National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

NSAC’S Blog

NSAC’S Blog

Release: USDA Proposes to Continue Farm Subsidy Abuse

March 25, 2015, Washington, DC – Yesterday USDA issued the long awaited proposed rule to reform farm subsidy payments.  Sadly, the proposed changes to the “actively engaged in farming” rules amount to very little in the way of real reform, missing the best chance yet for President Obama to make good on his number one […]

Digging Deeper into Continuous CRP Enrollments

Earlier this month, NSAC teamed up with water quality, conservation, and grain and oilseed processor groups to encourage the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to set aside at least a third of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the State Acres for Wildlife […]

Last Chance to Contribute to Organic Production Survey!

There are just two weeks left for organic farmers across the country to complete their  2014 Organic Production Survey! This important survey is a follow-on to the 2012 Census of Agriculture and focuses exclusively on issues and trends facing organic producers. NSAC encourages organic producers to participate by filling out the survey they received by mail or […]

House and Senate Budget Committees Advance 2016 Budgets

March 20 – This week the House and Senate Budget Committees each passed their Fiscal Year 2016 budget resolutions on party line votes. Each Committee’s resolution will now go to the floor of the House and Senate for consideration. This will likely take place next week with final passage targeted for the end of the […]

Agriculture Funding Debates Continue, Decisions Loom

This week and last, the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees continued their examination of the Obama Administration’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2016. Food & Drug Administration On Thursday, March 12, Senate appropriators questioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about their increased budget request to support implementation of the Food Safety Modernization […]

Farmers, Ranchers Visit DC to Speak Out on Critical Sustainable Agriculture Programs

On March 18th, independent family farmers and ranchers from all over the country traveled to DC to meet with their Congressional members to advocate for critical sustainable agriculture programs. They discussed the importance of federal funding for programs that support working lands conservation, agricultural research, and food safety outreach. Over the course of the day, the farmers met with their Senators and Representatives to discuss their personal experiences working with sustainable agriculture programs. The farmers explained how funding for these programs is an effective investment in rural economies, local food systems, and environmental improvement…. Read More →

Farm to School Resources Released Along with Plea to Participate in Farm to School Census

Farm to School programs not only help instill healthy eating habits and agricultural literacy in the next generation, but also support the local farming economy. Whether incorporating food products from local and regional farmers into school meals, providing lessons about agriculture and nutrition, or building school gardens full of vegetables, farm to school programs exist […]

Budget Time on Capitol Hill – Farm Bill to be Re-Opened?

Two recent events on Capitol Hill are colliding in a potentially significant way. First, on March 9, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) – the scorekeeper for federal legislators on budgetary matters – issued its budget “baseline” that will be used in decision-making on legislative proposals for the balance of this year, including the annual congressional budget resolution process that is about to begin…. Read More →

Letters Supports CRP Conservation Buffers and Grasslands

Farmers can protect the environment by placing small portions of their farms in permanent vegetation designed to control or intercept soil, nutrients, and pesticides and to slow wind and snow. Often referred to generically as conservation buffers, these targeted environmental practices can be in-field (e.g., contour grass strips), at the edge of fields (e.g., field […]

Organic Farming Research Funding Available

USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released the Requests for Applications (RFA) for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – Organic Transitions (ORG). These two programs are the flagship federal research, education, and extension grant programs for organic production. Approximately […]

Sustainability and Diet – A Linkage Whose Time Has Come

This guest post is by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) policy intern for the spring term, Katie Merritt. Katie is currently a graduate student in Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University and holds a BA from the University of Colorado in Psychology and Neuroscience, Integrative Physiology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. We […]

Expanding Farm to School Nationwide

Many of our nation’s children eat two of their meals every day (plus snacks!) at school – what better place to invest in growing healthy kids? Farm to school programs are part of the solution: they introduce children to new and healthy foods choices in the cafeteria, classroom, and garden, and encourage children to have […]

Farmers Can Participate in Cover Crop Survey

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is sponsoring a national survey on cover crops that is being conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). CTIC and SARE are asking farmers of all stripes to respond to the survey; there is no need to be a current user of cover crops. The survey […]

Congress Holds Hearings on Farm Bill and USDA Funding

Last week, the House Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations held three hearings to examine the Obama Administration’s budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees also held hearings. The House Committee held two hearings on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while the Senate Committee held a hearing to examine the […]

Rural Community-based Research Receives $14 Million in Funding

Earlier this week, the USDA announced $14 million in funding towards research projects aimed at strengthening rural economies. The awards encompass a wide variety of issues affecting rural communities and small and medium-sized farms including food safety, conservation, marketplace economics, local food systems, and pollinator health. The funding comes from the Agricultural Economics and Rural Communities […]

Release: Farm to School Act of 2015, Connecting Students to Local Food and Farms, Introduced in Congress

Feb. 25, 2015, Washington, D.C. – Today, members of Congress took the first step toward a major win for local economies, farm families and the health of our nation’s children. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced the bipartisan Farm to School Act of 2015 to […]

Release: Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up Extended to March 13

Washington, DC February 23, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the sign-up period for the 2015 edition of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) – the federal farm bill’s largest working lands conservation program. Farmers and ranchers now have two additional weeks – until March 13 – to complete the initial application form. Coinciding […]

Nearly $160 Million Available for Agricultural Research and Extension

Successful, sustainable farming systems rely on sound research to provide innovative solutions to the challenges that farmers of all kinds face on their farms every day, today and into the future. Since 2008, the Agriculture Food and Research Initiative (AFRI), USDA’s largest competitive research grant program, has provided grants to universities and non-profit and private […]