September 15, 2022
The Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) is USDA’s recent program aimed at helping “build new and better markets and streams of income” for organic farmers and producers, by providing producers with technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring, financial assistance for conservation and crop insurance, and support developing markets.
September 2, 2022
USDA recently announced the availability of up to $40 million for nutrient management projects funded through grant agreements, called RCPP Grants. Applications for RCPP Grants will be accepted until October 31, 2022. In this post, NSAC provides background on RCPP, highlights some FY 2022 awards, and provides details on this new iteration of RCPP.
August 25, 2022
On August 10th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the availability of $15 million for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. This funding is in addition to the $25 million in funding that was previously announced for on-farm trials (a CIG sub-program established under the 2018 Farm Bill), and […]
August 22, 2022
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a comment applauding today’s announcement of an up to $300 million investment into the new Organic Transition Initiative.
August 22, 2022
Cultivating and substantiating farmer leadership through education and research initiatives is essential to generating an equitable and resilient food and farming system.
August 11, 2022
This guest blog post by Margaret Krome, Policy Program Director at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, an NSAC member based in East Troy, WI, details the recent announcement of $12 million for cooperative agreements under this year’s request for applications for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI).
August 10, 2022
This week the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced $12 million for its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI). NRCS will accept proposals through GLCI until September 22, 2022.
July 29, 2022
Organic agriculture continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture, yet during the COVID-19 pandemic, certified organic and transitional operations faced challenges including loss of markets, increased costs, labor shortages, and expenses related to obtaining or renewing their organic certification. Producers who are certified organic, along with producers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for USDA’s Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) to help cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022.
July 15, 2022
NSAC applauds the announcement that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for more than 3.1 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grassland Signup.
July 7, 2022
On April 1, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment for the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) CLEAR30 subprogram – an important component of the larger Continuous Conservation Reserve Program. With both programs taking applications, NSAC offers a quick review of how these essential conservation tools function and shares key information for producers interested in applying.