Beginning and Minority Farmers
$20 Million Available to Support Veterans and Respond to Farm Stress
May 13, 2020
USDA recently announced the availability of $20 million to to support farmer mental health and training for military veterans.
Ways to Improve Land-Linking Through the Transition Incentives Program
May 7, 2020
Access to farmland remains one of the most difficult challenges that new and historically underserved farmers face when getting started in agriculture. One of the tools to help connect farmers with available farmland is the Conservation Reserve Program – Transition Incentives Program (CRP-TIP), which encourages landowners to transition CRP farmland to beginning, socially disadvantaged and […]
RFA Roundup: Spring 2020 Funding Opportunities
March 4, 2020
Editor’s Note: As the COVID-19 situation progresses, we will continue to update this blog with the latest available information on deadline extensions. Additionally, you can find information on administrative flexibilities issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) here. This is a key reference for anyone currently working under an active federal grant. The memo […]
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities
February 6, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities Washington, DC, February 4, 2020 – Last week, representatives from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) 130+ member organizations voted on a final set of policy and funding priorities to guide the Coalition’s work through 2020. “This collaborative priority […]
$37 Million Available for Value-Added and Local Food Projects
January 14, 2020
In case you missed the NSAC/USDA webinar for prospective VAPG applicants on January 23, 2020, find the recording here. “Value-added” foods and goods are made from raw agricultural products (e.g., vegetables, grains, or dairy) that are minimally processed and then transformed into products like cheese, sauces, and breads. Specially labeled or marketed goods (e.g. “organic” […]
Congress Clears FY 2020 Appropriations Packages
December 20, 2019
This week, after months of delay, Congress passed a much-anticipated deal to fund the government through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2020. FY 2020 runs through September 30, 2020. The $1.4 trillion package of discretionary spending bills, which was divided up into two “minibuses”, was finally delivered this week after months of rigorous advocacy […]
COMMENT: FY 2020 “Minibus” Bolsters Farm Bill Wins for Sustainable Agriculture
December 17, 2019
The final appropriations package builds upon the sustainable agriculture community’s hard-fought farm bill wins and delivers much-needed support to family farmers across the country at a time when good news is increasingly hard to come by.
USDA Invests $14 Million to Train the Next Generation of Farmers
November 7, 2019
The new farmer boom continues to grow all across the country, but barriers to entry (such as access to land, capital, and viable markets) continue to make it hard for new farmers to build a successful and sustainable farm business. In response, hundreds of farmer training programs and projects have emerged over the past decade […]
Hearing Highlights Challenges and Opportunities for Organic Producers
November 4, 2019
The Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on October 30, 2019 to review the state of organic agriculture from the perspective of the producers. This is the Subcommittee’s second hearing on organic agriculture this year; the first convened to assess the National Organic Program (NOP) in July. Organic […]
Final Awards Supporting Farmers of Color and Veterans Announced
October 22, 2019
For three 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. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 projects will expand upon these efforts to ensure socially disadvantaged (SDA) […]