Groups at the Summit on the Future of Farm Subsidies agreed Congress must oppose increasing reference prices and curb unlimited insurance subsidies…. Read More →
NSAC’S Blog
Regional Centers Promote Business Development and Stronger Supply Chains
USDA AMS recently announced the selection of the twelve new Regional Food Business Centers. In this post, NSAC details the structure, regional considerations and anticipated national impact of these Centers in strengthening local and regional food systems and supply chains. … Read More →
On IRA’s One Year Anniversary, the Top 5 Things to Know About the Historic Investment in Climate-Friendly Agriculture
Just over a year ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The IRA invested nearly $20 billion in climate-friendly agriculture practices. As an organization that represents small and midsized-farmers across the nation, it is difficult to overstate the transformative potential of this funding to support all farmers in building vibrant and productive farms that can contribute to a climate-resilient future. As Congress inches toward Farm Bill reauthorization, this post highlights 5 key things to know about the IRA’s $20 billion investment in climate-friendly agriculture. … Read More →
NSAC Heads to the Rockies – A Summer Meeting Recap
This year’s NSAC Summer Meeting was held last week in sunny (although unusually rainy) Boulder, Colorado. More than 100 members and NSAC staff from across the country gathered at the foothills of the Rockies to re-energize and strategize ahead of the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. Summer Meeting is one of two annual opportunities when NSAC’s nearly 150 member organizations come together in person to discuss the Coalition’s policy and grassroots priorities for the year. At more than 5,000 feet above sea level and with its endless opportunities for outdoor adventure and good food, Boulder was the perfect backdrop to get down to coalition business. … Read More →
USDA Announces $300 Million in Awards to Support Access to Land, Capital, and Markets for Beginning and Undeserved Farmers
This month, the USDA Farm Service Agency announced more than $300 million in awards to 50 projects focused on increasing underserved farmers and ranchers’ access to land, markets, and capital. This post details some of the projects that were awarded under the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (Increasing Land Access) Program (LCM), which funds cooperative agreements or grants for projects that help move underserved producers from surviving to thriving. … Read More →
Guest Post: USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program Details for Growers
This is a guest post written by our partners at the Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG). On July 7, 2023, the USDA announced the opening of the USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, authorized by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). The Farmers’ Legal Action Group has published a Brief Farmers’ Guide to USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, this post outlines key information also available in the free guide…. Read More →
Release: NSAC Celebrates Introduction of Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act
Today, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) Program Improvement Act alongside Senators Booker (D-NJ), Fetterman (D-PA), Smith (D-MN), and Welch (D-VT). If incorporated into the 2023 Farm Bill, this bill will expand insurance access to producers historically left out of the federal crop insurance program. Strong bipartisan interest exists to expand voluntary access to crop insurance to include underserved producers. This Act is the moving vehicle to do that…. Read More →
Release: NSAC Praises Introduction of the Supporting Urban & Innovative Farming Act of 2023
Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Supporting Urban & Innovative Farming Act. This bill expands support for urban, suburban, and rural farmers through programmatic reforms to improve the content and delivery of technical assistance to urban and innovative producers, increases access to grant funds among farmers, and scales composting and food waste initiatives spearheaded by the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production…. Read More →
COWS Act Aims to Boost Dairy Profitability and Sustainability
Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today introduced the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act. Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced a companion bill in the House (H.R. 4327).The COWS Act would establish a new federal program aiming to improve economic viability and sustainability for the dairy and livestock industry…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Praises Introduction of the Enabling Farmers to Benefit from Processing Nutrition Programs Act of 2023
NSAC issued a comment in response to the introduction of the Enabling Farmers to Benefit from Processing Nutrition Programs Act, which takes significant steps to increase opportunities for local farmers to benefit from nutrition benefits. … Read More →
Agricultural Diversification: Practice and Policy
On the eve of the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization, this post drills down into the potential shape of a diversified U.S. agricultural landscape and the policies that are most closely aligned with incentivizing its creation. This post focuses on policies most directly shaping on-farm landscape diversity…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds Introduction of the Organic Science and Research Investment Act
