Contact: Eric Deeble, Policy DirectorNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionedeeble@sustainableagriculture.net Fair Competition Livestock Rule Fails to Advance Needed ReformsUSDA fails to address major issues with its “undue preference” rule Washington, DC, December 10th, 2020 – Today, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a final rule to attempt to satisfy 2008 Farm Bill requirements to […]
General Interest
RELEASE: NSAC Releases Farmers’ Guide to Conservation Stewardship Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Michael Happmhapp@sustainableagriculture.netNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition NSAC Releases Farmers’ Guide to Conservation Stewardship Program Publication helps farmers apply for nation’s largest working lands conservation program Thursday, November 19th, 2020 — As farmers start signing up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) across the country, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) today released its […]
RELEASE: USDA REVERSAL ON PAYMENT LIMITS SELLS OUT FARMERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric Deeble, Policy DirectorNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionedeeble@sustainableagriculture.net USDA Reversal on Payment Limits Sells Out Farmers Trump Administration’s Reversal on Commodity Subsidy Payment Limits Will Promote Abuse of the System and Lead to Greater Consolidation Washington, DC, November 18th, 2020 – Today, the Trump Administration announced its intention to reverse a key reform element of the […]
Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Awards Announced
In October, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the inaugural round of grant awards for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program, providing $9.3 million in competitive grant funding for 23 projects. RFSP supports the formation of public-private partnerships working at the foodshed-level to transform local and regional food […]
Is COVID-19 Aid Reaching Farmers?
The second iteration of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP-2) developed by USDA to help compensate farmers for losses due to the coronavirus pandemic is working much better and reaching more farmers than the first round of aid launched earlier this year. Since CFAP-2 opened to farmers on September 21, 2020 participation has been brisk […]
2019 NASS Survey Finds Big Gains for Organic
Demand for organic continues to defy expectations as consumers recognize its many benefits. Now new data underscore this trend. Organic agriculture saw a 31 percent increase in overall sales since 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2019 Organic Survey. The Organic Survey, conducted every five years, gathers […]
Farm to School Projects – $10 million in Grants Available and a New Streamlined Application Option
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the opening of the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Farm to School (F2S) Grant Program request for applications (RFA). Administered by the U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Office of Community Food Systems, the program provides farmers, schools, local government, and healthy food advocates […]
NSAC Co-Hosts Webinar on Black Farm Cooperatives
Introduction Black farm cooperatives hold a unique role within the food sovereignty movement and cooperative organization history. Last month, NSAC facilitated a virtual panel alongside the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFED) to celebrate the accomplishments, history, and challenges of Black farm cooperatives in the United States. The webinar featured experts in cooperative development and history, […]
RELEASE: NRCS Releases EQIP Final Rule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Deeble, Policy DirectorNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionedeeble@sustainableagriculture.net NRCS Releases EQIP Final Rule Rule affirms soil health as national priority to address climate change but misses the opportunity to support small-scale sustainable producers Washington, DC, October 23rd, 2020 – Today, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released its final rule for the Environmental Quality […]
USDA Awards $27 million to Support Local Food Projects
Local food systems and direct-to-consumer marketing through farmers markets, farm stands, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) programs have flourished across the country over the past several decades. Once viewed as a fad or niche part of the food sector, local food systems and direct marketing agriculture are now an integral part of American agriculture and […]
RELEASE: CSP RULE FAILS FARMERS AND ENVIRONMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric Deeble, Policy Specialist National Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionedeeble@sustainableagriculture.net CSP Rule Fails Farmers and Environment Trump Administration’s First Farm Bill Conservation Final Rule Flouts the Law Washington, DC, October 9th, 2020 – The Trump Administration published its first 2018 Farm Bill conservation title program final rule in today’s Federal Register. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) […]
Bare Minimum, Last Minute
Last Wednesday night with only a few hours to spare, Congress did what many observers and advocates for months had been citing as inevitable. They sent an appropriations Continuing Resolution (CR) to the President’s desk that puts off final decisions about Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 spending until after the November general election. The CR ensures […]
