On Tuesday, May 3, a new federal food, agriculture, and rural development policy initiative was launched by eight major foundations at a press event in DC. The new eight-year project will be aimed at “transforming US food and agriculture policy” with an equal focus on domestic and international impacts. It will be known as “AGree,” […]
Food Safety
The Atlantic Holds Annual Food Summit in Washington, DC
Earlier this week The Atlantic held its annual Food Summit in Washington, DC. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan gave the keynote address. Merrigan started by acknowledging that it is an exciting time for people working in the food and farm sectors since Americans are increasingly interested in where their food comes from, how it is […]
Proposed National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement Released
On Tuesday, April 26, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released its proposal for a National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement (NLGMA). If adopted, the program would be used to govern the production, handling, and manufacturing of leafy green vegetables, including spinach, lettuce, and cabbage, for handlers who sign on and for all the farmers who supply […]
Congress Releases Draft 6-Month Continuing Resolution
In the early morning of Tuesday, April 12, Congress released a draft of the 6-month continuing resolution (CR), agreed to by House and Senate Democrats and Republicans late last night. The CR would cut $42 billion relative to FY 2010 levels for non-defense spending, but couples that with a $4 billion increase in defense spending, […]
House Holds Two Hearings on Agriculture Appropriations
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held two hearings with top officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, along with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, Chief Economist Joe Glauber, and USDA Budget […]
Organic Seed Alliance Releases “State of Organic Seed” Report
On February 16, 2011, the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) released a survey-based report entitled State of Organic Seed: Advancing the Viability and Integrity of Organic Seed Systems. The report serves as the first comprehensive analysis of the organic seed sector. Although the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) requires the use of organic seed when commercially […]
House GOP Funding Proposal Would Cut NSAC Priority Programs
Post updated 2/15/11 Following a revolt by some of their rank and file on Thursday, House Republican leaders on Friday night released their draft bill to cut government funding for the remainder of the fiscal year that end September 3 by a significantly larger amount then they planned for earlier in the week. The bill […]
GMO Alfalfa Approved With No Restrictions? Stay Informed & Take Action
The Obama Administration’s recent decision to allow unlimited, non-restricted commercial planting of genetically-engineered (GE) alfalfa resistant to the herbicide commercially known as Roundup was a huge disappointment to the sustainable and organic agriculture community. With the sudden decision and resulting outcry from organic and consumer groups, including many of our member groups working on this […]
USDA Deregulates GE Sugar Beets with Conditions
On Friday, February 4, USDA announced the partial deregulation of genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets, allowing widespread planting to go forward. The decision follows on the heels of the recent decision to deregulate GE alfalfa despite earlier indications from USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack that safety conditions would be placed on the release. GE sugar beets […]
Taxpayers Believe More Should be Spent on Food Safety, Conservation, Reseach, Rural Development
A new study, to be presented at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2011 Annual Meeting in February, finds that taxpayers believe that less money should be spent on direct payments, price supports, and crop insurance, while more should be directed toward food safety, natural resource conservation, research and education, and rural development. The paper was […]
President Obama Signs Food Safety Modernization Act into Law
On Tuesday, January 4, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law, marking the end of the bill’s tumultuous road to passage and the beginning of what may prove to be another lengthy road to correctly implement and fund its provisions. As reported in a number of previous blog posts, the bill – […]
Congress Sends Food Safety Bill to President’s Desk
On December 21, 2010, the House of Representatives voted 215-144 to pass the Senate version of the Food Safety Modernization Act, with the Tester-Hagan amendment protecting small farms intact. This final vote by the House ends weeks of procedural wrangling, and sends the bill to the President’s desk for enactment. As we reported in a […]
Senate Passes Food Safety Bill (Again)
In an unexpected late-night move, the Senate passed the Food Safety Modernization Act – with the Tester-Hagan amendment protecting small farms intact – by voice vote on Sunday, December 19th. The bill is expected to be taken up in the House of Representatives tomorrow. The food safety bill hit a roadblock after passing the Senate […]
Lame Duck Appears Headed for End with No Appropriations or Food Safety Bills
In the early evening on December 16, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) pulled the pending omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2011 when it became clear that no Republicans would vote for it. Earlier in the week, at least five and possibly as many as nine Republicans were indicating privately they would support the […]
Senate Omnibus Appropriations Bill Released
(Updated Version — 12/15/10 — of Original Post) The Senate Appropriations Committee released the long-awaited omnibus, government-wide appropriations bill the afternoon of December 14. The $1.1 trillion bill is a less than two percent increase over FY 2010, $26 billion less than what the Obama Administration requested in February, $18 billion more than the long-term […]
House Passes Senate Food Safety Bill with FY 11 Appropriations
On Wednesday evening, December 8, the House passed a combined Continuing Resolution-Food Safety bill by a vote of 212-206. All Republicans and 35 Democrats voted no. The Continuing Resolution would fund all government functions for the remainder of the current fiscal year 2011, which ends September 30, 2011. The current short-term Continuing Resolution expires on […]
Take Action: Local and Regional Food at Risk
Action Alert December 8, 2010 Local and Regional Food at Risk Call Your Representative Food Safety Legislation passed by the Senate and to be considered by the House as early as this week is in trouble. Big Ag is out in force, lobbying House members to ditch provisions that are friendly to small and mid-size […]
Senate Passes Food Safety Modernization Act
Friday Update to this story: Once the Senate-passed bill reached the House this week, a new problem emerged. The House claimed its right to be the originator of all bills with revenue provisions (in this case user fees that food companies would pay to help offset the costs of food recalls). Instead of simply passing […]
Pollan, Schlosser, McReynolds Weigh in on Food Safety Bill
The Senate tentatively expects to begin voting on the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) tonight (Nov. 29), around 6:30pm EST and conclude the voting on November 30. NSAC’s letter to the Senate in support of the measure can be read here. If you haven’t already called your Senators to voice your support for the […]
Defend Farm Value-Added / Local and Regional Food
Food Safety Action Alert Call Your Senators Today To Defend Family Farm Value Added – Processing and Local and Regional Food Systems Debate and voting on The Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) is set to begin on the Senate floor TODAY! The bill takes important steps to improve food safety rules that affect large […]
Food Safety Update: Final Senate Action Set for Right After Thanksgiving
Late Wednesday, November 17, a deal was reached on a revised version of the Tester-Hagan small farm amendment to S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act. The revised amendment, which NSAC helped broker, was then placed into a revised version of the Manager’s amendment to the bill. The Manager’s amendment also includes several other NSAC-backed […]
Senate Food Safety Bill Chugs Forward
Today, November 17, the Senate voted 74 to 25 to invoke cloture on the Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510), bypassing Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) threatened filibuster to bring the bill to the floor for limited debate. The wide margin of passage for the cloture motion suggests that the next vote – on the motion to […]
New Publication: A Sustainable Agriculture Perspective on Food Safety
On Thursday, November 11, the NSAC Food Safety Task Force released a new paper, “A Sustainable Agriculture Perspective on Food Safety,” in anticipation of the upcoming debate and vote on the Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) when Congress returns next week and looking ahead to more food safety rules and activities at USDA and FDA […]
USDA, FDA, and Cornell University Form Produce Safety Alliance
On Thursday, November 4, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS), and Cornell University announced the creation of a public-private organization, the Produce Safety Alliance, which will provide produce growers and packagers with on-farm food safety knowledge and develop an information bank of up-to-date scientific and technical information related to on-farm […]