For most farmers, on-farm storage is essential to keeping food fresh and safe prior to marketing. Whether a grain bin, cold storage for fruits and vegetables, refrigerated milk tank, or even a Used Stainless Steel Three Door Commercial Freezer for meat and dairy products, all farmers need a temperature-stable environment like the ones offered by […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
National School Food Survey Reveals Strong Support for Farm to School
A new national survey that was released Tuesday, August 18, commissioned by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), shows strong support for the current U.S. school nutrition standards as well as farm to school. The 2015 School Food Poll was a follow up to a similar survey administered by WKKF in 2010 to find out if American […]
Farm to School in PA: Blossoming and Ready to Expand
“A vital part of our mission involves educating future consumers about the many benefits of locally grown food. [We have been] designing curriculum for 3rd and 4th grade classes, bringing local farmers into classrooms, and providing students with “market bucks” to encourage farmers market purchasing. It’s a start, but this is just the beginning for […]
USDA Awards $4 Million for Rural Development Projects Including Local Food Hubs
On Wednesday, July 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $4 million across 71 projects through the Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) progarm. The program provides competitive grants to governmental entities, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for planning, technical assistance, job training, and acquisition of land, capital, equipment and other business development needs. Food […]
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 […]
Release: FSA Financing Options Improving for Produce Farmers
Washington, DC, July 22, 2015 – For fruit and vegetable growers, especially operators of small and mid-scale family farms, packing and storage sheds serve as critical pieces of their farm operations, allowing fresh produce to be safely washed, sorted, graded, labeled, boxed up, and stored before it heads to market. In an effort to better […]
Improved Financing Options Available for Produce Farmers!
Most produce farmers rely on some combination of cold-storage, washing, and packing equipment to keep food fresh and safe prior to marketing. Whether selling to a regional wholesaler or trucking down to the weekend farmers’ market, the ability to safely wash, package, and store any commodity produced on-farm is a critical component of nearly every […]
Food Hub Report Series Launched by USDA
Filling a gap in information on operations and best practices from food hubs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development mission area launched a new technical report series called Running a Food Hub with the first report, Running a Food Hub: Lessons Learned from the Field, Vol. One (hereafter Lessons Learned) on July 15. Yesterday’s release of […]
Local Food is Taking Root in Michigan Schools
With Farm Fresh Food Days and school gardens, these Michigan schools are changing the way their students eat, one bite a time! Once a month, students at Dexter Community Schools see a table spread in their cafeteria that looks more like it belongs at a farmers’ market than a school. Students are drawn to the […]
Study Aims to Help Food Hubs Become More Profitable
To help regional food hubs to grow, it’s important to have data for baseline performance measures – data that can help assess successes, needs, and opportunities. A new report on food hubs released yesterday, July 14, 2015, provides just such data. COUNTING VALUES: Food Hub Financial Benchmarking Study draws on 2013 data from 48 diverse and […]
DC School Demonstrates Farm to School Success With the Help of Farm to School Grant
For many schools with summer sessions, June means farm to school activities running in high gear. At Walker Jones Education Campus in the nation’s capital, summer brings students outside and onto the farm (“K Street Farm”) for lessons in agriculture, food, and nutrition while allowing them to enjoy an abundance of local food through its […]
Funding for Risk Management Education Available – Includes Whole Farm Revenue Protection Training
Risk Management Education Partnerships On Wednesday, July 1, USDA’s Risk Management Agency announced via website press release its Request for Applications (RFA) for the Risk Management Education Partnerships Program. Approximately $2.0 million in funds is available for the program. The RFA itself is available on the RMA website as well as on grants.gov here. The […]
USDA Compass Tool Highlights Local Food Programs
Under the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has focused in a consistent and substantive way on investments in local and regional food systems. Its innovative online tool — appropriately named the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass Map” — allows organizations and individuals to search an online database and map to […]
Technical Assistance Available for Community Development and Local Food Systems
Local Foods, Local Places 2015 The Local Foods, Local Places Initiative is once again accepting applications from communities seeking technical assistance to integrate local food systems into community economic action plans. Announced on June 30, 2015, the Initiative’s request for applications represents the second time that communities around the U.S. (including neighborhoods or main street […]
House Hearing Unexpectedly Highlights Farm to School
With Congress just days away from a week-long recess coinciding with Independence Day, the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on Wednesday, June 24th entitled Child Nutrition Assistance: Looking at the Cost of Compliance for States and Schools. The hearing is one of several that […]
2016 Funding Bill Opens Payment Loophole, Cuts Conservation and Renewable Energy
On Thursday, June 18, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2016. Overall, the bill provides $20.65 billion in discretionary funding, $175 million less than last year’s enacted level and a whopping $1.1 billion less than the USDA request. The full House Appropriations Committee will now take up the […]
Farm to School Benefits Make Another Appearance at House Hearing
Joint blog post from the National Farm to School Network and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition On Tuesday, June 16th, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing in preparation for the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was the sole witness for this hearing entitled “Child Nutrition Assistance: Are Federal Rules and Regulations Serving the Best […]
Value-Added Producer Grants – Great Program but Problems Persist with USDA Rules
On Friday, May 8th, the Rural Business Cooperative Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its final rule for the Value Added Producer Grant program (VAPG), effective immediately. This final rule was published in conjunction with the latest announcement of $30 million in funding available for VAPG projects in 2015. The final rule […]
Strategic Economic and Community Development Rule – Open for Comment!
On Tuesday, May 19, the US Department of Agriculture published an interim rule on the Strategic Economic and Community Development program under Section 6025 of the 2014 Farm Bill. This rule, which goes into effect on June 19, sets aside up to 10 percent of funds appropriated to a handful of Rural Development (RD) programs to focus some […]
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Farm and Food Programs
With seeds in the soil and summer approaching, deadlines for federal farm and food grant programs are coming up as quickly as your seedlings! For farmers, ranchers, and groups who work with producers, the next few months are critical to ensure timely and successful completion of applications, so read on! NSAC has compiled a list of upcoming deadlines […]
Organizations Defend Rural Development Funding in 2016 Appropriations
On Thursday, May 14, the Campaign for a Renewed Rural Development (CRRD) — a coalition of organizations that works to advance rural development — delivered a letter urging the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees to support key rural development programs during the fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations process. The letter urges appropriators to protect and […]
Programs in Action: Growing Business with the Value-Added Producer Grant Program
Last week, USDA announced the request for applications for this year’s Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program cycle. Today we check in with a past VAPG grantee to see how their farm business has grown thanks to the grant funding made possible through this important federal program! In 2012, Steve McKaskle and his family had a […]
USDA Now Accepting Applications for Value-Added Producer Grants
NSAC has released an updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. Individual and groups of producers, as well as farmer coops and producer-controlled businesses, are eligible to apply for these grants, which help to increase income and marketing opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers, along with fishermen, loggers, and other harvesters of agricultural commodities…. Read More →
Release: Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding, $30 Million Available This Cycle
Washington, DC, May 8, 2015 – In conjunction with today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture inviting applications for funding through the Farm Bill’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is releasing a new, updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. In addition to the $30 million notice of […]