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Competition & Anti-trust

Major Differences Remain over Farm Bill Commodity Title

September 26, 2018

As we approach the September 30 expiration date for the current farm bill, the negotiations over a new bill appear to be stalled on many fronts, including big looming issues pertaining to commodity, conservation, and nutrition programs. On the commodity program front, big differences remain, including, for instance, whether or not to penalize farmers who […]

Filed Under: Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill

New Report Exposes Over $1 Billion in Bad Loanmaking at SBA

March 16, 2018

Last week, the exploitative business practices of multinational poultry processing companies – and the role of the Small Business Administration (SBA) in facilitating that exploitation – were put on display by a shocking report from the SBA’s own Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report reveals that SBA has in recent years made an increasing […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust

RELEASE: Explanation Demanded on SBA’s Exploitative Loan Practices in Chicken Industry

March 15, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Explanation Demanded on SBA’s Exploitative Loan Practices in Chicken Industry National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauds Senator Booker for introducing transparency amendment  Washington, DC, March 15, 2018 – Yesterday, during consideration of S. 2283 by the Senate Small Business Committee, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) offered […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: A Comprehensive Approach to Food and Farm Policy

November 1, 2017

Editor’s Note: On October 24, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its 2018 Farm Bill policy platform, An Agenda for the 2018 Farm Bill. NSAC has been a leader in agricultural policy for over 30 years, and has been instrumental in helping to develop some of our nation’s most successful agricultural programs for conserving […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill, Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development, Sustainable Livestock

COMMENT: Administration Chooses Corporate Profit Over Family Farmers

October 17, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Administration Chooses Corporate Profit Over Family Farmers This is truly a sad day for American farmers. Without the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule on competitive injury, it will be virtually impossible for family farmers to defend themselves against unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory practices by packers and poultry dealers. […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

Trump Administration Undertaking Historic Reorganizing of USDA, But to What End?

September 15, 2017

Back in May, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a USDA reorganization plan that eliminated its Rural Development Mission Area and downgraded the status of what was the Under Secretary for Rural Development to an Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, closing the Office of the Under Secretary in the process. […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Food Safety, Nutrition & Food Access, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

House Appropriations Bill Largely Rejects President’s Proposed Cuts to Agriculture Programs

June 29, 2017

“Dead on arrival” is what many in Congress called the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request – which included a discretionary funding cut of 21 percent ($47 billion over 10 years) to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) – when it was released earlier this year. This week’s FY 2018 funding bill from the House […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

Support the Farmer Fair Practices Rules, Comments Due Monday!

June 8, 2017

The deadline to submit your individual or organization’s comments in support of the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule (aka the “competitive injury rule”) is Monday, June 12. The Farmer Fair Practices Rules are a critical set of changes that would bring more fairness and equity to the contract agriculture system by allowing the US […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust

Wins for Sustainable Agriculture in FY 2017 Spending Package

May 2, 2017

After three continuing resolutions (CR), which cumulatively delayed the fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations package by over seven months, Congress has finally reached an agreement on funding levels for the remainder of FY 2017. Despite a particularly contentious political environment, one area on which Congress was largely able to agree in the omnibus spending bill […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

A Late Start Doesn’t Have to Mean a Slow Start: 10 Things Secretary Perdue Can Do Now to Support Family Farmers

April 26, 2017

On his first day on the job, Sonny Perdue – a former two-term governor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) long-awaited new Secretary – addressed two very important audiences. The first, a formal introduction to USDA staff, was an opportunity for the Secretary to lay out his general vision for the department’s next four […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Nutrition & Food Access, Research, Education & Extension

A Big Week Ahead for Agriculture: Decisions Will Shape the Landscape for 2018 Farm Bill

April 21, 2017

The annual process for funding federal programs — known in Washington D.C. as the appropriations cycle — should be a fairly cut and dry process of allocating money (or not) to previously authorized programs; however, in recent years the appropriations process has often been used as a backdoor method to legislate. Rumors have abounded over […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill

If Trump Stands with Rural America, He Will Expedite the Farmer Fair Practices Rules

March 28, 2017

Editors Note: On April 13, 2017 USDA delayed the effective date for the interim final rule on “competitive injury” until October of 2017.  A separate Federal Register Notice requests comments by June 12, 2017 on the disposition of the interim final rule including whether it should be delayed further, withdrawn, suspended, or allowed to go […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust

How Sustainable Agriculture Advocates Can Take Action in 2017

January 24, 2017

With a new president and the 115th Congress recently sworn in, farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates around the country have been asking: What does this new Administration and Congress mean for agriculture and food policy? How can we most effectively advocate and continue to make change on the issues that we care about? Here at […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill, Food Safety, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development, Sustainable Livestock

