Farmers are working to improve food safety on the farm, and prepare for Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) inspections, but this requires both assistance and resources. We are excited that the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) applications have just opened up and will provide organizations with funding to assist and help farmers and small food businesses with […]
Carousel
FSMA: It’s Back! And Farmer Comments are Needed
We need your help to ensure farms that are not facilities are removed from the Traceability Proposed Rule, and that the rule ensures inexpensive and practical traceability for small food businesses. … Read More →
BIG BOOST IN FUNDING AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS
USDA announced $16.5 million in grant funds to help organizations train new farmers and ranchers. Grants will be awarded through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)…. Read More →
NASS 2020 Local Food Marketing Survey Needs Farmer Input
In recent years, the increasing interest in local and regional food systems has garnered consensus around the need for more robust economic data about the sector. The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on farm and food systems in the U.S. have further underlined the need for better data. While many small to mid-sized farmers […]
Government Funding Bill – Sustainable Agriculture Wins
With the country facing an imminent government shutdown, the President finally signed the $2.3 trillion Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020 on December 28th. This bill includes both badly needed emergency COVID-19 relief aid as well as regular fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriations. For more information on the COVID-19 relief aspects of the bill check […]
Coronavirus Bill Contains Billions for Farmers and Farm Programs
The New Covid Bill On December 28th, President Trump signed the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, averting a looming government shutdown. This $2.3 Trillion dollar, 5,500 page, package of funding and legislation combined a $900 billion Coronavirus response bill and a $1.4 Trillion annual appropriations bill for FY21 into a single, must-pass “omnibus.” The […]
Food Safety Outreach Program Grants Recently Awarded
At the end of 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded funds through the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) to several organizations who plan to provide educational resources and assistance to farmers and food businesses working to improve their food safety practices…. Read More →
New Funding Opportunity for Organic Transition and Education Research for 2021 and 2022
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Organic Transitions Program (ORG) in late 2020. Like its counterpart, the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), ORG supports research to improve the competitiveness of organic farming. However, ORG is distinct from OREI […]
Top 20 Wins (and Fights!) for Sustainable Agriculture in 2020
The end of the year is just around the corner – and what a year it has been! In these times of pain, uncertainty, reflection, and action, two things are certain: (1) our country and our world as we know it will never quite be the same, and (2) the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) […]
Over $61 Million Invested in Value-Added Agriculture Entrepreneurs
Editor’s note: as we were preparing this blog for publication, the USDA announced the next round of funding through the program, with a 90 day application window. NSAC will be updating and publishing our farmers guide to applying for the program first thing in the new year. “Value-added” foods and goods are made from raw […]
FUNDING CUT FOR 2501 PROGRAM DESPITE RECORD NEED TO RESPOND TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Historic discrimination and inadequate assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs have contributed to the exceptional challenges that farmers of color and military veteran farmers face in the industry. For three decades, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the “Section 2501” program) has […]
$150M for Sustainable Agriculture Research, Impacts, and Assessment
Long-term sustainable agriculture research is critical to growing and supporting every American farm, especially as farmers across the country continue to address the challenges posed by a changing climate. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Sustainable Agriculture Systems (SAS) program – initiated to enhance the sustainable production of food in the face of […]
WHAT THE NEW FDA RULE MEANS FOR FARMS: PART 2
Photo shows a harvest of baby-lettuce leaves. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung…. Read More →
How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Support a More Sustainable and Resilient Food System
NSAC has identified the most pressing issues facing the sustainable agriculture community for the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize in order to rebuild our food system. At the top of the list are issues like addressing the climate crisis, building a more resilient food supply chain, addressing longstanding issues of racial inequities, strengthening anti-trust enforcement, and scaling up investments in public research…. Read More →
What the New FDA Rule Means for Farms: Part 1
Almost a decade ago, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), along with thousands of farmers, asked Congress to make sure the new food safety measures in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) worked for sustainable and organic farmers. Farmers were particularly concerned with the FSMA provisions around extensive traceability and recordkeeping. Fortunately, Congress listened to […]
$50 Million Now Available for Rural Renewable Energy Projects
As climate variability increases and energy costs continue to rise, producing on-farm, renewable energy has become an attractive option for many farmers and ranchers. In order to help producers save money and better utilize renewable energy, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants and loans to farmers and rural businesses interested in making […]
More Funding Available for 2021 Organic Research
Just a few weeks after the 2019 Organic Survey reported a 31 percent growth for organic sales and an increase in certified organic farms and transitioning acres, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released its FY 2021 Request for Application (RFA) for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension […]
New Edition of NSAC’s Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program Just Released
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The guide provides farmers and ranchers looking to enroll in the CSP program, or renew CSP contracts, with helpful, comprehensive, and accurate information about the program. Since 2003, CSP has provided farmers and ranchers with five-year, renewable financial […]
Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Awards Announced
In October, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the inaugural round of grant awards for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program, providing $9.3 million in competitive grant funding for 23 projects. RFSP supports the formation of public-private partnerships working at the foodshed-level to transform local and regional food […]
Is COVID-19 Aid Reaching Farmers?
The second iteration of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP-2) developed by USDA to help compensate farmers for losses due to the coronavirus pandemic is working much better and reaching more farmers than the first round of aid launched earlier this year. Since CFAP-2 opened to farmers on September 21, 2020 participation has been brisk […]
2019 NASS Survey Finds Big Gains for Organic
Demand for organic continues to defy expectations as consumers recognize its many benefits. Now new data underscore this trend. Organic agriculture saw a 31 percent increase in overall sales since 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2019 Organic Survey. The Organic Survey, conducted every five years, gathers […]
$16 Million Invested to Train Beginning Farmers – Where Does It Go?
Beginning farmers and ranchers face a number of unique circumstances and challenges to establish themselves in the industry, and their path has become no easier in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the Economic Research Service (ERS) published a report that found beginning farmers have higher debt-to-asset ratios, are less likely to receive […]
Farm to School Projects – $10 million in Grants Available and a New Streamlined Application Option
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the opening of the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Farm to School (F2S) Grant Program request for applications (RFA). Administered by the U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Office of Community Food Systems, the program provides farmers, schools, local government, and healthy food advocates […]
NSAC Co-Hosts Webinar on Black Farm Cooperatives
Introduction Black farm cooperatives hold a unique role within the food sovereignty movement and cooperative organization history. Last month, NSAC facilitated a virtual panel alongside the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFED) to celebrate the accomplishments, history, and challenges of Black farm cooperatives in the United States. The webinar featured experts in cooperative development and history, […]