As we barrel toward the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on September 30, both the House and Senate have now passed their respective versions of what they hope will become the next farm bill. The House passed its version on June 21 by a narrow and strictly partisan margin of 213-211. The Senate passed […]
Conservation, Energy & Environment
NSAC Members Highlight Importance of Farm Bill’s Largest Conservation Program
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is the nation’s largest conservation program and the only one that tackles resource concern protection and enhancement from a comprehensive approach. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s member organizations work directly with the farmers and ranchers who utilize this program, and recently three NSAC member organizations helped tell the story […]
Senate Farm Bill Offers Hope to Sustainable Agriculture Advocates
On June 28, the Senate passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with strong, bipartisan support – 86 Senators voted in favor of passage, and only 11 against it. The Senate’s swift movement on their bill keeps hope alive that a final bill might be finished before the 2014 Farm Bill expires on September […]
COMMENT: Senate Farm Bill Paves the Way for Farmer-Forward Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Farm Bill Paves the Way for Farmer-Forward Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture praises bill, but laments lack of action on crop insurance reform Washington, DC, June 28, 2018 – Upon passage today of the Senate farm bill, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition […]
Farmers Take Sustainable Agriculture Priorities to Congress
Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) hosted our second farmer fly-in of 2018, bringing in farmer advocates from across the country to make their priorities known on Capitol Hill. Ten growers and advocates from Alabama, California, Mississippi, Montana, Georgia, Kansas, North Dakota, Oregon, Michigan, and Vermont took time out of their busy schedules […]
Senate Rejects Rescissions Cuts to Farm Bill Programs
On June 20, the Senate rejected the Administration’s rescissions package – an attempt to cut billions of much-needed dollars from vital programs, including farm bill programs – by a vote of 48-50. The House had already passed it on a party line vote, meaning that had the rescissions package made it through this initial procedural […]
A Tale of Two Farm Bills
Editor’s Note: You can find NSAC’s latest “Action Alert” and tips on how to engage in the farm bill process here. The Senate is poised this week to consider its bipartisan version of the 2018 Farm Bill, which was passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee 20-1 earlier this month. The Senate bill, while far from […]
COMMENT: President’s Rescission Package is Direct Attack on Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net President’s Rescissions Package is Direct Attack on Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urges Senate to reject nearly $1 billion in farm bill cuts Washington, DC, June 18, 2018 – The rescissions package being considered by the Senate this week would pull the […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Senate Agriculture Committee Advances Farm Bill
Every five years or so, Congress reauthorizes the federal farm bill, a large and complex package of legislation that affects all facets of food and agriculture policy in the U.S. The current farm bill, which Congress passed in 2014, expires on September 30, 2018. The 2018 Farm Bill must be passed before September 30 in […]
COMMENT: Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Farmer-Forward Draft Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Farmer-Forward Draft Bill NSAC optimistic as Senate Agriculture Committee farm bill moves to floor Washington, DC, June 13, 2018– In response to the Senate Agriculture Committee passage of Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) […]
Draft Senate Farm Bill: Conservation
This is the first post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on June 7, 2018 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Subsequent posts focus on: local/regional food systems and rural development, research and seed breeding, organic agriculture, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, and crop insurance and commodity subsidies. The bill is expected to be considered and “marked-up” (aka […]
COMMENT: Senate Committee Leadership Produces Bipartisan Draft Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Committee Leadership Produces Bipartisan Draft Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauds provisions for sustainable agriculture, family farmers Washington, DC, June 8, 2018 – Following the Senate Agriculture Committee’s release of its draft farm bill, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the […]
Enrollment Resumes for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program
After a year of frozen enrollment, this week the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced it would reopen enrollment in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP). CCRP pays farmers to install partial field conservation practices, primarily conservation buffers or wildlife habitat. Farmers and landowners may enroll such land at any time […]
New Report Reveals Gaps in Enforcement of Conservation Compliance
Each year, billions of taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize farm bill programs (e.g., commodity programs and crop insurance). In exchange, farmers and ranchers who benefit from those programs are required to take certain basic steps to conserve our shared natural resources, specifically soil and wetlands. These expectations are codified in law through what is […]
Enrollment for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Unfrozen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Enrollment for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Unfrozen National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauds reopening of enrollment Washington, DC, June 1, 2018 – Today, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced it would resume Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) enrollment following a freeze initiated last year on enrollment of any new […]
Administration Seeks to Poach Nearly $1 Billion from Agriculture Programs
Last budget cycle, advocacy groups like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) helped to push a strong budget package through Congress, one which the President ultimately – if reluctantly – signed. Immediately after that budget deal was done and a fiscal year (FY) 2018 appropriations omnibus was delivered (with an extra $2 billion for agriculture […]
Senate Appropriators Advance FY 2019 Agriculture Funding Bill
Each year, Congress passes far-reaching funding legislation, known as appropriations legislation, to fund federal programs across the government. This includes many of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Thursday May 24, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) […]
The Farm Bill and U.S. Territories: Sustainable Agriculture Programs in Action
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part blog series on how the farm bill impacts farmers and rural communities in the U.S. Territories. This series was written and researched by NSAC policy intern Dariana Mattei-Ramos, a native of Puerto Rico and an advocate for food and agriculture justice. Dariana holds a master’s degree […]
Path To The 2018 Farm Bill: House Farm Bill Defeated
Before 2013, the modern version of the federal farm bill had never been voted down on the floor the House of Representatives. Today is a historic day, because it marks the second time in history – but also the second time in just five years – that a farm bill has been defeated on the […]
House Agriculture FY 2019 Appropriations Bill Advances
This week has been a perfect embodiment of the popular expression, “when it rains, it pours.” Not only has the House – and the sustainable agriculture advocacy community – been busy trying to finalize and pass their version of the 2018 Farm Bill (the bill failed 198-213), they’ve had their hands full with fiscal year […]
COMMENT: House Farm Bill Defeated
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net House Farm Bill Defeated National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition committed to continuing fight for a better bill Washington, DC, May 18, 2018 – Today, the House failed to secure a sufficient number of votes to pass its version of the 2018 Farm Bill – the Agriculture and […]
RELEASE: House Farm Bill Fails on Every Level
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net House Farm Bill Fails on Every Level Farm and food groups urge Congress to vote no on anti-farmer, anti-family, anti-environment farm bill Washington, DC, May 17, 2018 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) – the nation’s longest-operating and largest sustainable agriculture policy […]
House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2019 Funding Bill
Each year, Congress passes far-reaching funding legislation, known as appropriations legislation, to fund federal programs across the government. This includes many of the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Wednesday, May 9, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year […]
COMMENT: Progress Toward Building More Sustainable Food System Threatened by Cut
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Progress Toward Building a More Sustainable Food System Threatened by Cuts Attacks on key programs would undermine Congress’ recent progress Washington, DC, May 9, 2018 – The budget and appropriations news released this week, which includes the House’s passage of their FY 2019 […]