Editor’s Note: This is the sixth blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Read blogs one, two, three, […]
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The Senate is Negotiating Pandemic Aid: What Does it Mean for Farmers and Food Systems?
On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the highly anticipated HEALS Act. This $1 trillion bill is the Senate Majority proposal for the fourth coronavirus response package (C4), which will serve as the starting point for Senate negotiations. In this post we will examine the farm and food systems provisions of the […]
Guest Post: Farmers Markets Are Essential—And So Are the Policy Relationships They Hold
Editor’s Note: We want to thank Ben Feldman, Stephanie Fenty, and Hannah Fuller of the Farmers Market Coalition for this guest post on the challenges that farmers markets face in light of the persistent pandemic and in celebration of National Farmers’ Market Week, observed August 2nd through August 8th. No matter how you look at […]
Changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and Likely More to Come
Anyone who has been near a computer or television during the past week is certainly aware of the chaotic negotiations in the Senate as Majority leadership works to craft their version of a fourth coronavirus pandemic response bill (C4). The House passed their $3 trillion HEROES Act (C4) more than two months ago (May 15, […]
Grant Funding Available to Support Farmers of Color and Military Veterans
Farmers of color and military veterans have historically struggled to access critical farm assistance and aid programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), largely a consequence of deliberate discrimination against them and insufficient outreach to their communities. Last week, USDA announced the availability of $15 million to support organizations working with these underserved […]
Latest Round of Farm to School Grants Tops $12 million as Pandemic Uncertainty Persists
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $12.1 million in Farm to School Grants to 159 grantees in 48 states, Guam and Washington D.C. This is the largest round of awards since the grant program was first authorized and is a most welcome against the backdrop of uncertainty caused by lost markets and the possibility […]
USDA Programs Support Small Meat Processing Plants
There are a few existing federal programs that could be expanded to further support small, local, and regional meat and poultry processing plants and increase farmers’ access to slaughter and processing options…. Read More →
Regional and Long-Term Agricultural Research Build Climate Resilience
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Read blogs one, two, three, […]
NSAC Adopts Updated Principles on Immigration and Agriculture
Introduction Immigrant communities have played a crucial role in the cultural, economic, and political growth of our country. The farm and dairy economy especially depend on labor from migrant and immigrant people, often labor from undocumented people, who often live in precarious situations and receive little compensation or benefits. As recent headlines have shown, both […]
Combating the Climate Crisis Through Conservation
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth blog in a series that focuses on the provisions of the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Read our previous blogs in […]
Agriculture Underscored in House Climate Committee Report
Major comprehensive federal legislation to deal with the global climate crisis is long overdue. While no bills are likely to become law this year, the time is ripe for piecing together the key components of a new law for consideration in the 117th Congress (2021-22). Even before next year, the House of Representatives will engage […]
SBA Loan Deadline Extended — Recent Changes Make Aid a Better Fit for Farmers
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post written by the Farmers’ Legal Action Group, and updated as of April 25, 2021. Find earlier reporting from FLAG on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on their website, and find NSAC’s initial reporting on PPP on our blog. The deadline for the Paycheck Protection Program, a COVID-19 relief […]
Is There Help from Congress on the Horizon?
The Food Supply Protection Act Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and can now see its impacts on every aspect of their own lives and on the lives of others in their community. An uncoordinated and inconsistent federal response to the pandemic has caused great harm to the most vulnerable among us […]
Enrollment Alert! Farmers Encouraged to Apply for CLEAR and CLEAR30 to Promote Healthy Waters
For better and for worse, farmers know how water flows through their land. When rain falls, it must go somewhere – usually into local streams that eventually flow into larger bodies of water such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, or the Chesapeake Bay. In recent years, there have been reports of increased […]
There is No Future for Sustainable Food and Farming Without Racial Justice
Last month, the world witnessed yet another killing of a Black person in America at the hands of police. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition grieves the murder of George Floyd and stands with those calling for justice for Mr. Floyd, for Ahmaud Arbery, for Tony McDade, for David McAtee, for Breonna Taylor, and for every […]
New Hub of Activity for Good Food Policy
In May, as the country grappled with an emerging global pandemic and unprecedented demand for food assistance, a national collaboration of organizations working on food systems and healthy food access officially launched the Nutrition Incentive Hub. Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute for Food and […]
New Team At USDA To Help New Farmers
USDA has finally filled key new positions to ensure beginning farmers are fully supported and able to get the help they need to grow their farm…. Read More →
Farmers Impacted by COVID-19 Now Eligible to Defer FSA Loan Payments
USDA recently announced changes to federal farm loan programs that may provide immediate, short-term relief to some farmers impacted by the COVID pandemic. However, there are important details and restrictions that farmers need to know about to see if they are eligible for relief…. Read More →
What Farmers Need to Know About the USDA COVID-19 Aid Program Opening Next Week
USDA recently announced details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will open for enrollment on May 26, 2020. CFAP will provide $16 billion in aid to farmers who suffered economic losses due to the pandemic. NSAC is glad to see relief begin to flow to farmers, but there are several shortcomings in the program that will make it more difficult for some farmers to seek relief. In this blog, we break down what farmers need to know about this new program…. Read More →
Farmers Feeding Families Act Would Prioritize Local Relief Efforts
With the official unemployment rate approaching 15 percent, the number of food insecure families is growing. This can be seen in a dramatic increase in applications for SNAP benefits and in the long lines at food banks and emergency feeding sites across the country. This difficult situation is made even worse because as the demand […]
Will the HEROES Act Rescue Farmers?
As farmers and communities across the country continue to struggle to adapt to the new normal that is life amidst a global pandemic, Congress set the stage this week for the fourth round of federal aid to combat this crisis. And while previous aid packages have addressed some of the most urgent relief, our nation’s […]
National Guide to Finding Local Food
Editor’s Note: This post was developed in spring 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so some links may be outdated or no longer active! We’re in the process of reviewing and updating it in early 2025 — but in the meantime, feel free to look around! Just do expect some broken or outdated […]
USDA COVID Aid Program Raises More Questions than Answers
USDA recently announced plans to distribute $19 billion in aid to farmers impacted by COVID, raising serious concerns about which farmers will benefit. … Read More →
A Closer Look at Legal Experts’ Helpful COVID-19 Resources for Farmers
Note: This post has been updated since its original publication and is current as of April 28. We will continue to update this post as more information becomes available. As farmers and communities across the country continue to face health, safety, and business impacts as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, many grassroots organizations […]