On Thursday, May 26, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed members of the Senate Agriculture Committee at the Committee’s first hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill. A second panel of witnesses followed, comprised of former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, Michigan farmer and United Soybean Board founding director Barry Mumby, Dr. Andrew Rosenberg of Conservation International, […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Passes FY2012 Funding Bill
On Tuesday, March 24, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies passed by voice vote its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill, which would cut USDA and FDA discretionary programs by 13.4 percent on top of a similar amount in the FY 2011 bill completed last month. […]
House FY2012 Appropriations Bill Would Slash Conservation, Rural Development, and Research Programs
On Monday, May 23, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies released a draft of its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill. The Subcommittee will debate, potentially amend, and almost certainly pass the bill on Tuesday during an afternoon markup. Before the bill can become law, […]
Merrigan Keynotes Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Foods Gathering
Introduced by Congressman Sam Farr (D-17th/CA) as “someone who really gets it,” USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan keynoted Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions conference on May 19. The event attracted food and agriculture writers who could have a real book editor salary from around the nation. The good news, Merrigan explained, is that “there’s […]
Healthy Farms, Healthy People Summit
by NSAC Policy Associate Helen Dombalis A diverse group of over 100 farm, food, and health stakeholders came together in Washington, DC Tuesday and Wednesday for Healthy Farms, Healthy People: A Farm & Food Policy Summit for a Strong America. The summit was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and convened […]
Funds Available for Healthy Food Financing Initiative
On Thursday, May 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for a portion of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). A total of $10 million is available for “projects located in food deserts and designed to improve access to healthy, affordable foods.” In addition to retail […]
Prince Charles, Vilsack, and others explore Future of Food
Just five days after his son William’s wedding that drew millions of viewers, the Prince of Wales keynoted Wednesday’s Future of Food conference at Georgetown University with an impassioned 40 minute talk. Prince Charles, who has farmed “as sustainably as possible” for 26 years, explained why conventional agriculture is simply not sustainable. The “business as […]
Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network Releases Business Planning Guide
The Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN) recently released a small business planning guide for small scale meat processors. The short guide walks readers through a basic business plan, and provides financial projections for different types of processing facilities, from a mobile slaughter unit to a facility with a full service retail meat counter. Different […]
The Atlantic Holds Annual Food Summit in Washington, DC
Earlier this week The Atlantic held its annual Food Summit in Washington, DC. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan gave the keynote address. Merrigan started by acknowledging that it is an exciting time for people working in the food and farm sectors since Americans are increasingly interested in where their food comes from, how it is […]
Results of Nationwide Analysis of Food Hubs Released
On April 19, at the Making Good Food Work Conference in Detroit, Michigan, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan released the results of a nationwide analysis of food hubs. Merrigan focused on the economic opportunities of food hubs, an emerging set of business models to provide additional outlets for small and medium sized farmers and bring […]
Proposed National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement Released
On Tuesday, April 26, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released its proposal for a National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement (NLGMA). If adopted, the program would be used to govern the production, handling, and manufacturing of leafy green vegetables, including spinach, lettuce, and cabbage, for handlers who sign on and for all the farmers who supply […]
Comments on the VAPG Interim Final Rule Due Monday
On February 23, the USDA released its interim final rule (IFR) for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. The public comment period on the rule closes on Monday. NSAC will submit its comments then. We encourage those interested in the program to read on for information regarding the contents of the interim final rule and, […]
Final Rule on Geographic Preference in Child Nutrition Programs Released
Today the Food and Nutrition Service released the final rule on geographic preference in Child Nutrition Programs, demonstrating substantial progress for local and regional food systems. As the final rule explains, “geographic preference is a tool that gives bidders in a specified geographic area a specific, defined advantage in the procurement process.” This rulemaking follows […]
Final Rule for Interstate Shipment of State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Announced
On Tuesday, April 19, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a final rule today to broaden the market for smaller, state-inspected meat and poultry plants. As provided in the 2008 Farm Bill, state-inspected establishments with 25 or fewer employees will be eligible to participate in a voluntary cooperative interstate shipment program, which […]
National Farmers Market Directory Open for Updates
On Monday, April 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) opened the updating process for the USDA National Farmers Market Directory, which is the official count of farmers markets in the nation. 2011 will be the first year that the directory will track markets with multiple locations and days of operation. According […]
Guest Blog: Value-Added Producer Grants in Action
(Editor’s Note: We want to thank Jenny R. Meudt of Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms, LLC in Delavan, Wisconsin, for submitting this post. Meudt was a participant in the recent NSAC farmer DC fly-in. She and other farmers came to DC to encourage Congress to maintain funding for critical sustainable agriculture programs, including the job-creating Value-Added Producer […]
Ohio Beginning Farmer Testifies at House Ag Credit Hearing
On Thursday, April 14, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit held a hearing to review credit conditions in rural America. The two panels primarily featured witnesses from different credit providers, from independent banks to federal loan providers. Among the witnesses was Matt Starline, a young farmer and owner of Starline Organics […]
FY 2010 AFRI Awards on Food Systems
Earlier this year, USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) posted the Fiscal Year 2010 awards for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Five of the six AFRI award categories focus on integrated solutions to five “societal challenge areas”: Childhood Obesity Prevention, Climate Change, Food Safety, Global Food Security, and Sustainable Bioenergy. The […]
Congress Releases Draft 6-Month Continuing Resolution
In the early morning of Tuesday, April 12, Congress released a draft of the 6-month continuing resolution (CR), agreed to by House and Senate Democrats and Republicans late last night. The CR would cut $42 billion relative to FY 2010 levels for non-defense spending, but couples that with a $4 billion increase in defense spending, […]
Farmers Defend Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture Programs
As Congress worked to reach a budget deal and avoid a government shutdown this week, more than 30 farmers and farm advocates from NSAC member groups in 18 states spread out over Capitol Hill to defend conservation and sustainable agriculture programs from reckless spending cuts. The message was delivered to key members of the Agriculture, […]
Spanish Edition of NSAC’s Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill
A result of a coordinated effort between NSAC and the Agriculture and Land-Base Training Association, the Spanish Edition of the Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill is now available to download from our website. The Spanish edition of the Guide walks you through seven of the 2008 Farm Bill programs important to sustainable agriculture. […]
House Holds Appropriations Hearing on Rural Development
On Thursday morning, March 31, the House Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations held a hearing on Rural Development in Fiscal Year 2012. The hearing started with general remarks from subcommittee members regarding concern about the state of rural America, including a note that USDA Secretary Vilsack previously testified to the Subcommittee that rural America has been […]
House Agriculture Subcommittee Criticizes EPA Action on Chesapeake Bay
Last Wednesday, March 16, the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on President Obama’s Executive Order for achieving improvements using the Clean Water Act to the water quality in watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay Region. The Order directed EPA to establish a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) […]
NSAC Submits Comments on Proposed Rule for Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
NSAC submitted comments on the proposed rule for the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP). The program, crafted by NSAC as part of the 2002 Farm Bill, strives to improve and expand producer-to-consumer activities including farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, roadside stands, and agritourism. Public comments on the proposed rule are due Monday, March 21. […]