The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Interim Policy Director, praising the introduction of the Farmers Market & Food Bank Local Revitalization Act of 2022 (HR 8707) by Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9). … Read More →
NSAC’S Blog
Release: Biden Signs Historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
Today, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a far-reaching $750 billion health care, tax, and climate bill, into law. The bill makes historic investments in federal programs to address the climate crisis and aims to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. … Read More →
Release: Cynthia Hayes Scholarship Awarded to Rising Stars 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 that three students have been awarded the Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship. The three student awardees: Rhema Meggett, Justin Walker, and Sydney Lawson were each presented with $5,000 to support their continued work in sustainable agriculture and bolster their commitments to promoting racial equity in food and farm systems…. Read More →
Managed Grazing Champions Celebrate Funding Announcement for GLCI
This guest blog post by Margaret Krome, Policy Program Director at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, an NSAC member based in East Troy, WI, details the recent announcement of $12 million for cooperative agreements under this year’s request for applications for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI).
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Release: NSAC Celebrates GLCI Funding Announcement
This week the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced $12 million for its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI). NRCS will accept proposals through GLCI until September 22, 2022. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Congratulates Senate on Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Passage, Urges Swift House Action
For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) press@sustainableagriculture.net / Tel: 347.563.6408 Release: NSAC Congratulates Senate on Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Passage, Urges Swift House Action Funding Prioritizes Climate Solutions for Agriculture and Includes Key Coalition Priorities Washington, DC, August 7, 2022 – Today the full Senate passed the Inflation Reduction […]
Funding Now Available for Organic Transition and Certification Cost-Share
Organic agriculture continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture, yet during the COVID-19 pandemic, certified organic and transitional operations faced challenges including loss of markets, increased costs, labor shortages, and expenses related to obtaining or renewing their organic certification. Producers who are certified organic, along with producers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for USDA’s Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) to help cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022…. Read More →
Release: Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2023 Agriculture Spending Bill
Today, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee publicly released the text of their Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Appropriations bill which provides significant increases in several critical priority areas that will strengthen the resilience of rural communities and bolster sustainable food systems…. Read More →
Release: NSAC Urges Congress to Pass Historic Climate Package
Yesterday, after months of on-and-off negotiations, Senate leaders announced a proposed deal on legislation aimed at advancing key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, including measures to combat climate change. If passed, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 would, among other things, provide approximately $369.75 billion for energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years…. Read More →
$25 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR ON-FARM CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service announced the availability of $25 million in funding to advance the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation practices on agricultural lands. The funding is for on-farm trials, a subprogram of the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. The deadline to apply for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials is September 22, 2022…. Read More →
Release: National Farmer Climate Story Week Showcases Climate Solutions
This week, across the country, advocates for sustainable agriculture are joining together in a week of action to highlight the impacts that farmers increasingly face from climate change and the solutions needed to mitigate and adapt their practices to build greater resiliency and to bolster the food system. The week of action also builds support for the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), a comprehensive set of policy changes that would steer agriculture in the US towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and serves as an important roadmap for how the next farm bill can effectively address climate change. … Read More →
Digging into the 2023 Farm Bill: Senate Hearings Kick-Off the Long Road to the 2023 Farm Bill
NSAC details the recent Senate Agriculture Committee field hearing as a first step as part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization process. This is the first post in a multi-part series taking a deeper look into the 2023 Farm Bill process…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds Introduction of the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a comment praising the release of the House version of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds President Biden’s Remarks on Funding Adaptive Measures, But Urges Action on Climate Mitigation
NSAC responded to President Biden’s remarks today on tackling the climate crisis…. Read More →
RELEASE: New NSAC Report Projects Billions Saved Via Crop Insurance Subsidy Caps
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) published a special report projecting billions in taxpayer savings over 10 years if payment caps are instituted on federal subsidies paid to farmers who purchase crop insurance. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Praises USDA Announcement of More Than 3.1 Million Acres Offered Through CRP Grassland Signups
NSAC applauds the announcement that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for more than 3.1 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grassland Signup…. Read More →
CLEAR30 Sign-Up Open Now!
On April 1, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment for the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) CLEAR30 subprogram – an important component of the larger Continuous Conservation Reserve Program. With both programs taking applications, NSAC offers a quick review of how these essential conservation tools function and shares key information for producers interested in applying…. Read More →
Understanding Appropriations: A Look at the House Appropriations Committee FY 2023 Agriculture Funding Bill
NSAC outlines highlights from the FY 2023 House Agriculture Appropriations bill as it pertains to the sustainable agriculture community. … Read More →
RELEASE: Mike Lavender, Sophia Kruszewski Join National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Today the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced the addition of two new senior members to the Coalition’s policy team: Mike Lavender as Interim Policy Director and Sophia Kruszewski as Deputy Policy Director. … Read More →
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program: Between Farm Bills
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) was created in the 2014 Farm Bill through the combination of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRE), the Grassland Reserve Program, and the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The program is administered through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS,) and is divided into two tracks: a wetland easement component and an agricultural land easement (ALE) component. The 2018 Farm Bill gave ACEP a major increase in annual funding – adding $200 million per year as compared to levels under the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2018 Farm Bill also added new provisions to prioritize projects that maintain farm viability and land affordability. … Read More →
Long-Term Agroecological Research Showcases New Innovations for Resilient Agriculture
A virtual briefing featured the ground-breaking research of USDA’s LTAR network, which helps farmers and ranchers overcome productivity challenges while improving environmental stewardship…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Responds to House Passage of FY 2023 Agriculture Spending Bill
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the House Appropriations Committee members for voting to support robust funding for Conservation Operations and a significant increase in Conservation Technical Assistance that farmers and ranchers need to adopt new conservation practices that improve the sustainability and profitability of their family farms.”… Read More →
Comment: NSAC Responds to the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606
NSAC applauds the House for taking decisive action to support the creation of a USDA special investigator to enforce fair-play rules in the highly concentrated meatpacking industry when they passed the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606 on Thursday. … Read More →
How do working lands conservation programs shape cover crop adoption?
A recent study led by the American Soybean Association (ASA) claims to demonstrate the differing value of two agricultural working lands conservation programs and their ability to create increased adoption of cover crops. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) takes issue with several aspects of the study. … Read More →