FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754, PWolfe@sustainableagriculture.net Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net Proposed GIPSA Rider Aims to Silence America’s Contract Farmers National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Speaks Out Against Anti-Farmer Maneuver Washington, DC, April 18, 2016 – Family farmers in the contract poultry industry thought their time had finally come. After years of struggling to eke […]
Budget and Appropriations
House Funding Bill Falls Short for Sustainable Agriculture
On Wednesday, April 13, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its funding bill for fiscal… Read More →
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 […]
Farm Groups Defend Agricultural Conservation Programs
Congressional appropriators are this month in the process of drafting their fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations bills, bills which will determine the success or failure of programs by setting federal funding levels for the year. Several agricultural conservation programs, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), are under fire in […]
Congressional Progress Report on Budget and Agriculture Appropriations
Each year, Congress goes through two separate, but related, processes to set funding levels for federal programs. The House and Senate Budget Committees develop budget resolutions that set overall spending caps and establish funding-related policy goals. Shortly thereafter, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees write annual spending bills (known as appropriations bills) to fund the […]
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 […]
Senators Defend Conservation Funding in FY 2017 Budget Negotiations
On Thursday, March 17, 33 Senators delivered a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, urging them to oppose cuts to conservation programs in fiscal year (FY) 2017. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Chris Coons (D-DE) steered the effort, as they have done in previous years. Included among the […]
Farmers Fly in to the Capital to Advocate for Sustainable Agriculture
Throughout the month of March, farmers, ranchers, and “ag-vocates” from across the country traveled to DC for a series of “farmer fly-ins”, sponsored by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). During the fly-in the groups met with Senators and Representatives from their home states to discuss the benefits of federal sustainable agriculture programs, and to […]
House Republican Leadership and Conservative Wing Close in on Reaching Budget Agreement
In recent weeks, the leaders of the Republican Party in the House have been negotiating with the Party’s most conservative wing to reach an agreement on federal spending. The vehicle for the agreement would be a “budget resolution,” which the House and Senate are charged with passing each year in order to set top-line spending […]
The Fate of Food and Agriculture Programs in 2017 Will Be Decided in Appropriations
Last week, several food and agriculture agencies came before the House Subcommittee to defend their programs … Read More →
Farmers Fly-in to Fight for Sustainable Ag Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754 Farmers Fly-in to Fight for Sustainable Ag Funding National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Helps Farmers Share Their Stories with Legislators Washington, DC, March 1, 2016 – This week the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), one of the nation’s leading voices in food and agriculture policy, kicks off a month-long series […]
What Does the President’s 2017 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
On Tuesday, February 9 the Administration released its budget request for fiscal year 2017…. Read More →
RELEASE: NSAC Comments on the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Greg Fogel, Senior Policy Specialist, 202-547-5754 NSAC Comments on the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request President’s request would preserve conservation funding and increase funding for sustainable agriculture priorities Conservation Alongside President Obama’s proposal to double funding for public lands conservation through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, his FY 2017 budget […]
Congress Passes Final Funding Bill for 2016
As Washington, D.C. vacates for the holidays, Congress today passed final funding legislation–known as an omnibus appropriations package–to fund the government through September 30, 2016. Read our previous post for a detailed analysis of what the omnibus means for sustainable agriculture and food systems. Early on Friday, December 18, the House passed the omnibus package […]
Massive Year-End Funding Bill A Mixed Bag But Includes Significant Wins for Sustainable Agriculture
Final appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2016 will fund programs supporting sustainable agriculture… Read More →
Congress Passes 5-Day Funding Extension to Keep Government Open
On Friday, December 11, Congress passed a five-day extension of the previous 10-week extension of last year’s funding bill in order to keep the government open through midnight on Wednesday, December 16. Other than extending the expiration date, the bill, known in Washington as a Continuing Resolution, or CR, makes no changes to FY 2015 funding […]
Congress Reverses Crop Insurance Reform; Agriculture Appropriations and Nutrition Decisions Loom
Last week, Congress voted to reverse several basic reforms to the federal crop insurance program – reforms that both the House and Senate agreed to as part of a two-year budget deal signed into law by the President back in late October. That budget deal required the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to renegotiate its […]
Low Acceptance Rates Reflect Continued Conservation Cuts
Key conservation programs are once again on the chopping block as Congress continues to negotiate funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2016…. Read More →
Senate Fails to Stop Clean Water Rule, but Key Protections Still on Hold
On Monday, November 3, the Senate failed to garner the support necessary to move forward with a bill that would have required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw and re-propose the regulation that clarifies the scope of the agency’s jurisdiction over “waters of the U.S.” under the Clean Water Act. This bill was […]
Final Budget Deal Raises Spending Caps and Reforms Crop Insurance: Will Reforms Stand?
Shortly after 3am on Friday, October 30, the Senate passed a final budget deal for fiscal years (FY) 2016 and 2017, which the House passed on Wednesday…. Read More →
Congress and White House Reach Budget Deal: What it Means for Agriculture
As the clock struck 11pm on Monday, October 26, Congress and the White House announced that they had reached an agreement on raising the United States debt limit as well as discretionary spending caps for fiscal years (FY) 2016 and 2017. Debt Limit and Spending Caps The agreement suspends the U.S. borrowing cap (also known […]
NSAC Delivers 2016 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Requests
On Tuesday, October 6, NSAC delivered a letter to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, urging them to support sustainable agriculture priorities in the final fiscal year 2016 appropriations legislation. Congress is currently debating funding levels for the remainder of 2016 fiscal year, which began on October 1. On the final day of […]
Millions Now Available for Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Development
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a farm bill energy title program, is open for applicants at any time, but application cut-off dates are announced annually. For fiscal year (FY) 2016, the dates range from November 2, 2015 to May 2, 2016, and in limited cases into the summer of 2016, as detailed below […]