NSAC applauds the introduction of the Organic Science Research and Investment Act, which makes meaningful investments in providing organic producers with the research and tools they need to continue to improve upon already climate friendly and resilient farming systems and meet the growing market demand for organic products. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds USDA Investments to Improve Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds USDA’s commitment of funds to improve the tracking and analysis of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. As the agency increasingly focuses on implementing incentive-based support for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, effective measurement becomes ever more vital. Our understanding of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture has developed substantially over the past decades, but remains inadequate for fully understanding the best paths toward greenhouse gas reductions in agriculture. The $300 million USDA is investing in developing measurement systems will be key to expanding our understanding of how crop and livestock systems can best be improved to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions to far below their current levels, and perhaps even to make agriculture a system with potential for net greenhouse gas sequestration.”… Read More →
A Deep Dive on the Senate’s FY2024 Appropriations Bill
On June 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill in what has become a rare occurrence – unanimous, bipartisan approval. The Senate’s approval of the agriculture bill stood in stark contrast to what transpired in the House Appropriations Committee just a week earlier – an eight plus hour partisan slog that resulted in approval of the House’s FY2024 Agriculture spending bill along party lines. In this post, NSAC takes a closer look at the bill. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Welcomes Further Investment in Regional Meat Processing By USDA
In response to the announcement of the “Biden-Harris Administration Partners with Agricultural Producers to Promote Competition, Strengthen Food Supply Chain and Rural Economies,” NSAC stated that it welcomes a new round of investment in the local and regional meat processing industry. This investment, through its focus on regional lending, will bring new avenues of growth to rural and urban communities alike. … Read More →
Report illustrates initial success of local food purchasing agreements
In the short time since its inception in 2021, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program has demonstrated its capacity to create economic opportunities for producers, scale regional supply chains, and deliver healthy, culturally relevant food to those in need. The Wallace Center at Winrock International, an NSAC member, recently released a report highlighting the results of initial research that evaluates the preliminary impact of USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program in communities nationwide. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Urges Support for Key FY2024 Agricultural Program Spending as Senate Appropriators Respond to House Cuts
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) commented on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s fiscal year 2024 Agriculture appropriations bill, noting that in the shadow of a debt-ceiling deal that put tremendous strain on discretionary spending, Senate Appropriators have crafted a Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Agriculture bill that – while not perfect – is an important bipartisan response to the House’s deep and unnecessary cuts…. Read More →
Farmers on the Hill: Advocates and Farmers Join in Washington DC to Call for Food and Agriculture System Reform in the 2023 Farm Bill
Last week, NSAC hosted farmers, ranchers, and food system advocates from six states, who collectively attended nearly 20 meetings with Congressional offices and USDA officials, to share their stories and call for stronger, better-funded sustainable agriculture programs in the next farm bill…. Read More →
Release: Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship Recognizes Outstanding Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture
The Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network (SAAFON), the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) announced the names of three students selected to receive the 2023 Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship. Three students: Zymora Davinchi, Miles Lee, and Rodnisha Owens will each receive $5,000 awards to support their studies and bolster their ongoing efforts to advance racial equity in the food and farm system. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Celebrates Introduction of the Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act
NSAC celebrates the introduction of the Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act, landmark legislation that supports the resilience and innovation of American farmers. Greater investment in publicly funded, regionally adapted, seed varieties and animal breeds will supply US farmers and producers with the tools they need to build a more resilient food system in the face of climate change. Public plant and animal breeding programs have encountered shrinking budgets, declining institutional support, increased labor and land costs, and insufficient federal investments…. Read More →
Release: Farmers and Advocates Take the Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol
This week, advocates and farmers from across the country came to Washington, DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. Hosted by NSAC, a cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates from 6 states met with Congressional leaders and USDA officials to encourage them to prioritize sustainable food and farm needs in the upcoming farm bill and in ongoing program implementation efforts…. Read More →
Waste and Water Woes
This guest post by Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP), discusses how popular conservation programs should focus on small-scale and sustainable farms, not industrial-scale farms…. Read More →
Release: 102 Groups Urge Congress to Choose Farmers over Big Meat in Ag Appropriations Bill
102 groups urge Congress to choose farmers over big meat in Ag Appropriations Bill. The letter calls out an appropriations policy rider as an “unacceptable attack” on the USDA’s ability to ensure fair competition for farmers…. Read More →
Comment: More Than Fifty Food, Farm, and Conservation Organizations Call on Congressional Appropriators to Protect Agriculture Research
A letter was sent on behalf of more than 50 food, farm, conservation, and rural organizations to Congressional Appropriators on June 9, 2023, urging them to protect publicly funded agriculture research, especially funding for USDA’s innovative climate change research.