the financial risks of adopting cover crops. In agriculture, it all starts with seeds. And when […]
House Child Nutrition Bill Supports Farm to School, But Big Issues Remain
Representative Todd Rokita (R-IN), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education of the full House Education and Workforce Committee, recently introduced the long-awaited and highly-anticipated House Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization bill (CNR). The House bill, filed on April 20, 2016, is titled the “Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016” […]
GAO Report Calls for Timeline to Update USDA Biotechnology Regulations
As a growing list of genetically engineered plant and animal crops enter the marketplace with minimal, if any, regulation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging USDA to set a clear timeline for updating its biotechnology regulations. In a report released on April 14, 2016, GAO cautioned: […]
Clean Water Rule Escapes Shutdown in Senate
By voting down an amendment yesterday, April 22, that would have halted the implementation of the “Waters of the United States” rule, the Senate has provided much needed clarity for farmers and ranchers regarding which waters on their land are subject to permitting requirements. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and our member organizations […]
Give NSAC the Scoop on Your On-Farm Manure Usage
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and our members are surveying produce farmers to better understand how they use and apply untreated or raw manure on their farms. Between now and June 3, 2016, we are collecting anonymous information to develop comments for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to aid in their development of […]
Upcoming DEADLINES for Federal Food and Farm Grant Programs
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 of shoppers. All of this activity means spring is finally here – it also means that deadlines for a variety of federal farm and food grant programs are fast approaching! […]
SARE Stories from the Field: Cover Crops Yield Financial Benefits in Kansas
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of blog posts highlighting Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) projects. Our last SARE: Stories from the field blog featured an Oregon State University project, which used SARE funds to quantify the nitrogen benefits of cover crops. The Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE) program is […]
Policy Solutions for Healthy Soils
This is the second blog in a two-part series on the integral role of agriculture and soil health in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. See yesterday’s guest post from Daniel Kane on the recently published findings on the important role that soils play in combatting climate change. Years of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have meant […]
House Committee Votes to Strip Protections for Contract Farmers
On April 19, the House Appropriations Committee convened to debate and pass the House Agriculture … Read More →
RELEASE: NSAC Comment on Harris Rider (“GIPSA Rider”)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC Press Statement on Passage of Harris Amendment We are deeply disturbed by the passage of the Harris amendment to prohibit USDA from protecting farmers as provided by the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 against anticompetitive, deceptive, fraudulent, retaliatory and other abusive business practices by […]
New Research Finds Climate Solutions in the Soil
This is a guest post from Daniel Kane, a soil scientist and agroecologist who researches soil carbon cycles, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable food systems. Last year, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and Breakthrough Strategies and Solutions, LLC, jointly published a paper (“Carbon Sequestration Potential on Agricultural Lands: A Review of Current Science and Available Practices”) that Daniel […]
RELEASE: Proposed GIPSA Rider Aims to Silence America’s Contract Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754, PWolfe@sustainableagriculture.net Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net Proposed GIPSA Rider Aims to Silence America’s Contract Farmers National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Speaks Out Against Anti-Farmer Maneuver Washington, DC, April 18, 2016 – Family farmers in the contract poultry industry thought their time had finally come. After years of struggling to eke […]
$5 Million Available for Farmer Food Safety Training Projects
Following recently finalized federal food safety requirements for produce farmers and food processors, there… Read More →
Stories from the Field: Empowering Latino Farmers
Despite a demonstrated track record of success in supporting innovative outreach, training, and technical assistance programs, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as “Section 2501”) remains severely underfunded. The 2014 Farm Bill cut funding for the program in half, while at the same time expanding the program’s user […]
House Funding Bill Falls Short for Sustainable Agriculture
On Wednesday, April 13, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its funding bill for fiscal… Read More →
NSAC Guide Helps Farmers Navigate Value-Added Grant Application
NSAC releases an updated version of its annual Farmers’ Guide to Applying for the Value-Added Producer Grant … Read More →
RELEASE: New “Farmers’ Guide” Helps Producers Apply for Value Added Producer Grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wes King, 202-547-5754 WKing@sustainableagriculture.net New “Farmers’ Guide” Helps Producers Apply for Value Added Producer Grants The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has published this free resource annually since 2012 Washington, DC, April 13, 2016 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced the publication of their annual Farmers’ Guide to […]
Stories from the Field: Calculating the Impact of Sustainable Farming Research
Stories from the Field: Calculating the Impact of Sustainable Farming Research Since its inception over 25 years ago, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has led the way in farmer-driven, innovative agriculture research. SARE’s unique research focus on cutting edge, farmer-driven innovations has empowered thousands of farmers to utilize cover crops in order […]