PRESS RELEASE: Executive Order Delays All Pending Final Rules

January 23, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754, GFogel@sustainableagriculture.net   Executive Order Delays All Pending Final Rules Farmer Fair Practices Rules, designed to protect rights of contract farmers, included among those delayed Washington, DC, January 23, 2017 – On Friday, January 21, the Trump Administration directed agencies to delay by 60 days […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

NSAC’s Sweet 16: Top Wins for Sustainable Agriculture in 2016

December 28, 2016

If some years are rollercoasters, 2016 was more like the tilt-a-whirl – a lot of effort spent to turn just slightly in one direction or another, much spinning in circles, and a headache at the end for your trouble. Despite all the stop and starts, however, the sustainable agriculture community came out of the last […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Organic, Research, Education & Extension

USDA Publishes Farmer Fair Practices Rules to Help American Farmers and Ranchers

December 15, 2016

USDA has taken the historic step of issuing three rules that will begin to bring some fairness and order to the poultry and livestock industries, with a particular focus on farmers growing under contracts with the big meat and poultry processing corporations. These three rules, when finalized, will prevent unfair and anti-competitive practices by meat […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, General Interest

RELEASE: Farmer Fair Practices Rules Will Bring Fairness to Contract Poultry and Livestock Industry

December 14, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754, PWolfe@sustainableagriculture.net   Farmer Fair Practices Rules Will Bring Fairness to Contract Poultry and Livestock Industry National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition praises USDA for moving forward on rules to protect contract farmers Washington, DC, December 14, 2016 – Nearly 100 years after the passage of the […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

Farmer Fair Practices Rules Could Be an Easy Win for Trump Administration

November 22, 2016

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is currently reviewing a set of three rules from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that, if finalized, could easily be an early win for the Trump Administration. USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has been working on the “Farmer Fair Practices” rules with the support of […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust

Press Release: Representative Chellie Pingree Hosts Poultry Farmers and Advocates for a Capitol Hill Discussion on Contract Agriculture

November 15, 2016

For Immediate Release: Contact: Michael Pauker, michael.pauker@berlinrosen.com, 646-335-0330   United States Representative Chellie Pingree Hosts Poultry Farmers and Advocates for a Capitol Hill Discussion on Contract Agriculture Attendants will view “Under Contract”, a new documentary on abusive practices in the industry Washington, DC, November 15, 2016 – Contract poultry farmers raise 97% of all chicken consumed in […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

COMMENT: NSAC Applauds USDA for Moving Forward with Farmer Fair Practices Rules

October 14, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, 202-547-574, pwolfe@sustainableagriculture.net Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-574, fhoefner@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC Applauds USDA for Moving Forward with Farmer Fair Practices Rules Washington, DC, Oct 14, 2016 – We thank Secretary Vilsack for moving forward on the Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration’s (GIPSA) “Farmer Fair Practices Rules”, which were sent today by USDA to the […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

Livestock and Poultry Industry Groups Continue Efforts to Stall USDA Protections for Farmers

October 11, 2016

Six years ago, powerful corporate livestock and poultry industry groups released a report claiming that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2010 Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule would harm family poultry and livestock producers. In fact, what they were really worried about was interrupting the anti-competitive, vertically integrated livestock and poultry systems that they […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Sustainable Livestock

Senate Questions “Tsunami” of Mergers and Acquisitions in Ag Industries

September 22, 2016

On Tuesday, September 20, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to probe further into a series of recent proposed mergers and acquisitions in the seed and agricultural industry. The hearing was convened after news of three significant mergers of top agricultural input companies that control 60 percent of the global seed market and 64 […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Research, Education & Extension

Farmers Push for Action on Agriculture Funding Bill

June 30, 2016

If you want to gain some real insight into agricultural policies, your first stop should be one of America’s 2.1 million farms – a majority of which are small and medium-sized family farms. Though we can’t always get Congress to the farm, we can bring the farm to Congress. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) regularly […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Food Safety, Research, Education & Extension

RELEASE: Poultry Farmer Stands Up for Contract Growers, Delivers Petition on Capitol Hill

June 16, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754, PWolfe@sustainableagriculture.net Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net   Poultry Farmer Stands Up for Contract Growers, Delivers Petition on Capitol Hill Contract Poultry Farmer Joins Ag and Government Accountability Groups to Deliver 60,000+ Signature Petition to Congress in Support of Rights for Contract Farmers Washington, DC, June 16, 2016 – Nestled […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Press Releases

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