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 […]
Beginning and Minority Farmers
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 […]
Farm Storage Loans Expanded to Help Farmers Reach Local Food Markets
Small and mid-scale family farms operating in burgeoning local and regional food markets received some welcome news from the USDA today… Read More →
Stories from the Field: Empowering Latino Farmers
Despite a demonstrated track record of success in supporting innovative outreach, training, and technical assistance programs, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as “Section 2501”) remains severely underfunded. The 2014 Farm Bill cut funding for the program in half, while at the same time expanding the program’s user […]
Over 100 Groups Urge Congress to Increase Support for Veteran and Minority Farmers
For farmers of color and military veterans in this country, the barriers to and risks of starting a successful farm… Read More →
RELEASE: Agriculture Programs Help Veterans Launch Successful Careers in Farming
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, NSAC, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Evan Eagan, FVC, (530) 419-6740, evan@farmvetco.org Agriculture Programs Help Veterans Launch Successful Careers in Farming U.S. Air Force Veteran and Montana Farmer Testifies Before Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Washington, DC, April 5, 2016 – Spring is not just cherry blossom season here in the capital […]
Conservation Stewardship Program Recap; 2016 Sign-Up Ends in 10 Days!
The Conservation Stewardship Program has been supporting farmers and ranchers for more than seven years … Read More →
Representatives Signal Support for Minority and Veteran Farmers
The Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the “Section 2501” program) is the only farm bill program dedicated to addressing the specific needs of minority and veteran farmers and ranchers. As annual appropriations request deadlines closed earlier this week, 18 Members of Congress signed a letter supporting full […]
Conservation Stewardship Stories: Cornelius Joe
This post is the second in a series chronicling stories from farmers and ranchers who have experienced success with the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The first story, highlighting Alabama farmer Miguel Otero can be found here. As a third-generation farmer in Greensboro, Alabama, Cornelius Joe knows firsthand the importance of taking care of working lands today, so […]
Tomorrow’s Table: The Rise of Local and Regional Food Economies
Commodification is on the rise in many sectors of the American economy, but lately many consumers have been bucking that trend when it comes to their food. Increasingly Americans are interested in food that is not only good for them, but also in food that is grown sustainably, by local and regional farmer and ranchers. […]
Direct Marketing and Local Food the Focus of House Agriculture Committee Hearing
Farmers, ranchers, and advocates from across the country gathered yesterday, February 2, 2016, to speak with members of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research about their experiences in direct farmer to consumer marketing, farm to institution marketing, and other local food strategies. The subcommittee convened six expert witnesses, with support from […]