What does the new ag Census reveal about women and minority farmers across the country?… Read More →
Beginning and Minority Farmers
2012 Census Drilldown: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
What does the new ag Census reveal about the next generation of farmers and the future of agriculture?… Read More →
Senate Appropriators Pass 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
What’s in the Senate bill for beginning farmers, food safety training, sustainable agriculture research, and rural communities?… Read More →
House Subcommittee Passes 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund USDA and FDA programs in 2015… Read More →
Busy Week Ahead for USDA Funding in 2015
Next week is a big week for agriculture appropriations. On Tuesday, May 20, both the House and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees will debate and almost certainly pass their respective agriculture funding bills for fiscal year (FY) 2015. The full Senate Appropriations Committee will then take up the agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday, May 22. […]
Risk Management Education Funding Available
Risk Management Education Partnership Program The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), has announced available funds totaling approximately $2 million for the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program. The deadline for applications is June 30, 2014. The Risk Management Education Partnerships Program is a competitive cooperative partnership agreement program that provides crop insurance education […]
2012 Agriculture Census Released
The new agriculture census reveals trends about the growth in organic and sustainable food systems over the past five years…. Read More →
NSAC and MSU Host Roundtable to Strengthen Relationship Between Lenders and Farmers of Color
On April 23, 2014, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), in partnership with NSAC member Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and with assistance from the Opportunity Finance Network, hosted a forum in Washington, D.C. to bring farmers of color and their advocates together with community lending institutions to discuss ways to increase […]
USDA Seeks Public Input on Value-Added Producer Grant Program
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is seeking initial public input on a farm bill change to the Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) via written comments and a listening session scheduled for this Friday, April 25, 2014. The 2014 Farm Bill made two additions to VAPG: (1) it created an additional priority preference […]
Funding Restored For Beginning Farmer Training Programs!
USDA recently announced the availability of $19 million for beginning farmer training grants through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program — the only federal program exclusively dedicated to training the next generation of farmers and ranchers. … Read More →
Expanding Packing and Cold Storage Loan Options for Diversified Farms
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced several changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program that will greatly improve the program’s ability to support diversified producers that sell their produce through localized market channels, such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and farm-to-institution. Farm Storage Facility Loans are financed through the Farm […]
Farm Bill Implementation on Beginning Farmer and Rancher Programs Already Underway
Beginning in 2011, NSAC launched a campaign around Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher programs in the Farm Bill, and ultimately helped win on quite a number of issues in the final legislation. The NSAC-championed marker bill, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act, was championed by members in both chambers, led by Senator […]
What Does the President’s 2015 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
President Obama sent his budget proposal for 2015 to Capitol Hill yesterday. The overall spending number in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year (FY) would match the two-year budget deal Congress reached last year, though the President also includes an aspirational $56 billion add-on, which he calls the Opportunity, Growth, and Security (OGS) […]
2014 Farm Bill Drilldown: Sustainable and Organic Research
With the 2014 Farm Bill recently signed into law, NSAC is doing a blog series that delves into the details of the bill for sustainable food and farming systems. Previous posts in this farm bill series dove into the overall farm bill by the numbers, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmer issues, working lands conservation programs, […]
2014 Farm Bill Drill Down: Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
With the 2014 Farm Bill recently signed into law, NSAC is doing a seven-part blog series that delves into the details of the bill for sustainable food and farming systems. This, the second post in the series, discusses the highlights and missed opportunities for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. The previous post dove into the […]
What is in the 2014 Farm Bill For Sustainable Farms and Food Systems?
At the start of this long and twisted farm bill reauthorization process, NSAC released an ambitious farm bill platform with the goal of expanding opportunities for family farmers to produce good food, sustain the environment, and contribute to vibrant communities. Reflecting input from sustainable and organic farmers, rural and urban communities, and food entrepreneurs, the […]
Are USDA Microloans Reaching Farmers Across the Country?
Earlier this year, USDA announced a new microloan program that would specifically target the smaller credit needs of beginning farmers and other small farm operators selling to local and regional food markets. Launched in January 2013, the program has so far made over 3,400 loans in all 50 states, including the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, […]
Beginning Farmers and Advocates Appointed to USDA Advisory Committee
USDA today announced the long-awaited list of farmers, advocates, technical service provides and bankers who were chosen to serve on the Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. This well-established though recently dormant advisory committee serves an important role in providing a direct link between the beginning farmer community, lenders, and USDA, and helps to […]
Vilsack on Developing the Local Food Economy and Beginning Farmers in the Farm Bill
In a column published on the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” webpage on Friday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasized the benefits of local and regional markets for America’s farmers, ranchers, and consumers and the importance of timely passage of a Farm Bill. The column, which is reprinted in its entirety below, highlights several local […]
Teaching new and diversified producers about risk management
It’s not always easy for farmers to understand how to effectively manage the many risks they face on their farm, especially for new farmers just getting their operation up and running or diversified operations, including fruit and veggie growers who produce sometimes over 50 different crops. Fortunately, groups who are interested in helping to teach […]
As the Farm Bill Conference Kicks Off, A Reminder of What’s At Stake
Today marks the start of official conference negotiations over the farm bill, during which appointed members of the House and Senate will work reconcile two farm bills into one final conference report. By all accounts the task of reconciling the two chambers’ proposed bills will be a difficult one, but it is also critically important: […]
House and Senate members urge support for beginning farmers in farm bill negotiations
As House and Senate farm bill conferees prepare for their first official public meeting next Wednesday, a group of bipartisan Representatives and Senators delivered two “Dear Colleague” letters to House and Senate leadership earlier today. Thanks to the leadership of Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Chris Gibson (R-NY), and Chris Collins (R-NY) in the House and […]
Groups urge Congress to support beginning farmers in Farm Bill conference
As the House and Senate inch closer to entering official negotiations over what should be in a final farm bill, 138 organizations signed onto a letter that was delivered this week which urges House and Senate agriculture leaders to support beginning farmers in any farm bill conference negotiations. This letter was spearheaded by the Land […]
How Farmland Conservation is Failing New Farmers
The National Young Farmers Coalition, an NSAC member, released a report this week that reveals how current farmland conservation practices are failing working farmers and new farming opportunity. Farmland Conservation 2.0: How Land Trusts Can Protect America’s Working Farms surveyed 200 land trust leaders from across the United States and found that one-quarter of land […]