On Wednesday, July 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $4 million across 71 projects through the Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) progarm. The program provides competitive grants to governmental entities, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for planning, technical assistance, job training, and acquisition of land, capital, equipment and other business development needs. Food […]
NSAC’S Blog
Avian Flu: What About the Contract Poultry Grower?
There has been a lot of talk about the Avian Flu outbreak from the media, including many reports by outlets that don’t often don’t spend much time covering agriculture. They have covered the 34 million birds that have been euthanized and the skyrocketing cost of conventionally produced eggs. What they have not been covering is […]
Ready or Not, Here Comes FSMA! – Part 2
Yesterday, we published an update on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules that FDA will be finalizing this fall. It included a recap of the rulemaking process, a timeline to keep in mind as the rules are finalized, and information on key implementation issues. This post wraps up the FSMA update with a focus […]
Ready or Not, Here Comes FSMA! – Part 1
All eyes are on Washington as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prepares to publish final food safety requirements for produce farms and food processing facilities this fall. These rules are just a few of the many new requirements that FDA will be finalizing in the coming months as part of the Food Safety Modernization […]
DARK Act Approved in the House
On July 23, the House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, also known as the “Deny Americans the Right to Know” or DARK Act. The final vote was 275 to 150. A dozen GOP members voted no and 45 Democratic members voted yes. Among conservative “blue […]
Release: FSA Financing Options Improving for Produce Farmers
Washington, DC, July 22, 2015 – For fruit and vegetable growers, especially operators of small and mid-scale family farms, packing and storage sheds serve as critical pieces of their farm operations, allowing fresh produce to be safely washed, sorted, graded, labeled, boxed up, and stored before it heads to market. In an effort to better […]
Improved Financing Options Available for Produce Farmers!
Most produce farmers rely on some combination of cold-storage, washing, and packing equipment to keep food fresh and safe prior to marketing. Whether selling to a regional wholesaler or trucking down to the weekend farmers’ market, the ability to safely wash, package, and store any commodity produced on-farm is a critical component of nearly every […]
Food Hub Report Series Launched by USDA
Filling a gap in information on operations and best practices from food hubs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development mission area launched a new technical report series called Running a Food Hub with the first report, Running a Food Hub: Lessons Learned from the Field, Vol. One (hereafter Lessons Learned) on July 15. Yesterday’s release of […]
Cover Crop Survey Confirms Benefits and Points to Future Research
For the third year in a row, the results of an annual cover crop survey of farmers around the country confirm the benefits and expansion of cover crops on U.S. cropland. USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program recently released the results of the 2014-2015 Cover Crop Survey, which assessed the benefits, challenges, and […]
What’s in the Senate Funding Bill for Sustainable Agriculture?
Pop quiz: What do Frankenfish, Orca Whales, and whole grains all have in common? Answer: They were all part of the amendment process today as the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced their version of next year’s federal funding bill for food, agriculture, and rural development. Read on for our analysis of the Senate funding bill that […]
NSAC Comment on Senate Appropriations Markup of Farm and Food Spending Bill
Washington, DC, July 16, 2015 – The following is a statement issued by NSAC regarding the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2016 agriculture appropriations bill: “We are thrilled the Senate bill allows the Conservation Stewardship Program to proceed at the level dictated by the 2014 Farm Bill. Rejecting the ill-considered cut in the President’s budget and the […]
Local Food is Taking Root in Michigan Schools
With Farm Fresh Food Days and school gardens, these Michigan schools are changing the way their students eat, one bite a time! Once a month, students at Dexter Community Schools see a table spread in their cafeteria that looks more like it belongs at a farmers’ market than a school. Students are drawn to the […]
Study Aims to Help Food Hubs Become More Profitable
To help regional food hubs to grow, it’s important to have data for baseline performance measures – data that can help assess successes, needs, and opportunities. A new report on food hubs released yesterday, July 14, 2015, provides just such data. COUNTING VALUES: Food Hub Financial Benchmarking Study draws on 2013 data from 48 diverse and […]
DARK Act Approved by the House Agriculture Committee
On Tuesday, July 14, the House Agriculture Committee approved the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, also known as the “Deny Americans’ Right to Know” or DARK Act by opponents. The passage of the most recent version of the bill gives more authority to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to oversee voluntary non-GMO […]
National Working Group Recommends Path to Improved Soil Health
Late last month, the National Working Group on Cover Crops and Soil Health released a list of ten recommendations for improving soil health and expanding the use of cover crops to achieve that goal. The Working Group rolled out the recommendations in a presentation to a variety of Washington D.C. based agriculture and conservation groups, including […]
House Committee Passes USDA-FDA Funding Bill, Rejects Reform Amendments
On Wednesday, July 8, the House Appropriations Committee passed the 2016 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which funds most of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can visit our previous post for a full breakdown of the bill as it stood before debate by the full […]
Conservation Stewardship Program Gets A Makeover
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a comprehensive working lands conservation program designed… Read More →
Obama Administration Tackles Biotechnology Regulatory Process
On Thursday, July 2, the Obama Administration released an executive memorandum requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider and update their regulatory process for biotechnology products. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy initially tasked these three federal agencies with oversight […]
DC School Demonstrates Farm to School Success With the Help of Farm to School Grant
For many schools with summer sessions, June means farm to school activities running in high gear. At Walker Jones Education Campus in the nation’s capital, summer brings students outside and onto the farm (“K Street Farm”) for lessons in agriculture, food, and nutrition while allowing them to enjoy an abundance of local food through its […]
Guest Post: RAFI Producer Survey on Whole Farm Revenue Protection
We are pleased to run this guest post co-authored by Annie Segal (RAFI Americorps VISTA), Viola Glenn, and James Robinson of the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA. RAFI-USA is an NSAC represented member group. Note that USDA’s Risk Management Agency has just issued a Request for Proposals that calls for projects that will offer training and education to advance the […]
Sustainable Agriculture Research Falling Further Behind
Farmers are constantly innovating on their farms, and experimenting with new ways to control pests or boost yields or conserve water on their fields. Farmers’ bottom lines are at stake, especially new farmers getting started out. They have no choice but to find better, more effective ways to address the many challenges that Mother Nature […]
Funding for Risk Management Education Available – Includes Whole Farm Revenue Protection Training
Risk Management Education Partnerships On Wednesday, July 1, USDA’s Risk Management Agency announced via website press release its Request for Applications (RFA) for the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program. Approximately $2.0 million in funds is available for the program. The RFA itself is available on the RMA website as well as on grants.gov here. The […]
USDA Compass Tool Highlights Local Food Programs
Under the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has focused in a consistent and substantive way on investments in local and regional food systems. Its innovative online tool — appropriately named the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass Map” — allows organizations and individuals to search an online database and map to […]
Technical Assistance Available for Community Development and Local Food Systems
Local Foods, Local Places 2015 The Local Foods, Local Places Initiative is once again accepting applications from communities seeking technical assistance to integrate local food systems into community economic action plans. Announced on June 30, 2015, the Initiative’s request for applications represents the second time that communities around the U.S. (including neighborhoods or main street […]