As Congress begins to recover from Pope Francis’ visit to the Capitol and process Leader Boehner’s (R-OH) announcement that he will leave Congress in October, it will once again be facing the task of how to fund the government and prevent a shutdown with only days left before the end of the fiscal year…. Read More →
General Interest
What We Can Learn from the 2014 Organic Production Survey
Last week the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) released the results of the 2014 Organic Production Survey. This is the first comprehensive survey of the organic industry since 2008…. Read More →
Bringing the Farm to the Kids in Georgia
“We can’t always get the kids to the farm, but we can bring the farm to the kids!” — Cleta Long, Nutrition Director, Bibb County School District From school gardens to farmer talks, more and more students in Georgia are learning where food comes from in school classrooms and cafeterias. The luckiest even get to […]
To Till and to Keep: Towards a New Agriculture
Guest Blog by Robert Gronski, Policy Coordinator for Catholic Rural Life and a long-time NSAC member and contributor After the release of Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home earlier this summer, Pope Francis has said on occasion that this is a social encyclical, not an ecological one. I believe it can also be […]
NSAC Members, Farmers Meet in Iowa
Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) held our bi-annual meeting in Iowa City, Iowa. Representatives of NSAC member organizations, including farmers, convened to review coalition priorities, plan for next steps, and reconnect and engage with fellow members. The meeting was hosted by two NSAC member organizations located in Iowa: Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Women, […]
Ready or Not, Here Comes FSMA! – Part 1
All eyes are on Washington as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prepares to publish final food safety requirements for produce farms and food processing facilities this fall. These rules are just a few of the many new requirements that FDA will be finalizing in the coming months as part of the Food Safety Modernization […]
NSAC Comment on Senate Appropriations Markup of Farm and Food Spending Bill
Washington, DC, July 16, 2015 – The following is a statement issued by NSAC regarding the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2016 agriculture appropriations bill: “We are thrilled the Senate bill allows the Conservation Stewardship Program to proceed at the level dictated by the 2014 Farm Bill. Rejecting the ill-considered cut in the President’s budget and the […]
Obama Administration Tackles Biotechnology Regulatory Process
On Thursday, July 2, the Obama Administration released an executive memorandum requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider and update their regulatory process for biotechnology products. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy initially tasked these three federal agencies with oversight […]
$17.5 Million Available for Restoration of Wetlands
On Monday, June 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $17.5 million for wetland restoration partnerships with state and local governments, Indian tribes, and non-profit organizations in fiscal year 2015. Proposals must be submitted to NRCS state offices by July 31, 2015. Projects will be funded through the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement […]
GMO Labeling Hearing Misses the Mark
With GMO labeling a heated issue at the state and federal level, the House Committee of Energy and Commerce hearing on “A National Framework for the Review and Labeling of Biotechnology in Food” drew quite a crowd. The House hearing, on Thursday, June 18, focused on Representative Mike Pompeo’s (R-KS) Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, known as the […]
Clean Water Rule – NSAC Analysis and Legislative Update
On May 27, 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it had finalized a rule to clarify the scope of the agency’s jurisdiction over “waters of the U.S.” under the Clean Water Act. The rule revises the existing definition of “waters of the US” for purposes of determining which bodies of water are subject […]
Digging into the Nation’s Leading Conservation Program – Part IV
Yesterday we examined data from the 2014 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) sign-up period in terms of the agricultural landscape, examining the types of land enrolled, crops produced, and livestock raised. Today we break down CSP participant numbers to highlight particular groups of farmers and ranchers enrolled, with a focus on the groups that stand to […]
Pollinator Conservation Crosses a National Threshold
We are pleased to run this guest post co-written by staff at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, including Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director, and Matthew Shepherd, Communications Director. The Xerces Society is an NSAC participating member group. The newly released National Strategy to Protect Pollinators and Their Habitat represents a threshold moment […]
Rural Child Poverty – New White House Report and Initiative
Addressing rural child poverty is the subject of a recently launched White House “Rural Impact” initiative, including a recently published report highlighting the trends in rural poverty in the United States and plans to address the issue through various federal safety net programs and investments. The Report — Opportunity for All: Fighting Rural Child Poverty […]
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Food and Farm Programs
NSAC has compiled a list of April through June deadlines for grant applications and grant assistance workshops…. Read More →
Farmers, Ranchers Visit DC to Speak Out on Critical Sustainable Agriculture Programs
On March 18th, independent family farmers and ranchers from all over the country traveled to DC to meet with their Congressional members to advocate for critical sustainable agriculture programs. They discussed the importance of federal funding for programs that support working lands conservation, agricultural research, and food safety outreach. Over the course of the day, the farmers met with their Senators and Representatives to discuss their personal experiences working with sustainable agriculture programs. The farmers explained how funding for these programs is an effective investment in rural economies, local food systems, and environmental improvement…. Read More →
Sustainability and Diet – A Linkage Whose Time Has Come
This guest post is by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) policy intern for the spring term, Katie Merritt. Katie is currently a graduate student in Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University and holds a BA from the University of Colorado in Psychology and Neuroscience, Integrative Physiology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. We […]
Got local food? A new report highlights trends
On Thursday, January 29, the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the Trends in U.S. Local and Regional Food Systems: A Report to Congress. Written at the request of Congress as part of the FY 2014 agricultural appropriations bill, the report provides an overview and analysis of the growth, […]
Sustainable Farming in the South: NSAC Members Gather in Georgia
Earlier this week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) held its bi-annual meeting on Jekyll Island in Southeastern Georgia. Representatives of NSAC’s member organizations convened to discuss and set NSAC priorities for 2015, plan grassroots actions for the year, and engage on sustainable agriculture issues with other advocates from around the country. Georgia Organics, a […]
Organic Farming… Before It Was Cool
Looking to transition to organic farming? Curious which cover crops will work in your region? Look no further than PubAg, the National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) newest search engine. This month, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has unveiled this free search engine tool for USDA and peer reviewed agriculture-related research publications. Their digital collection features 40,000 full-text articles from […]
Top 14 of 2014: A Look at This Year’s Key Victories for Sustainable Food and Farming
As 2014 comes to a close, we thought we would take a moment to recognize and celebrate this year’s victories for sustainable food and farming. Among the successes? From new or restored farm bill programs that are up and running, important progress on our campaign priorities, hill visits and hearings, and the release of our […]
Sustainable Food Funders Discuss Critical Issues with Policymakers
Last week, the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders met in Washington, DC for their inaugural annual policy briefing, this year bearing the title “Building Power from Kitchen Tables to Capitol Hill.” The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) is an international network of nearly 100 grantmakers that works to foster communication, shared learning, […]
Release: NSAC Comments on FDA’s Revised Draft Food Safety Rules
December 15, 2014, Washington, DC – The public comment period on the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) supplemental proposed rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) closes today. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and its member organizations led a national effort to analyze and comment on the revised proposed rules so that […]
House Holds Hearing on Bill To Block State GE Labeling Laws
Washington saw an active week on the genetically engineered (GE) crops front, as GE labeling proponents and activists flooded a Wednesday morning hearing on a controversial labeling bill. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee heard testimony from six witnesses in a two-panel hearing on legislation introduced by Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) earlier […]