Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is seeking initial public input on a farm bill change to the Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) via written comments and a listening session scheduled for this Friday, April 25, 2014. The 2014 Farm Bill made two additions to VAPG: (1) it created an additional priority preference […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
Funding Available for Specialty Crops
Today USDA announced the availability of $66 million through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBG) to fund projects related to the research, marketing, and development of specialty crops. The funding is available to State Departments of Agriculture, which must apply for funding and then use it to supplement state programs or make grants. SCBG […]
New Local Food Procurement Guide for School Nutrition Programs
Last week, the Farm to School Program of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published Procuring Local Food for Child Nutrition Programs, a guide to help K-12 schools operating one or more Child Nutrition Programs with identifying and procuring locally grown and produced food for use at school cafeterias. Using examples from school districts, State agencies, […]
More 2015 Funding Hearings – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing Programs
This week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held hearings on the Obama Administration’s FY 2015 funding requests for three USDA mission areas – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which includes the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee also held […]
Working Together to Bring Healthy Foods to Communities in Need
Guest Blog – Cross posted from the White House Rural Council Blog Editor’s note: The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition played a lead role in helping to organize a recent White House meeting that brought together government agencies, spokespeople for innovative projects from around the country that involved both healthy food access and local and regional food system […]
Value-Added Producer Grant Program Deadline Extended; Veteran Priority Added
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development retroactively announced that the deadline for applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program would be extended by two weeks in order to incorporate a change from the recently enacted 2014 Farm Bill. Coming over one month from the original February 24 deadline for VAPG applications, the […]
Release: USDA Value-Added Producer Grants Deadline Extended with Veteran Priority Included
Release: Value-Added Producer Grants Deadline Extended with Veteran Priority Included Washington, DC, March 25, 2014 – Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency announced a two week extension for grant applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant program. The extension, published in today’s Federal Register, was made necessary by changes to the program included […]
New England Food Policy Report Released
The American Farmland Trust, Conservation Law Foundation, and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) have released a new report New England Food Policy: Building a Sustainable Food System to advance innovative public policies that support a sustainable food and farming system in New England. New England Food Policy: Building a Sustainable Food System guides […]
USDA Secretary Explains 2015 Funding Requests to Congress
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies today to discuss the Department’s FY 2015 Budget Request, which he delivered to Congress earlier this month. The Subcommittee will consider USDA’s requests as it writes its agriculture funding bill for the year. In […]
Guest Blog: New report shows food buyers how regional hubs work
Editor’s Note: We want to thank John Fisk, from NSAC member the Wallace Center, for his contribution. Dr. Fisk is the director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International. He is also a founding board member of the National Food Routes Network, an editorial board member of the Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, and an active member […]
Expanding Packing and Cold Storage Loan Options for Diversified Farms
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced several changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program that will greatly improve the program’s ability to support diversified producers that sell their produce through localized market channels, such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and farm-to-institution. Farm Storage Facility Loans are financed through the Farm […]
What Does the President’s 2015 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
President Obama sent his budget proposal for 2015 to Capitol Hill yesterday. The overall spending number in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year (FY) would match the two-year budget deal Congress reached last year, though the President also includes an aspirational $56 billion add-on, which he calls the Opportunity, Growth, and Security (OGS) […]
Community Food Projects Grant Program Funding Available for FY 2014
Late last week, the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) posted a Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2014 round of the Community Food Project Grants Program (CFP). Unfortunately, NIFA posted this to their website without issuing a press release or a Federal Register notice, so there was no way of knowing the RFA had […]
Funding Available for Farm to School
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the release of a request for applications for the third round of USDA’s Farm to School grants, including the addition of a new funding track for training events and conferences. These grants help to improve the health and well being of students through school meals […]
2014 Farm Bill Drilldown: Local and Regional Food Systems, Healthy Food Access, and Rural Development
With the 2014 Farm Bill recently signed into law, NSAC is doing a blog series that delves into the details of the bill for sustainable food and farming systems. Previous posts in this farm bill series dove into the overall farm bill by the numbers, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmer issues, working lands conservation programs, […]
What is in the 2014 Farm Bill For Sustainable Farms and Food Systems?
At the start of this long and twisted farm bill reauthorization process, NSAC released an ambitious farm bill platform with the goal of expanding opportunities for family farmers to produce good food, sustain the environment, and contribute to vibrant communities. Reflecting input from sustainable and organic farmers, rural and urban communities, and food entrepreneurs, the […]
USDA Farm to School Webinar Series
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm to School office supports the efforts of organizations and school districts across the nation that are working to bring educational activities and foods from local or regional sources into schools. Activities encompass incorporating locally or regionally produced foods into school meals and snacks, creating hands-on learning activities, such […]
New Resource Helps Farmers and Farmers Markets Accept SNAP Benefits
Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced MarketLink, a website that provides farmers’ markets and direct-marketing farmers with a new, streamlined process for becoming authorized Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) vendors and information about obtaining the equipment needed to accept SNAP benefits. Up […]
Congress Outlines 2014 Funding Package
Update: Both the House and Senate passed the omnibus package this week, and the President is expected to sign the bill shortly. For a detailed breakdown of the funding levels provided in the bill, see our updated appropriations chart. On Monday, January 13, House and Senate appropriators released the text of the fiscal year (FY) 2014 […]
Growing State Support for Farm to School Activities Shown in New Legislative Survey
Earlier this week, the National Farm to School Network, an NSAC member group, released a survey of farm to school-related legislation from around the country that has been proposed or enacted by states since 2002. Conducted jointly with Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, the survey is an update to a similar […]
Interagency collaborations developing farms and rural businesses
In an effort to better meet the financing needs of small businesses and agricultural producers in rural areas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a notice in December providing guidance for increasing collaboration between the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and USDA. The notice included a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the USDA and SBA signed […]
Organic, High Tunnel, & Nutrient Management Assistance Available for 2014
Last week, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provided its state NRCS offices with national guidance on when and how to administer 13 conservation initiatives for fiscal year (FY) 2014. The national guidance covers a number of initiatives that NSAC tracks closely, including the National Organic Initiative (NOI), National Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative (NSHTI), and […]
USDA to Hold Webinar on VAPG and Food Hubs
The USDA Rural Development National Office will host a training webinar on “VAPG and Food Hubs,” on Monday, December 16th at 1:00 pm EST. This informational webinar will present an overview of the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program, focusing on key eligibility and program requirements for food hubs. VAPG is a competitive federal grants program […]
Lessons Learned from the Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center
Yesterday, NSAC member group the Wallace Center announced the release of a new report, Innovations in Local Food Enterprise: Fresh Ideas for a Just and Profitable Food System, which distills lessons learned from the Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center (HUFED), a project managed by the Wallace Center and funded by USDA’s National Institute for […]