The new year presents a final window of opportunity for the Administration to act upon climate change … Read More →
Conservation, Energy & Environment
Top 15 Wins for Sustainable Agriculture in 2015
All that we have to be grateful for in 2015, from promoting conservation to empowering beginning farmers… Read More →
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 →
United Nations Report Reveals Serious Threats to Soil Health
World Soil Day, celebrated on December 4, marked the end of the United Nations (UN) International Year of Soils, but a new report finds that much more work is necessary to boost soil health across the globe. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils recently published a report that illuminates multiple threats to soil […]
Representative Pingree Takes on Food Waste
On Monday, December 7, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) introduced the Food Recovery Act (H.R. 4184) to curb food waste across the entire food system. She publicly announced the bill earlier the same day at the Portland Food Co-op in Portland, Maine. The Food Recovery Act targets food waste in four areas: farms, retail and restaurants, schools and other institutions, […]
CSP Overhaul Delayed Until 2017
The major overhaul of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) will be delayed one year until the 2017… Read More →
New Paper Explores the Role of Agriculture In Sequestering Carbon
As the climate continues to warm, agriculture has a critical role to play in not just reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, but also in pulling GHG’s out of the atmosphere and storing them in the soil. Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Breakthrough Strategies and Solutions, LLC, jointly published a paper that explores how […]
New Soil Health Institute Will Begin with $20 Million over Ten Years
On Thursday, December 3, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the Farm Foundation, NFP announced the creation of a new Soil Health Institute, to be headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The Institute is an offshoot of an ongoing effort known as the Soil Renaissance. According to today’s press release, “The Soil Health Institute’s […]
49th CRP Sign Up Announced as Continuous CRP Enrollments Hit Record High in 2015
On Tuesday, December 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the beginning of the 49th Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign up. The general sign up period will last from December 1, 2015 to February 26, 2016. This month, USDA also celebrates the 30-year anniversary of the program, which Congress created in the 1985 […]
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 →
Report Highlights Environmental Challenges of Producing Energy from Corn Stover
Last month, the Natural Resources Defense Council released a new report, authored by longtime NSAC ally, Loni Kemp, that explores the production of ethanol from corn residues, also known as stover. Stover is the byproduct of harvesting corn kernels, and is made up of stalks, husks, cobs, and leaves. Two energy-production companies opened stover-to-ethanol plants […]
The (Un)Coordinated Framework of GE Regulations
Those tuned into the biotechnology regulatory landscape will have noticed quite a few changes and announcements from the federal government lately. Several agencies have been asking for public comments, announcing proposed rules, releasing guidance, and taking other actions related to biotechnology, or genetic engineering (“GE”). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health […]
$350 Million to Protect Wetlands, Grasslands, and Farmland
On Thursday, November 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $350 million in fiscal year (FY) 2016 for long-term easements to protect wetlands, grasslands, and farm and ranch land. The funding is available through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which the 2014 Farm Bill created by combining the Wetland Reserve […]
CAFOs and Cover Crops: A Closer Look at 2015 EQIP Dollars
What do Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and cover crops have in common? Both receive millions of dollars in funding each year through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This post digs into EQIP data from Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 to highlight major conservation wins, as well as identify critical opportunities for improvements in this working […]
New Guidebook Will Help Organic Farmers Access Conservation Programs
On Thursday, November 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) published a new handbook to help NRCS field staff work more effectively with organic and transitioning-to-organic producers. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which along with several of its member organizations contributed to the new guide, issued a press release on the […]
New Resources for Transitioning to Organic Production
This fall, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released two resources aimed at helping producers transition to organic production, with one more expected soon. Here is a brief rundown, plus a quick review of major USDA conservation program decisions coming down the pike. New Business Planner On November 13, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) […]
What’s the Conservation Stewardship Program “Makeover” All About?
The Conservation Stewardship Program, the largest conservation program in the United States, is undergoing a major overhaul, or “makeover” for the 2016 sign-up period. … Read More →
New Study Finds Investment in Agroecology Falls Short
On Friday, November 10, the Journal of Environmental Science & Policy published an article, Investing in the transition to sustainable agriculture, which provides an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and partners to identify how much U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2014 competitive grant funding for research and education incorporated agroecology. According to […]
New Initiative to Help Farmers Help Monarchs
On Thursday, November 12, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) announced the availability of $4 million to provide food and habitat for monarch butterflies in the Midwest and southern Great Plains. This new conservation effort will aid farmers and ranchers in providing food and habitat for monarch butterflies in 10 […]
USDA Provides 2016 Guidance for Organic, High Tunnel and Other Conservation Initiatives
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) recently provided its state NRCS offices with instructions on how and when to administer various conservation initiatives for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The guidance, Instructions for Implementing National Program and Landscape Conservation Initiatives, covers initiatives that are funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program […]
What to Look for in the FSMA Produce Rule
On November 2, FDA announced that the food safety rule governing the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce — as well as rules governing foreign suppliers and third party accreditation – was submitted to the Federal Register for final publication. … 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 […]
USDA Invests $30 Million in Mississippi River Basin Initiative
On November 3, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a $30 million investment in 73 conservation projects through the Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI). These fiscal year 2016 MRBI awards will benefit 33 new conservation projects and 40 ongoing projects. Three NSAC members are partnering organizations on new awards, including Illinois Stewardship Alliance for conservation efforts in […]
White House Honors Champion of Change for Sustainable Agriculture: Martin Kleinschmit
This post is the second in a two-part series highlighting farmers recognized as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. This post features Martin Kleinschmit of Nebraska. On October 26, the White House honored 12 farmers and educators as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. We congratulate all of these hardworking individuals for […]