If some years are rollercoasters, 2016 was more like the tilt-a-whirl – a lot of effort spent to turn just slightly in one direction or another, much spinning in circles, and a headache at the end for your trouble. Despite all the stop and starts, however, the sustainable agriculture community came out of the last […]
Beginning and Minority Farmers
USDA’s Agency Realignment is a Good Move for Historically Underserved Farmers
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a major change, one for which many have been waiting for eight years. Established in the 2008 Farm Bill, USDA’s Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) was intended to give beginning farmers and socially disadvantaged farmers a stronger advocate within USDA, and to better connect with the […]
New Grasslands Conservation Opportunity for Small Dairy Operations
America’s grasslands are among our most productive natural resources, providing wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, erosion control, and helping to sequester an enormous amount of carbon dioxide. Moreover, grasslands are a critical component of our ranching and hunting economies. Unfortunately, these lands are also some of the most threatened natural resources in the country. A study […]
RFA Roundup: Deadlines for Federal Food and Farm Program Grants
The start-up of the new fiscal year (FY) means that many food and farm programs have started to get out Requests for Applications (RFAs) for their grant programs. While a flood of grant program announcements is generally good news, with so many coming out in the midst of a busy election year, it can be […]
New ACEP Rule Guides Long-Term Conservation of Farmland, Grassland, and Wetlands
The pressure on farmers and rural landowners to turn wetlands and grasslands into production, or productive farm and ranchland into commercial and residential developments, has been increasing for decades. In order to combat development pressures and incentivize conservation over elimination of ecologically valuable lands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers the Agriculture Conservation Easement […]
If We Want a “Farm Bill for the Future,” Support for Beginning Farmers is Key
The presidential election is getting most of the attention this fall, but come November 8th we’ll also be welcoming in the 115th Congress – including some incumbents, but also many new members. With Election Day less than three weeks away, conversations around what will get top billing on the incoming Congress’ agenda are already underway. Amidst […]
Over $17 Million in Funds Available for New Farmer Training Projects
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of over $17 million in grant funds that will be invested into organizations to help launch new and expand existing programs to train beginning farmers. These federal grants will be awarded through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) – the only USDA […]
USDA Grants Support Programs Serving Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers
For nearly 30-years the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has endeavored to better support historically marginalized farmers and ranchers, in large part through the Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OA). This week, as part of that commitment, OAO announced the awarding of $8.4 million in grants through its Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged […]
Comprehensive Urban Agriculture Bill Can Help Grow More Sustainable Cities
Americans’ interest in knowing more about where, by whom, and how their food is produced has been steadily building over the last decade. As the local food movement has grown, so too has interest in urban agriculture. Urban agriculture gives city dwellers a chance to purchase foods from farmers not just in their state, but […]
USDA Invests in Tribal Food Business Development
Small rural businesses are vital to growing and sustaining rural jobs and economies, but starting and growing them isn’t easy. That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) operates the Rural Business Development Grant Program (RBDG), which awards grants on a competitive basis to support the development and growth of rural small and emerging businesses […]
APPLY NOW FOR RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION GRANTS
Education and training to help farmers manage risks related to food production and the natural resources that underlie that production – as well as all manner of financial, marketing, and legal risks – can play a critical role in keeping farmers on the land and helping a new generation of farmers get off to a […]
NSAC Members Awarded Conservation Innovation Project Funding
In an effort to spur innovation in agricultural production and sustainable management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $26 million to 45 projects that show promise in promoting on-farm conservation. The awards are issued through USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program – part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Since its establishment […]
Land Tenure and Turnover: How Are Beginning Farmers Affected?
It’s no secret: farmers need land to farm, and lately they are having an increasingly difficult time obtaining it. Today, nearly half of all farmland is rented and many farmers are forced to cobble together plots of land by contracting with multiple landlords in multiple locations. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research […]
USDA Invests Millions Into Training for the Next Generation of Farmers
As the average age of our nation’s farmers and ranchers continues to rise, training the next generation has become an increasingly urgent priority. Young and beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges to success, obstacles which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) helps them to overcome through its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). […]
Cultivating America’s next generation of farmers and ranchers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754, JObudzinski@sustainableagriculture.net Community-based and non-profit organizations to lead cultivation of America’s next generation of farmers and ranchers USDA invests $18 million in Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program projects Washington, DC, August 18, 2016 – The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is the only U.S. Department […]
Upcoming Webinar on the Newly Expanded Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, August 9 at 2:00pm EDT to provide information about the Farm Storage Facility Loan program and the expansions and improvements that have been made to it over the past two years. Register for the webinar here. Farm Storage Facility […]
Demand for Beginning Farmer Support Programs Greatly Exceeds Available Funding
Today, the average age of an American farmer is 58.3 years, an increase of 8.3 years since 1980. The steady rise in average farmer age over the past three decades underscores the need to bring new farmers into the U.S. agricultural sector. To help attract the next generation of American farmers, Congress created the Beginning […]
Farm Service Agency County Committee Members Help Shape Farmer Assistance Programs
The halls of Congress and offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are commonly where the decisions about agricultural policies and programs are made, but they are not the only places. For farmers, ranchers, and the scores of rural community members for whom a trip to Washington D.C. is not feasible, opportunities to get […]
Funding Available to Support Outreach to Underserved Farmers
For decades, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the “2501 Program”) has served as the only farm bill program dedicated to addressing the needs of family farmers and ranchers of color. Over the past 20 years, the 2501 program has invested millions of dollars into […]
How Well Is the Farm Credit System Serving Young, Beginning, and Small Farmers?
One hundred years after Congress first created the Farm Credit System (FCS), a national network of financial institutions owned by farmers and their cooperatives and focused on providing credit to farmers, FCS remains an important source of capital for young, beginning, and small farmers across the country. Last week, the Farm Credit Administration (the regulatory […]
A Breakdown of the Senate’s Annual Food and Farm Spending Bill
Each year, Congress debates and makes key decisions about federal funding priorities for all government agencies, programs, and initiatives – including programs and resources that support our nation’s farmers and ranchers. This week marks an important step in that process (known as appropriations), as the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill to fund the U.S. […]
New FSA Cooperative Agreements Expand Farmer Outreach Efforts
Even the best designed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs can fail to find success if farmers don’t have the knowledge or tools to access them. In order to increase program awareness and participation among underserved farmer communities, last year the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced a new cooperative agreement that would develop innovative […]
SARE STORIES FROM THE FIELD: Nutrient Management Helps California Farmers Remain Competitive
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of blog posts highlighting Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) projects. Our last SARE: Stories from the field blog featured a Virginia project that used SARE funds for innovative public seed breeding. For over 25 years, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has enabled farmers, […]
Stories from the Field: Strengthening Kentucky’s Small Farms
Experience is an invaluable resource when it comes to agriculture. Fortunately for Kentucky farmers, Marion Simon and Louie Rivers of the Kentucky State University (KSU) Cooperative Extension’s “Small Farm Program” have a combined total of nearly 50 years of experience in extending outreach to small and limited resource farm operations. Much of the great work […]