When Congress returned from its August recess, it faced a long to-do list and little time to act. On the September list is to fund the government by September 30, when current funding expires for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and across the federal government. A failure to fund the government by September 30 […]
Carousel
USDA Staffing Crisis: Research Agencies Face Steep Losses as Reorganization Advances
On July 24, 2025, Secretary Rollins released a memo (SM-1078-015) describing the planned reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff, drafted without any consultation with farmers or other stakeholders. USDA has already lost more than 20,000 staff since January 2025 and if the reorganization moves forward as planned, it will result in the […]
Congress Wants Local Food Back on the Menu
While global supply chains have brought year-round abundance to families at the grocery store, it has come at a cost, particularly for small and mid-sized farmers right here at home. Consolidation of food distribution and retail has forced farmers to consider higher volume sales at lower prices, which can be difficult to consider while maintaining […]
USDA Staffing Crisis: Mass Departures Undermine Local Ag Support
On July 24, 2025, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins released a memo (SM-1078-015) describing the planned reorganization of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff. This reorganization plan was drafted without any consultation with farmers or other stakeholders. While the reorganization plan does not directly include planned layoffs or reductions in force (RIF), USDA […]
Creemees, Community, and Coalition: NSAC’s Summer Meeting in Stowe, Vermont
As we do every summer, NSAC coalition members recently gathered for our summer meeting, from August 4-7, in Stowe, Vermont. Located some 25 miles east of Vermont’s largest city, Burlington, and about 40 miles from the US-Canada border, we met at the Trapp Family Lodge (yes, that’s right – owned by the Von Trapp Family, […]
Cross Post: Impacts of Budget Reconciliation and Colorado Farms: Hurt for Farmers and Farm Communities, and the Need for a New Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Nourish Colorado, an NSAC member. This is part three of a five part series. See part one, Budget Reconciliation: An Unwanted Outcome for Coloradans, and part two, Impacts of Budget Reconciliation and Coloradans’ Health. “Welcome” is an odd word to use to begin this post, given the profoundly and universally negative […]
What’s Really Inside the Final Budget Reconciliation Bill: A Breakdown of Food and Agriculture Provisions
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB, P.L. 119-21) into law. Spanning nearly 900 pages of legislative text, OBBB relies on draconian cuts to the American social safety net – including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – in order to fund an extension of 2017 […]
Support for Farmer-Led Research Hinges on SARE Funding
Recently, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), alongside 100 food, farm, conservation, and rural organizations, delivered a letter to Congressional appropriators urging them to fully fund the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) at $60 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026. SARE was one of NSAC’s first legislative accomplishments over 35 years ago, and […]
Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open
Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $26.5 million in competitive grant funding available through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. This year marks a notably shorter application window, but there are several resources available to support […]
Examining the House Agriculture Committee’s Reconciliation Bill
On May 22, 2025, the House of Representatives approved its budget reconciliation legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB, HR 1), by a vote of 215-214-1. Just a week earlier, on May 15, the House Committee on Agriculture approved, by a party line vote of 29-25, components of OBBB that fall within its jurisdiction. […]
We Took Action to Defend Our Food System — Now It’s Your Turn
In anticipation of President Trump’s 100th day in office, a coalition of organizations from across the nation participated in a Week of Action between April 22 and April 29, 2025, to collectively highlight the disruption and attacks the administration has made on our food system and farmers. During the Week of Action, organizations coordinated efforts […]
Healing Land and Legacy Through Urban Agriculture
Ask someone to imagine a “farm” and they will probably conjure a barn, a silo, rolling hills of crops, and pasture. That is, they will imagine rural areas. But one of the fastest growing – and underutilized – forms of agriculture is happening in America’s cities and suburbs, neighborhoods surrounded by industry, infrastructure, and millions […]
When USDA Cuts Staff, Farmers Pay the Price: Lessons from the ERS and NIFA Relocations
In a move reminiscent of past disruptions but at a much larger scale, the Trump administration is implementing widespread staffing cuts across federal agencies. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is facing a significant reduction, expecting approximately 30,000 USDA positions to be eliminated. About 16,000 employees have already accepted deferred resignation offers. This downsizing […]
Farmers Need Climate Research to Thrive
Since its establishment in the 2008 Farm Bill, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has advanced research that helps American farmers and ranchers stay at the cutting edge of innovation and adapt to challenges such as natural disasters. Farmers and ranchers depend upon NIFA-supported research that invests in developing resilient crops, innovative soil […]
USDA Programs Freeze: What We Know
Last Updated: April 29, 2025 For more than three months, billions of dollars of lawfully obligated USDA funding have been frozen or terminated. While the agency has still not made public the full scope of what remains frozen or targeted for termination, the harms to communities, farmers, and organizations are already clear. This blog post […]
Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Analysis: New Enrollments Reveal Path Forward
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP), a novel insurance product that offers farmers nationwide the option to insure the revenue of their entire operation, including crop, livestock, and nursery production, under a single policy. WFRP also rewards adoption of business practices that reduce risk with its premium discount for crop […]
Newly Updated Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program Available
NSAC has published an updated 2025 Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The guide provides an in-depth look at the program and is designed to help farmers, ranchers, and foresters prepare and apply for this comprehensive conservation program that is authorized by the federal farm bill and administered by the US Department of […]
Uninsured: Federal Crop Insurance Program Leaves Most Farms Unprotected
Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net, insuring farms for losses from unpredictable weather, market fluctuations, and other risks. Consequently, the federal crop insurance program (FCIP) is the costliest part of agriculture production spending, as taxpayers subsidize the program to the tune of billions of dollars each year. Despite being a cornerstone […]
Farmers Speak Out on the Devastating Impact of USDA Funding Freeze
On March 6, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) hosted a virtual briefing: Impact in the Field – How the USDA Funding Freeze and Employee Layoffs are Impacting Farmers and Ranchers. Five farmers from around the country joined NSAC’s policy director, Mike Lavender, for a panel discussion to voice their concerns about the ongoing funding […]
USDA Staffing Cuts Hurt Farmers and Rural Communities
While the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not confirmed the number of employees that have already been laid off or their plans for a forthcoming “reduction in force”, staffing chaos has reigned at the agency for the past several weeks. The firing of nearly 6,000 probationary employees was ruled illegal and extensive terminations are […]
Farmers Lose When Climate-Smart Partnerships are Frozen
Recent Executive Orders have led to the freezing of billions of dollars of already committed grant money, including funds for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC), an innovative program to support public-private partnerships to develop markets for climate-smart agricultural commodities. Through PCSC, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has entered into agreements with 135 partner […]
NSAC Members Meet for Annual Winter Meeting
As in years past, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) members gathered in Washington, DC on February 10-13, 2025, for our annual winter meeting. This event offered NSAC members the opportunity to connect and work on strategy for shared priorities and collective actions. It was also a vital opportunity to take to Capitol Hill and engage […]
Funding Freeze Impacts: Farmers and Organizations Speak Out
Since January, the Trump Administration has frozen vast swathes of federal spending under a series of Executive Orders, including at the United States Department of Agriculture. Hundreds of thousands of lawful, signed, active contracts and grants – supporting critical conservation payments, farmer technical assistance, sustainable agriculture research, market infrastructure, and so much more, and representing […]
Rural Businesses, Farmers Lose While USDA’s Rural Energy Program is Frozen
The recent freeze to federal grants and loans has impacted countless federal programs and simultaneously left rural businesses and farmers in a lurch. Among the most impacted programs has been the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). As a result, farmers and businesses alike may be on the hook for millions of dollars of energy […]