December 15, The Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently released 10 new organic price elections for the 2015 crop insurance year. This brings the total number of organic price elections to 26 for the 2015 crop year. While this represents progress there is a long way to go since RMA offers over 100 individual crop policies. […]
Farm Bill
Improved Insurance Option Available for Underserved Crops and Farms
On December 12, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced an interim final rule implementing the changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) made by the 2014 Farm bill. The release of the interim rule means the changes go into effect immediately, but public comments will be accepted on the rule through February 23, […]
Pilot Projects to Boost Local Fruits and Vegetables in School Meal Programs
On December 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that eight states have been selected to participate in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, a 2014 Farm Bill provision allowing pilot states to purchase more produce from local farmers for their school meal programs. California, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Oregon, […]
Arkansas Farmer Uses VAPG to Bring Back Heirloom Tomatoes
Note: This is the third in a three-part series providing a closer look at some of this year’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) award recipients. To read the other blog posts in this series, click here to read about how one organization used a VAPG award to expand online access to healthy food, and here to learn how […]
Much Needed Funding Will Support Outreach to Minority and Veteran Farmers
Farming is a risky business and has become increasingly difficult to enter over the past few decades. However, for the growing number of racially and culturally diverse or veteran farmers and ranchers in this country, starting and managing a successful farming operation is fraught with even greater challenges. That’s why NSAC is especially excited about […]
White Paper: How the Federal Crop Insurance Program Benefits Mega Farms
On December 2, the Land Stewardship Project released the second of three white papers on the federal crop insurance program. This paper is entitled, Crop Insurance Ensures the Big Get Bigger. This paper makes the point that the top 10 percent of crop insurance subsidy recipients took in more than half of all premium subsidies […]
Top Sustainable Agriculture Programs Explained in New Farm Bill Guide!
Those looking for an accessible rundown on federal sustainable farming and food systems programs have a new, printed resource available to them! The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) recently published a comprehensive printed guide to federal sustainable agriculture, forestry, entrepreneurship, conservation, food systems, and community development programs. NSAC, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and USDA’s Sustainable […]
The Top 6 Improvements with New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy
As farmers consider signing up, we look at why Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is better than its predecessor policies. … Read More →
New Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs Helps Distill Farm Bill Resources
NSAC’s Grassroots Guide to the Federal Farm and Food Programs is a free, digital resource to help build a more sustainable farm and food future. … Read More →
Election Results Will Influence Farm Policy Leadership in Congress
This week’s Republican wave election, combined with congressional retirements and term limits, will shake up the leadership of key congressional committees for food and agriculture. Here is the brief rundown. Senate Agriculture: With the Republican takeover of the Senate, it is highly likely that Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), the current Ranking Member of the Senate […]
Press Release: New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy Aims for Diversified Farms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, (202) 547-5754, pwolfe@sustainableagriculture.net New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy Aims for Diversified Farms November 6, 2014, Washington, DC – Diversified farmers will now have access to a improved crop insurance option with USDA’s release today of the new Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) crop insurance policy. This will be the first […]
USDA Rolls Out New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy
Whole Farm Revenue Protection allows farmers to insure all their crops, livestock, and nursery and greenhouse crops under one policy… Read More →
USDA Begins Certification Process for Conservation Compliance
On Friday, October 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a revised certification document, known as an AD-1026 form, that will allow farmers who receive crop insurance premium subsidies to certify that they are in compliance with highly erodible land (HEL) and wetland conservation requirements, collectively known as “conservation compliance.” In conjunction with the […]
NSAC member organizations receive Rural Business Enterprise Grants from USDA
On Tuesday, October 21, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced 50 new Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) for the 2014 fiscal year, including awards for two NSAC member organizations. Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) and National Hmong American Farmers (NHAF) each received RBEG awards from USDA’s Rural Development agency. The announcement follows an earlier […]
RMA Levels the Playing Field on Premium Subsidies for New Whole Farm Revenue Protection Insurance
On October 3, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced that premium subsidy levels established for the new Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) crop insurance policy will be in line with the premium subsidies available to producers selecting whole-farm units under the Revenue Protection plans of insurance. If a farmer has two or more crops and meets […]
Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grants Announced
On October 2, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $51 million in awards from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). SCRI provides grants for regional research and extension projects to support producers of fruits, vegetables, nursery crops, and other specialty crops. This is the first time since 2012 that SCRI […]
Awards Promoting Local and Regional Farmers and Food Systems Announced
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced over $32.8 million in awards from three grant programs… Read More →
USDA Announces $23 Million in Grants for Organic Research
On Monday, September 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced over $23 million in grants to support organic farming research. The money was awarded through the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)—the flagship research competitive grants program dedicated to funding research relevant to organic producers—and the Organic […]
New Grant Funding Available to Encourage SNAP Participants to Buy from Local Produce Farmers
On Monday, September 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released its very first request for applications (RFA) for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) Grant program, a new competitive grants program created in the 2014 Farm Bill to improve the health of low-income communities while boosting economic opportunities for […]
$328 Million for Agricultural Conservation Easements Awarded
On Monday, September 8, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $328 million in funding for 380 conservation easement projects as part of the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). The projects will protect and restore 129,000 acres of farmland, grasslands, and wetlands across all 50 states. The 2014 […]
New School Lunch Pilot for Locally-Grown Produce Accepting Applications from States
Yesterday, July 21, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a Request for Applications from states interested in participating in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Kevin Concannon, the USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, announced […]
USDA Evaluates Environmental Impacts of 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Choices for the Conservation Reserve Program
On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) released its Draft Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SPEIS) for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The draft SPEIS seeks to assess the ways in which changes made to CRP in the 2014 Farm Bill will impact vegetation, wildlife, protected species, soils, surface […]
New Report Finds that Wetland and Grassland Destruction is Common
On Tuesday, July 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published a new report on the status of wetland and grassland loss in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the upper Midwest and Plains States. Wetlands The report finds that between 1997 and 2009, net wetland acreage declined by roughly 6,200 acres per year. […]
Promoting Sustainable Agriculture Solutions to Climate Change Effects
On June 25, the one-year anniversary of the President’s Climate Action Plan, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced the availability of a document that articulates principles and recommendations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to consider as it implements conservation programs under the 2014 Farm Bill that address the […]