Analyzing Food Safety Outreach Program Awards Through an Equity Lens
Since 2015, the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) has provided small and mid-sized farms, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small-scale wholesalers with the training they need to comply with new food safety requirements included in the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act. To reach the aforementioned audiences, the program has largely focused on […]
RELEASE: The Strengthening Local Processing Act Addresses Critical Livestock and Poultry Supply Chain Issues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Kelly Nuckolls, Policy Specialist National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition knuckolls@sustainableagriculture.net RELEASE: The Strengthening Local Processing Act Addresses Critical Livestock and Poultry Supply Chain Issues The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Applauds Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) for introducing a comprehensive bill to support small processing plants. Washington, DC, September 29th, […]
RMA Releases Updates to the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program
On August 20, 2020, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) approved new updates to the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program. WFRP is a unique crop-neutral revenue insurance product available for diversified farming operations. Unlike traditional yield or revenue insurance, this product is not intended for a single specific crop, but for all the crops […]
COMMENT: New USDA Coronavirus Aid Offers Partial Improvement for Producers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Deeble, Policy DirectorNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionedeeble@sustainableagriculture.net COMMENT: New USDA Coronavirus Aid Offers Partial Improvement for ProducersUSDA’s CFAP 2 Will Help More Producers but Misses the Mark in Key Areas Washington, DC, September 18, 2020 – Today, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released details of a new version of […]
New Urban Agriculture County Committee Accepting Nominations
One of the historic elements of the 2018 Farm Bill was the inclusion of dedicated resources and programs for urban agriculture, for the first time. Urban agriculture gives city residents a chance to purchase healthy foods from farmers not just in their state, but sometimes right in their very own neighborhoods. Urban farms can also […]
Big 2020 Signup Numbers For CRP Grasslands
In July 2020, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that it accepted around 1.2 million new acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands initiative. These acres were accepted from applications submitted between March 16 and May 15, 2020. While other variations of CRP support conservation by removing land from cultivation for extended periods of […]
Thousands of Farmers Sign Congressional Call to Action on the Climate Crisis
Every farmer stands on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Last year, farmers and ranchers within the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) network mobilized to make certain that policymakers understood their concerns and desires to meet the climate crisis head-on. NSAC members worked with farmers and ranchers to draft a letter that lifts up farmer […]
RELEASE: The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act Would Deliver Critical Pandemic Aid for Farmers, Ranchers, and Local Food Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric DeebleNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act Would Deliver Critical Pandemic Aid for Farmers, Ranchers, and Local Food Businesses Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12) Introduces Comprehensive Bill to Provide Direct Aid to Farmers and Local Markets Feeding Families Amidst the Pandemic Washington, DC, August 26, 2020 […]
The Senate is Negotiating Pandemic Aid: What Does it Mean for Farmers and Food Systems?
On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the highly anticipated HEALS Act. This $1 trillion bill is the Senate Majority proposal for the fourth coronavirus response package (C4), which will serve as the starting point for Senate negotiations. In this post we will examine the farm and food systems provisions of the […]
Guest Post: Farmers Markets Are Essential—And So Are the Policy Relationships They Hold
Editor’s Note: We want to thank Ben Feldman, Stephanie Fenty, and Hannah Fuller of the Farmers Market Coalition for this guest post on the challenges that farmers markets face in light of the persistent pandemic and in celebration of National Farmers’ Market Week, observed August 2nd through August 8th. No matter how you look at […]
Changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and Likely More to Come
Anyone who has been near a computer or television during the past week is certainly aware of the chaotic negotiations in the Senate as Majority leadership works to craft their version of a fourth coronavirus pandemic response bill (C4). The House passed their $3 trillion HEROES Act (C4) more than two months ago (May 15, […]
Latest Round of Farm to School Grants Tops $12 million as Pandemic Uncertainty Persists
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $12.1 million in Farm to School Grants to 159 grantees in 48 states, Guam and Washington D.C. This is the largest round of awards since the grant program was first authorized and is a most welcome against the backdrop of uncertainty caused by lost markets and the possibility […]