Last week, farmers from across the nation descended upon Washington, DC for NSAC’s first 2018 Farm Bill “fly-in”. NSAC’s farmer fly-ins provide farmers and farm/food advocates with the opportunity to speak with directly with decision makers in Congress about the issues that most affect their lives, businesses, and communities. On November 8th, NSAC held our […]
Farm Bill
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
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, which provides a comprehensive vision for a more sustainable farm and food system based on the recommendations and experience of American family farmers and the organizations that represent them. This is the second […]
RELEASE: By Focusing on Beginning Farmers, Legislators Are Crafting a Farm Bill for the Future
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net By Focusing on Beginning Farmers, Legislators Are Crafting a Farm Bill for the Future Washington, DC, November 8, 2017 – Today, a bipartisan coalition led by Representatives Tim Walz (D-MN) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) introduced the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act (BFROA) of […]
RELEASE: Farmers Take the Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754 rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Farmers Take The Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition leads farmer/advocate fly-in in advance of 2018 Farm Bill Washington, D.C., November 8, 2017 – This week, 20 farmers and farm advocates representing 13 agricultural states flew into Washington D.C. as part […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: A Comprehensive Approach to Food and Farm Policy
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 […]
Over $20 Million Awarded for Organic Research Projects
Editor’s Note: This blog was written in partnership with our member organization, the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced more than $20 million in competitive grant awards to support one of agriculture’s fastest growing sectors – organics. The funding was […]
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Releases 2018 Farm Bill Platform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Releases 2018 Farm Bill Platform Washington, DC, October 24, 2017 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its comprehensive 2018 Farm Bill policy platform, An Agenda for the 2018 Farm Bill. NSAC has been a leader in […]
Coalition Calls for Congress to Prioritize Research in 2018 Farm Bill
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition joined with over 60 other organizations and educational institutions in delivering a consensus document to legislators with priority recommendations for the Research, Education, and Extension Title of the 2018 Farm Bill. The undersigned universities, farmer and research organizations, and advocates emphasized the danger of allowing America’s investment in research […]
$5 Million Available for Farm to School Grant Projects
America’s family farmers are planting, harvesting, and selling fresh, healthy produce year-round. They’ve got the farming thing down; but barriers exist that often prevent them from reaching new and expanding markets for their products, including customers that might be in the same town or state. One way the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hopes to […]
Harvesting Local Food Opportunities
For family farmers, fall is one of the busiest times of the year. While farmers are keeping busy harvesting their fields, food and farm advocates have been occupied with their own bumper crop of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program announcements. In fact, in the past two weeks, USDA awarded approximately $40 million in grants […]
Filling the Local Foods Gap in the Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran on the website of the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). To view the original article, click here. When we started our partnership with St. Cloud’s Reach Up Head Start program, Nutrition Services Coordinator Haley Anderson knew she wanted to […]
RELEASE: Local FARMS Act Will Make Farm to Fork Investments in American Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Local FARMS Act Will Make Farm to Fork Investments in American Communities National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Praises Bipartisan Effort Washington, DC, October 4, 2017 – Today, a bipartisan coalition led by principal bill authors Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Chellie Pingree […]
RELEASE: NSAC Endorses American Prairies Conservation Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Kanika Gandhi, 202-547-5754, kgandhi@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Endorses American Prairies Conservation Act Washington, DC, October 4, 2017 – The American Prairies Conservation Act, a bipartisan bill introduced today by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) […]
Celebrating 40 Years of Family Farm Policy
Forty years ago, on September 29, 1977, the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (that year’s farm bill) became law. Today, we at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) join other food and farm groups across the nation who are celebrating the inclusion in the 1977 Farm Bill of the Food Stamp Act, which became […]
Conservation Groups Deliver Farm Bill Recommendations
Conservation, agriculture, and wildlife organizations joined together this week to present a comprehensive list of recommendations for the conservation provisions of the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) joined 25 other signatories in asking legislators to strengthen the next farm bill’s Conservation Title by improving and increasing funding for U.S. Department […]
Threats to Conservation Easement Funding Put Farmland and Wetlands at Risk
America’s wetlands, grasslands, and farmland are under increasing threat of conversion to other land uses – wetlands and grasslands are routinely targeted for conversion to crop production, while existing farmland is often threatened by conversion to commercial or residential uses. It is critical that we protect these lands and their existing uses because each serves […]
Conservation Stewardship Program: Advancing Soil Health
Editor’s note: On September 19, 2017 NSAC published on editorial piece in The Hill, which discussed how the 2018 Farm Bill could help to promote soil health. To read the full text of that article, click here. While agricultural consensus can be hard to come by, there is mounting agreement on the need to maintain […]
Bipartisan Coalition Revives Farm to School Act
Farm to school programs are making a big impact on the farmers, students and the communities they serve. According to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2015 Farm to School Census, purchases made by schools during the 2013-2014 school year added up to nearly $800 million spent on local food – and that means that […]
RELEASE: Bipartisan Congressional Group Introduce Farm to School Act of 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Maximillian Merrill National Farm to School Network 919-606-0526, maximillian@farmtoschool.org Bipartisan Congressional Group Introduce Farm to School Act of 2017 Food and farm groups tout the legislation’s positive impact on American children and producers Washington, DC, September 7, 2017 – Senators Thad Cochran (R-MS) […]
Welcome Back Congress: A Look Ahead
Each year, Members of Congress head back to their home districts for a month-long legislative break known as “August recess”. With the holiday weekend over and September in full swing, Members are returning to the capital this week with a full schedule of big-ticket items ahead of them – many of which must be completed […]
Say Cheese! NSAC Hosts 2017 Summer Meeting in Madison, WI
This summer, farm and food advocates have more on their minds than just vacation planning and sweet corn picking. Even though the current farm bill doesn’t expire until next September, the content of the 2018 Farm Bill is already being debated in the halls of Congress, on the farm, and in homes across the country. […]
Federal Reserve Puts Its Money on Regional Food Systems
The Federal Reserve, better known for setting the nation’s monetary policy than promoting locally-grown produce, released a book this week celebrating the growing local and regional farm and food sectors as key drivers of economic and community development. Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities, produced by the Federal Reserve […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Tackles Farm Bill Heavy Hitters: Commodities, Credit, and Crop Insurance
Yesterday, Senate Agriculture Committee hunkered down for an epic farm bill hearing, during which 17 witnesses gave testimony on three of the bill’s most significant titles – the Commodity Title (Title I), Credit Title (Title V), and Risk Management Title (Title XI). Witnesses at the hearing included representatives from commodity groups, banks, general farm organizations, […]
Senate Appropriators Prioritize Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
Following closely on the heels of the House Agriculture Appropriation Subcommittee’s funding bill, which was approved by the full House Appropriations Committee last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced its agriculture appropriations funding measure for fiscal year (FY) 2018. The Senate bill moved quickly through the Subcommittee and full Committee approval process, with just […]