The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service recently launched a soil health initiative entitled, “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil.” The initiative aims to help farmers enhance soil health by raising awareness and sharing methods and success stories. This is the third post in a five-post series on sustainable soil management, research, and […]
Conservation, Energy & Environment
What’s at Stake: Energy Savings and Renewable Energy for Producers and Rural Businesses
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without mandatory funding. This is the ninth post in our 10-week “What’s at Stake?” […]
Advancing Innovative Cover Crop Research, One Question at a Time
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service recently launched a soil health initiative entitled, “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil.” The initiative aims to help farmers enhance soil health by raising awareness and sharing methods and success stories. This is the second post in a five-post series on sustainable soil management, research, and […]
In Good Times and in Bad: Healthy Soils and Sustainable Soil Management
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service recently launched a soil health initiative entitled “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil.” The initiative aims to help farmers enhance soil health by raising awareness and sharing methods and success stories. This is the first post in a five-post series on sustainable soil management, research, and […]
Stories from the Field: Farmland Access in South Dakota
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without funding. This post is part of our 10-week blog series which will feature […]
New Environmental Benefits Scores for CSP
Farmers and Ranchers who are interested in applying for enrollment in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for fiscal year (FY) 2013 can now determine how many points the various conservation activities offered under the program will be worth. Remember, however, that the FY 2013 sign up is currently on hold due to a hopefully temporary […]
What’s at Stake: Support for the Next Generation of Farmer-Stewards
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without mandatory funding. This is the eighth post in our 10-week “What’s at Stake?” […]
EPA Update with Focus on Water Quality and Agriculture
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued two announcements this week concerning coordination and partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to protect the nation’s water quality. Clean Water Act Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Guidelines Highlight USDA The EPA released a draft revision of Clean Water Act Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) Program […]
Another Dust Bowl? Lessons from the Past
The Dust Bowl, a film by noted filmmaker Ken Burns, will premier this Sunday and Monday, November 18 and 19 on PBS stations nationwide. On Sunday, the first 2-hour film, “The Great Plow-Up” will air from 8:00 to 10:00 pm ET. On Monday evening, the second 2-hour film, “Reaping the Whirlwind” will air during the […]
Over 40 Groups Urge Congress to Fund Conservation, Reverse CSP Cut
On Monday, November 12, NSAC and 42 other organizations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) urging the House to work with the Senate to complete a full five-year Farm Bill this year — one that, among other things, sustains the effectiveness of the Conservation Title of the bill in continuing what is a […]
EPA’s Halloween Surprise – Another CAFO Comment Period
On October 31, 2012, the EPA announced yet another round of comments on the Clean Water Act regulation for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This time, EPA has issued a notice that it is reviewing, under Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Clean Water Act CAFO regulation as issued in 2003. The Regulatory […]
NRCS Releases National Guidance on FY13 Conservation Initiatives
On Friday, October 26, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provided its state NRCS offices with national guidance on when and how to administer 16 conservation initiatives for fiscal year (FY) 2013. The national guidance covers a number of initiatives that NSAC tracks closely, including the National Organic Initiative (NOI), National Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative […]
Stories from the Field: Growing Organic Fruit In Michigan
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without funding. This post is part of our 10-week blog series that features both […]
FDA, Congress, and Courts Take Up Aresenic in Rice Issue
Background The November 2012 issue of Consumer Reports includes a report on arsenic in rice products that concludes that the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice products, including baby food, are at levels that trigger public health concerns. Ingestion of inorganic arsenic can result in cancer and other health disorders. There are federal drinking water […]
Farm Energy: USDA Announces $16 Million in Rural Energy Grants
On Friday, October 19, USDA announced that it is awarding $16 million in grant and loan awards in FY 2012 through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The award will fund 244 projects aimed at helping farmers, ranchers, and small businesses conserve energy and produce renewable energy. In August of this year, USDA awarded […]
FY 2013 Enrollment Deadlines for Conservation Programs May Be Fast Approaching
As the new fiscal year begins, states have begun to set Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 “ranking deadlines” for enrollment in farm bill conservation programs and initiatives. These dates are important for farmers and ranchers to be aware of if they are considering applying for conservation funding. While many USDA conservation programs offer continuous enrollments, meaning […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Farm Bill Expires on Monday — What Does It Mean and What Happens Now?
We have been fielding lots of questions in the past few weeks following the congressional meltdown on the new farm bill. This is not surprising, given Congress’ failure to date to either pass a new farm bill or to enact a short-term extension of the existing farm bill before the farm bill expires at midnight, […]
Congress Votes to Slash Conservation Spending, Extends FY 2012 Funding Levels
The Senate voted (67-31) this morning to proceed to a vote to pass a 6-month continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded at FY 2012 levels through March 27, 2013. The final vote will likely occur sometime this weekend, slowed down by several procedural moves related to votes on extraneous matters. It may take […]
NCAT Webinar: NRCS Standards and Organic Farming Biodiversity Requirements
On Thursday, September 27, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will host a webinar at 1 p.m. (EDT) on how the NRCS Conservation Practice Standards can help organic farmers and ranchers meet the National Organic Program‘s (NOP) regulations for biodiversity conservation. The webinar will feature a panel of three speakers, all with extensive experience […]
Revised Version: Obama Administration Details Sequestration Cuts
On Friday, September 14, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a preliminary outline of how it would implement automatic budget cuts (known as sequestration) across government programs, as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). In early August 2012, Congress passed the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012, which forced the Obama […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Not Now, Maybe Later; And Meanwhile, Conservation Programs Shut Down; Sequestration Cuts to be Revealed
Congress returned this week from its summer recess with questions abounding on the fate of the 2012 Farm Bill. After less than one short week in session, a bad situation has unfortunately grown worse, not better. Conservation Programs Shut Down On Thursday, September 13, the House approved a “continuing resolution” (or CR for short) to […]
30 Organizations Warn Against Cutting Conservation to Pay for Drought Aid
On Tuesday, September 11, 30 organizations including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation partnership delivered a letter to Congress rejecting the notion that cuts to farm bill conservation funding should be used to pay for short-term disaster assistance. The Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012 (H.R. […]
Continuing Resolution Would Stop Key Conservation Programs in 2013
On Monday evening, September 10, the House Rules Committee posted the Continuing Resolution (CR) agreed upon by congressional leaders to fund the government for the next six months. The bill is expected to be voted on in the House on Thursday and in the Senate after that. The overall goal is to avoid a government […]
Poll Finds Farmers Oppose Cutting Conservation to Fund Drought Assistance
Last week, the National Farmers Union (NFU) released a poll confirming that farmers believe conservation programs are vital in helping to deal with drought. Two research firms (one Democratic and one Republican) polled 502 farmers across 13 states in the American Heartland and found that an overwhelming 79 percent of respondents view conservation programs as […]