Wetland Reserve Easements, like those funded as part of the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), provide private landowners with the resources they need to help protect and conserve vulnerable wetlands. Funding from WREP enables landowners to reduce the impact of flooding, enhance and conserve wildlife habitat, improve groundwater quality, and create space for outdoor recreational […]
Farm Bill
House Budget Committee’s Spending Proposal Could Derail Farm Bill
Late in the evening of July 17th, following over twelve hours of debate and markup, the House Budget Committee passed its budget parameters for fiscal year (FY) 2018. The budget, which was voted out of Committee along partisan lines (22 Republicans voting in favor and 14 Democrats against), includes a directive for the Agriculture Committee […]
The Numbers Behind the Farm Bill: Budget Questions, SNAP, and the Farm Bill Coalition
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of a four-part series explaining the background budget information that will be used to craft the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill. In this series on the new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline for the major farm bill programs, we have explored the significance of the overall numbers, delved in on […]
The Numbers Behind the Farm Bill: A Little-Known Factor for the Fate of Sustainable Ag Programs
Editor’s Note: This is the third of a four-part series explaining the background budget information that will be used to craft the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill. In this post we look in more detail at the smaller, more innovative programs that receive direct farm bill funding but will need to have their funding renewed in […]
Organics, Specialty Crops, and Local Food on Display in Senate Hearing
A large organic specialty crop producer, a conventional potato farmer, an organic grain company business executive, a food hub operator, and an animal agriculture advocate enter a room… No, this is not the set-up to a cheesy joke, but the incredible diversity of American agriculture that was on display this week as the Senate […]
The Numbers Behind the Farm Bill: the Commodity and Conservation Titles
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a four-part series explaining the background budget information that will be used to craft the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill. In this post we look in more detail at the commodity and conservation titles of the farm bill. In part three will focus on programs that will need to have […]
The Numbers Behind the Farm Bill: What the New CBO Baseline Means for the 2018 Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a four-part series of blog examining the funding outlook for the 2018 Farm Bill. In an effort to simplify the complex subject of farm bill funding, we will present these blogs in FAQ format. Part two of this series will answer questions related to agricultural spending in the […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Examines Conservation Options for Next Farm Bill
On-farm, voluntary conservation programs – such as the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – provide farmers with the tools, technical assistance, and financial support they need to make their operations more sustainable and resilient. The farm bill, our nation’s largest and most significant package of food and farm funding legislation, […]
Why American Farmers Should Lead the Way on Climate Change Mitigation
Note: This is a guest blog by Matt Russell, Resilient Agriculture Coordinator at Drake University Agricultural Law Center. Matt has worked on retail agriculture, land tenure, conservation, climate change, farmer veteran issues, development, state food policy, and federal farm policy. Matt is a fifth generation Iowa farmer. He and his husband Patrick Standley operate Coyote Run […]
Agriculture Research Hearing Emphasizes Need for Increased Investment
As discussions around the 2018 Farm Bill continue, policymakers on both sides of the aisle, in both chambers of Congress, have spoken about the need for increased public funding for agricultural research. For example, members of the House recently announced the bi-partisan Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus to highlight the need for additional focus on innovative research […]
Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Would Spell Disaster for Rural America
The outcry from farmers, farm and food groups, and Members of Congress came swiftly this week following the release of President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget proposal. The nation got its initial preview of the Administration’s priorities this March in an outline budget document termed “the skinny budget”. This week the full proposal, which […]
RELEASE: Budget Proposal Throws Administration’s Promises to Rural America Out the Window
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Budget Proposal Throws Administration’s Promises to Rural America Out the Window Washington, DC, May 23, 2017 – President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request – “A New Foundation for American Greatness” – seeks to cut nearly $230 billion (21 percent) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) bottom line, […]
Bipartisan Legislation Proposes Funding Boost for Organic Agriculture Research
Organic is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture – over the last several years the organic food industry has been creating jobs at four times the national average. Unfortunately, growth in the organic sector has been held back from reaching its full potential due to a lack of investment in research, education programs, […]
Stories From the Field: Conservation Programs for New Farming Futures
Raised in western Kansas, Ryan Speer grew up knowing that he wanted to farm. What he didn’t know, however, was how to farm in a way that was both economically and environmentally sustainable. Having come of age during some difficult economic times in farm country, Ryan took the opportunity to study and practice agronomy. Though […]
Stories from the Field: Investing in Farmer Ingenuity
When your product is in more stores than there are people in town, you know you’re doing something right. Clay Oliver and his family are from the small town of Pitts, Georgia, but the artisan, cold-pressed oils they produce as Oliver Oil Company are found in kitchens across the country. The Oliver family’s creativity and […]
A Late Start Doesn’t Have to Mean a Slow Start: 10 Things Secretary Perdue Can Do Now to Support Family Farmers
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 […]
A Big Week Ahead for Agriculture: Decisions Will Shape the Landscape for 2018 Farm Bill
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 […]
Stories from the Field: Conservation for a Better Future
Rick Story never imagined he’d be named one of the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Conservation Farmers of the Year; but considering his extensive use of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) over the last four years, it’s easy to see why he was chosen. A pilot by training, at first Rick was more comfortable flying […]
NSAC’s FY 2018 Appropriations Priorities: Standing Up for Sustainable Agriculture
As Members of Congress prepare to take a pause from the busy legislative session and head home for a two-week recess, one thing they – as well as business, consumer, and nonprofit organizations across the country – were likely prioritizing was sending their completed budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2018 to the House Agriculture […]
Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers
In the run up to the 2018 Farm Bill debate, the House Agriculture Committee has been holding regular hearings to examine key agricultural and food issues. This week, the Committee’s Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee held a hearing focused on the farm credit programs. The backdrop for the hearing was was the depressed farm economy […]
RELEASE: Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers in Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers in Crisis Scott Marlow, Executive Director at the Rural Advancement Foundation International, testifies before House Agriculture Committee Washington, D.C., April 4, 2017 – North Carolina farm advocate and Executive Director of the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) Scott […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Priorities for Sustainable Agriculture
Editor’s Note: As a lead up to the 2018 Farm Bill, around which discussions and debate in Congress have already begun, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is previewing some of the major programs and policies that advocates need to know in order to effectively engage. The final post in our series, “Path to the […]
Congress Evaluates Health of Farm Credit System
This week, the House Agriculture Committee held its 14th hearing in a marathon of hearings this month leading up to the Committee’s initial work on the 2018 Farm Bill. The scope of the hearing was to review the health of the Farm Credit System, especially in light of the recent economic downturn in the farm […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Programs with Expiring Funding
Editor’s Note: As a lead up to the 2018 Farm Bill, around which discussions and debate in Congress have already begun, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is previewing some of the major programs and policies that advocates need to know in order to effectively engage. The fourth post in our series, “Path to the 2018 […]