For decades, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the “Section 2501” program) has served as the only farm bill program dedicated to addressing the specific needs of farmers of color. In the 2014 Farm Bill Congress expanded Section 2501 to include military veteran farmers; unfortunately, […]
Beginning and Minority Farmers
$18 Million Awarded for Vital Beginning Farmer Program, but Future Remains Uncertain
Interest in careers in agriculture is on the rise, but many aspiring farmers and ranchers find themselves blocked from starting food and farm businesses because of the many significant barriers to entering the industry. Farmer training programs and projects, hundreds of which have emerged in the last decade alone, help aspiring and beginning producers to […]
What’s at Stake: Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
Editor’s Note: The 2014 Farm Bill expires on September 30th. If the next farm bill is not finalized before that date, numerous “tiny but mighty” farm bill programs that support family farmers and food-producing communities will effectively shut down in terms of new funding and grant opportunities for fiscal year 2019. These workhorse programs, which […]
COMMENT: NSAC Cheers House Effort to Support Next Generation of American Producers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC Cheers House Effort to Support Next Generation of American Producers Washington, DC, September 6, 2018 – Today, Congress members Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA) sent a bipartisan letter with 51 additional signers to House Agriculture Committee leadership requesting the creation of a new program for […]
Farm Bill Negotiators Hold First Public Meeting
Growing a more just and sustainable food and farm system through the farm bill, a massive package of legislation that is passed roughly every five years, is among the main priorities of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Congressional negotiators just held their first official public meeting to discuss the nation’s next farm bill, which […]
What’s at Stake: Tiny But Mighty Farm Bill Programs
Editor’s Note: The 2014 Farm Bill expires on September 30th. If the next farm bill is not finalized before that date, numerous “tiny but mighty” farm bill programs that support family farmers and food-producing communities will effectively shut down in terms of new funding and grant opportunities for fiscal year 2019. These workhorse programs, which […]
Sunny in Seattle: Recapping NSAC’s 2018 Summer Member Meeting
Editor’s Note: This piece was written by NSAC Grassroots Fellow Stephanie Henry with Associate Director for Communications Reana Kovalcik. Stephanie Henry is NSAC’s Summer 2018 Grassroots Intern. After her internship, Stephanie will be returning to Fort Wayne, Indiana where she is extensively engaged in the growth and development of the regional and statewide local food systems. […]
NSAC’s Guide to the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Process
As we barrel toward the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on September 30, both the House and Senate have now passed their respective versions of what they hope will become the next farm bill. The House passed its version on June 21 by a narrow and strictly partisan margin of 213-211. The Senate passed […]
Senate Farm Bill Offers Hope to Sustainable Agriculture Advocates
On June 28, the Senate passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with strong, bipartisan support – 86 Senators voted in favor of passage, and only 11 against it. The Senate’s swift movement on their bill keeps hope alive that a final bill might be finished before the 2014 Farm Bill expires on September […]
COMMENT: Senate Farm Bill Paves the Way for Farmer-Forward Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Farm Bill Paves the Way for Farmer-Forward Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture praises bill, but laments lack of action on crop insurance reform Washington, DC, June 28, 2018 – Upon passage today of the Senate farm bill, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition […]
Farmers Take Sustainable Agriculture Priorities to Congress
Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) hosted our second farmer fly-in of 2018, bringing in farmer advocates from across the country to make their priorities known on Capitol Hill. Ten growers and advocates from Alabama, California, Mississippi, Montana, Georgia, Kansas, North Dakota, Oregon, Michigan, and Vermont took time out of their busy schedules […]
COMMENT: NSAC Cheers Inclusion of “Actively Engaged” Amendment in Senate Substitute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC Cheers Inclusion of “Actively Engaged” Amendment in Senate Substitute Washington, DC, June 27, 2018 – The inclusion of Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) “Actively Engaged in Farming” amendment in the Senate substitute package is a critical first step toward ensuring more equitable commodity […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Senate Agriculture Committee Advances Farm Bill
Every five years or so, Congress reauthorizes the federal farm bill, a large and complex package of legislation that affects all facets of food and agriculture policy in the U.S. The current farm bill, which Congress passed in 2014, expires on September 30, 2018. The 2018 Farm Bill must be passed before September 30 in […]
COMMENT: Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Farmer-Forward Draft Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Farmer-Forward Draft Bill NSAC optimistic as Senate Agriculture Committee farm bill moves to floor Washington, DC, June 13, 2018– In response to the Senate Agriculture Committee passage of Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) […]
Draft Senate Farm Bill: Beginning & Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
This is the fifth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on June 8, 2018 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. The final post will focus on crop insurance and commodity subsidies. The bill is expected to be considered and “marked-up” (aka amended) by the full Agriculture Committee on June 13 […]
COMMENT: Senate Committee Leadership Produces Bipartisan Draft Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Committee Leadership Produces Bipartisan Draft Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauds provisions for sustainable agriculture, family farmers Washington, DC, June 8, 2018 – Following the Senate Agriculture Committee’s release of its draft farm bill, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the […]
The Farm Bill and the U.S. Territories: Challenges and Opportunities
Editor’s Note: This is the final post in a three-part blog series on how the Farm Bill impacts farmers and rural communities in the U.S. Territories, written and researched by NSAC policy intern Dariana Mattei-Ramos. Dariana is a native of Puerto Rico and is an advocate for food and agriculture justice. She holds a master’s […]
$9 Million in Funding Available for Risk Management Training
This week, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the availability of nearly $9 million to support risk management farmer education grants. Funded projects will be awarded through two distinct but related RMA grant programs: the Risk Management Education Partnership Program (RMEP) and the Crop Insurance in Targeted States (TS) program. Additional details on each funding […]
Senate Appropriators Advance FY 2019 Agriculture Funding Bill
Each year, Congress passes far-reaching funding legislation, known as appropriations legislation, to fund federal programs across the government. This includes many of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Thursday May 24, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) […]
The Farm Bill and U.S. Territories: Sustainable Agriculture Programs in Action
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part blog series on how the farm bill impacts farmers and rural communities in the U.S. Territories. This series was written and researched by NSAC policy intern Dariana Mattei-Ramos, a native of Puerto Rico and an advocate for food and agriculture justice. Dariana holds a master’s degree […]
Path To The 2018 Farm Bill: House Farm Bill Defeated
Before 2013, the modern version of the federal farm bill had never been voted down on the floor the House of Representatives. Today is a historic day, because it marks the second time in history – but also the second time in just five years – that a farm bill has been defeated on the […]
House Agriculture FY 2019 Appropriations Bill Advances
This week has been a perfect embodiment of the popular expression, “when it rains, it pours.” Not only has the House – and the sustainable agriculture advocacy community – been busy trying to finalize and pass their version of the 2018 Farm Bill (the bill failed 198-213), they’ve had their hands full with fiscal year […]
COMMENT: House Farm Bill Defeated
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net House Farm Bill Defeated National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition committed to continuing fight for a better bill Washington, DC, May 18, 2018 – Today, the House failed to secure a sufficient number of votes to pass its version of the 2018 Farm Bill – the Agriculture and […]
RELEASE: House Farm Bill Fails on Every Level
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net House Farm Bill Fails on Every Level Farm and food groups urge Congress to vote no on anti-farmer, anti-family, anti-environment farm bill Washington, DC, May 17, 2018 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) – the nation’s longest-operating and largest sustainable agriculture policy […]