The House of Representatives approved the government spending bill for 2015 last night by the relatively close final tally of 219-206 after a day of high drama over the deal negotiated by House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and the White House. Earlier in the day, the rule to proceed to the bill initially appeared to be […]
NSAC’S Blog
Final Budget Bill Guts Conservation Funding and Farmer Protections
Late on December 9, Congress released their final annual appropriations bill to keep the government running for the rest of the fiscal year, and while there is some good news, overall it’s bleak news for sustainable agriculture – complete with drastic cuts to critical conservation programs and anti-farmer policy riders that favor big livestock integrators over actual […]
House Holds Hearing on Bill To Block State GE Labeling Laws
Washington saw an active week on the genetically engineered (GE) crops front, as GE labeling proponents and activists flooded a Wednesday morning hearing on a controversial labeling bill. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee heard testimony from six witnesses in a two-panel hearing on legislation introduced by Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) earlier […]
Final LSP Crop Insurance White Paper Released with Principles for Reform
On December 9, the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) released a new white paper, How Crop Insurance Hurts the Next Generation of Farmers, the final of three white papers on the federal crop insurance program . This final white paper was released alongside a “Principles of Reform” document that outlines LSP’s ideas for reform of the […]
Release: NSAC Comment on Final FY 15 Budget Bill
December 10, 2014, Washington, DC – Late on December 9, Congress released their final annual appropriations bill to keep the government running for the rest of the fiscal year, and while there is some good news, overall it’s bleak news for sustainable agriculture – complete with drastic cuts to critical conservation programs and anti-farmer policy riders that […]
Pilot Projects to Boost Local Fruits and Vegetables in School Meal Programs
On December 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that eight states have been selected to participate in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, a 2014 Farm Bill provision allowing pilot states to purchase more produce from local farmers for their school meal programs. California, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Oregon, […]
Arkansas Farmer Uses VAPG to Bring Back Heirloom Tomatoes
Note: This is the third in a three-part series providing a closer look at some of this year’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) award recipients. To read the other blog posts in this series, click here to read about how one organization used a VAPG award to expand online access to healthy food, and here to learn how […]
CSP by the Numbers: 2014 Sign-up Data
Over 7,600 farmers and ranchers enrolled over 9.5 million acres in advanced conservation through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. CSP provides technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers to address regional natural resource concerns, like water quality, soil erosion, and critical habitat. The program covers more working farm and ranch […]
Enterprise Diversity and Farm Income
The recent news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that farm incomes are down — and expected to recede even more after several years of high incomes linked to historically high crop price — shines a light on something that NSAC has been talking about for many years. NSAC has long advocated for federal […]
Local Food System Community Planning Awards Announced
On December 3, the White House Rural Council, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies, announced 26 communities in 19 states chosen to take part in the Local Food, Local Places Initiative. The new initiative provides technical support to help them develop and implement action plans promoting local food and downtown revitalization. […]
Much Needed Funding Will Support Outreach to Minority and Veteran Farmers
Farming is a risky business and has become increasingly difficult to enter over the past few decades. However, for the growing number of racially and culturally diverse or veteran farmers and ranchers in this country, starting and managing a successful farming operation is fraught with even greater challenges. That’s why NSAC is especially excited about […]
White Paper: How the Federal Crop Insurance Program Benefits Mega Farms
On December 2, the Land Stewardship Project released the second of three white papers on the federal crop insurance program. This paper is entitled, Crop Insurance Ensures the Big Get Bigger. This paper makes the point that the top 10 percent of crop insurance subsidy recipients took in more than half of all premium subsidies […]
Organic Plant Breeding Research Grant Announced
As farmers across the country close down their market stands and prepare their fields for the coming winter, they have very important decisions to make for the coming year – including what crops to plant and what seeds to order for the next growing season. And just as consumers make important decisions about what type […]
Release: NSAC Comment on Farm to School Award Announcement and Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization
December 2, 2014, Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $5 million in grants for 82 projects in 42 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands through the USDA Farm to School Grant program, which promotes healthy kids through nutritious school meals and snacks incorporating food products from local […]
New Awards Will Strengthen Farm to School Programs
Local farmers, food businesses, and schools from 82 farm to school projects across the country received a boost today with the announcement of over $5 million in funding from the Farm to School Grant Program by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack. These grant awards will serve more than 13,000 schools and 2.8 million […]
LSP Releases White Paper on Government Subsidies to Large Corporate Crop Insurance Companies
On November 24, the Land Stewardship Project released a new white paper, Crop Insurance – The Corporate Connection, part of a three-part series entitled How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster. The first white paper outlines the profits being obtained by a few corporations from the multiple subsidies provided them by the federal […]
GAO: Updated Report on the Cost of Climate Change to the Federal Crop Insurance
On November 20, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on climate change and the federal flood insurance and crop insurance programs. This report is similar to one GAO released in 2007 that found that climate change could increase the financial risks associated with the federal government’s insurance programs. The new report focuses […]
Top Sustainable Agriculture Programs Explained in New Farm Bill Guide!
Those looking for an accessible rundown on federal sustainable farming and food systems programs have a new, printed resource available to them! The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) recently published a comprehensive printed guide to federal sustainable agriculture, forestry, entrepreneurship, conservation, food systems, and community development programs. NSAC, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and USDA’s Sustainable […]
Organic Food Starts with Organic Seeds!
This post is the second post in a blog series devoted to exploring the importance of seeds to sustainable food and farming systems. Since everything starts with seeds, this series will focus on the importance of public seed research to sustainable agriculture, including organic farmers and local and regional food producers, as well as to […]
Second Cover Crop Survey Confirms Yield Boost
On Tuesday, November 18, USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program released the results of the 2013-2014 Cover Crop Survey, which assesses the benefits, challenges, yield impacts, and scale of adoption of cover crops. The North Central Region of the SARE program worked with the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) to survey more than 1,924 […]
Which Farms Have to Register with FDA?
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new proposed food safety rules for food facilities apply to those facilities that are required to register with the government. Hence the question of who must register as a food facility with the FDA has been central to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rulemaking process since it began […]
The Top 6 Improvements with New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy
As farmers consider signing up, we look at why Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is better than its predecessor policies. … Read More →
New USDA Assistance for Farmer Veterans
More and more military veterans are trading in their combat boots for cowboy boots and transitioning into a career in agriculture. Many of the men and women who have served our country come from rural or agricultural backgrounds, and are either interested in returning to the family farm or pursuing farming as a therapeutic career that […]
WOTUS Walk-through: NSAC’s Comments on the EPA’s Controversial Proposed Rule
The twice-extended public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) proposed rule defining “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act came to a close last Friday, November 14. NSAC contributed to the dialogue around the proposed rule by submitting comments seeking greater clarity for agricultural producers, […]