The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that distressed borrowers with qualifying USDA farm loans have already received nearly $800 million in assistance, as part of the $3.1 billion in assistance for distressed farm loan borrowers provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). … Read More →
Implementation & Rule-making
Comment: NSAC Responds to the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606
NSAC applauds the House for taking decisive action to support the creation of a USDA special investigator to enforce fair-play rules in the highly concentrated meatpacking industry when they passed the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606 on Thursday. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Applauds Proposed Rule to Reform Poultry Tournament Payment System
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauded Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for the publication of a long-awaited proposed rule regarding “Transparency in Poultry Growing Contracts and Tournaments.” This is the first of several expected rules to strengthen the century-old Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) announced in President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. … Read More →
A Year in Review: Wins and Reflections for Sustainable Agriculture in 2021
As this unpredictable year comes to a close and we look to the future, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition takes a look back at our coalition’s hard-fought wins towards building a more sustainable, equitable food and farm system in 2021…. Read More →
ELECT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO INFLUENCE FARM POLICY AT LOCAL LEVEL
FSA County Committee elections and Urban County Committee elections are underway in certain counties. Submit your ballot by December 6th…. Read More →
Crop Insurance Rules Challenge Organic and Sustainable Farming Practices
Crop insurance definitions for good farming practices are a roadblock to farmers and ranchers trying to develop resilient systems of production…. Read More →
RELEASE: NSAC Applauds USDA Announcement of $500 Million for Expanded Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionpress@sustainableagriculture.net RELEASE: NSAC Applauds USDA Announcement of $500 Million for Expanded Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Washington, DC, July 9, 2021 – Today the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement of $500 million in additional funding to bolster small- and […]
Undo the Packers and Stockyards “Undue Preference” Final Rule
In the waning days of the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a final rule on the undue or unreasonable preference provision, Section 202(b), of the Packers & Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&SA). Unfortunately, the rule fails to protect livestock and poultry farmers from the abusive and exploitative practices that have become […]
Top 20 Wins (and Fights!) for Sustainable Agriculture in 2020
The end of the year is just around the corner – and what a year it has been! In these times of pain, uncertainty, reflection, and action, two things are certain: (1) our country and our world as we know it will never quite be the same, and (2) the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) […]
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 […]
A Deeper Dive: The Regional Conservation Partnership Program Rule
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) has helped conserve thousands of acres across the country by promoting partnerships between producers and organizations, with support from the federal government. These partnerships, most often led by non-profit conservation organizations, involve sometimes hundreds of landowners and work to address resource concerns across landscapes and watersheds. Earlier this year, […]
Long Awaited GIPSA Rule Needs Major Improvement
On January 13, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a long-delayed proposed rule on the undue or unreasonable preference provision, Section 202(b), of the Packers & Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&SA). The P&SA was enacted to combat consolidation and lack of competition in the livestock and poultry industries as meatpackers and processors (also known […]
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities Washington, DC, February 4, 2020 – Last week, representatives from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) 130+ member organizations voted on a final set of policy and funding priorities to guide the Coalition’s work through 2020. “This collaborative priority […]
A Decade After FSMA, Additional Rules Still Rolling Out
Nearly ten years after the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still issuing new rules. With the temporary lull in FSMA-related policy activity coming to an end, there will be renewed need for public action on FSMA rulemakings once they are issued later this year. In […]
EQIP Interim Final Rule Falls Short on Sustainability
Every five years (or so), a new farm bill is passed which makes important changes to federal farm and food programs. The 2018 Farm Bill, passed in late December 2018, was no exception. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was one of many programs to receive updates in the farm […]
Conservation Reserve Program Signup Begins, USDA Announces New Rule
For almost 35 years, the farm bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has paid farmers and land owners to take highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive lands out of crop production and enroll them instead in conserving practices. Through CRP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pays farmers to set aside land for grass or tree […]