The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that they will invest more than $4 billion to strengthen the food system, with one of the four funding priority areas including small processing support. Over the next year, USDA will invest some of the $4 billion for existing processing facilities expansion, as well as new regional […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
President Biden’s First Budget Request and Sustainable Agriculture Priorities
A closer look at President Biden’s First Budget Request and Sustainable Agriculture Priorities…. Read More →
COMMENT: USDA Announces More Than $4 Billion to Strengthen Food System
NSAC responds to today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative…. Read More →
Farmers Virtually Visit the Hill to Advocate for Climate Action
What do you get when you mix a pandemic context, a carbon-conscious group of farmers and advocates, and a critical window for Congressional action on the climate crisis? The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s latest Virtual Farmer “Fly-In” on Climate and Agriculture. Bringing farmers to Washington, D.C. to tell their stories to their lawmakers and […]
RELEASE: More Than 450 Organizations Urge Congress to Invest $200 Billion in Climate-Focused Agriculture Improvements in the American Jobs Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks, Associate Director of Communications and Development National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 More Than 450 Organizations Urge Congress to Invest $200 Billion in Climate-Focused Agriculture Improvements in the American Jobs Plan Letter to Congressional Leadership Addresses Agriculture, Climate and Infrastructure Needs Washington, DC, May 25, 2021 – Today […]
$15 million Now Available to Support Regional Food Economy Development Projects
On May 5, 2021 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $15.3 million in funding for the second ever Request for Applications (RFA) for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) Program. RFSP is a new program that supports foodshed-level approaches to developing regional food economies. RFSP was launched in the 2018 Farm Bill […]
$25 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR ON-FARM CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS
On April 21, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the availability of $25 million in funding to advance the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation practices on agricultural lands. The funding is for on-farm trials, a sub-program of the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. CIGs are designed to support collaboration between NRCS and […]
$76.9 million in Local and Regional Food Project Grants Now Available
On May 5, 2021 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $76.9 million in funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP). FMLFPP has two subprograms – the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) – with a separate Request for Applications (RFA) for each […]
RELEASE: Farm to School Act of 2021 Will Support Child Nutrition Programs and Local Food Systems In Rebuilding From Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts:Anna MullenNational Farm to School Networkanna@farmtoschool.org Wes KingNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionpress@sustainableagriculture.net Farm to School Act of 2021 Will Support Child Nutrition Programs and Local Food Systems In Rebuilding From Pandemic National Farm to School Network and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urge support for the Act, emphasizing farm to school’s proven impacts for […]
RELEASE: Agriculture Resilience Act Delivers Bold Vision for Net Zero Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Deeble National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Email: edeeble@sustainableagriculture.net Agriculture Resilience Act Delivers Bold Vision for Net Zero Agriculture National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Applauds Trailblazing Climate and Agriculture Bill Washington, DC, April 22, 2021 – Today, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), which […]
$76 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR VALUE-ADDED AND LOCAL FOOD PROJECTS
On March 5, 2021, USDA Rural Development announced the availability of at least $76 million in total funding for VAPG projects. The application window to apply is open now and online applications are accepted until April 29, 2020 through grants.gov, and paper applications must be postmarked by May 4, 2021. We encourage all readers to […]
RELEASE: New Farmers’ Guide to the Value-Added Producer Grant Program Published
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wes King, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net New Farmers’ Guide to the Value-Added Producer Grant Program PublishedNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition announces updates to free guide, including new COVID-19 resources Washington, DC, March 12, 2021 – In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent announcement of at least $76 million in […]
RELEASE: Farm to School Act of 2021 Would Strengthen Support For Local Food Systems And Child Nutrition Programs As Communities Rebuild From Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts:Anna MullenNational Farm to School Networkanna@farmtoschool.org / (515) 210-2483 Wes KingNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionpress@sustainableagriculture.net Farm to School Act of 2021 Would Strengthen Support For Local Food Systems And Child Nutrition Programs As Communities Rebuild From PandemicNational Farm to School Network and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urge support for the Act, emphasizing farm […]
The Time is Ripe for Competition and Antitrust Reform in Agriculture
This is the first of several blogs which will explore the impacts of consolidation and concentration in the agriculture industry on farmers and the broader food system, as well as a path forward. The blog series is authored by NSAC Policy Associate Billy Hackett with meaningful contributions by farmers and experts. Read the second entry […]
FSMA: It’s Back! And Farmer Comments are Needed
We need your help to ensure farms that are not facilities are removed from the Traceability Proposed Rule, and that the rule ensures inexpensive and practical traceability for small food businesses. … Read More →
Release: New Analysis Finds USDA Program Can Support Farmer Viability and Alleviate Food Insecurity Both During and Beyond COVID-19 Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Kyra Sanborn, ksanborn@law.harvard.eduDaniela Solis, press@sustainableagriculture.net New Analysis Finds USDA Program Can Support Farmer Viability and Alleviate Food Insecurity Both During and Beyond COVID-19 Crisis Harvard’s Food Law and Policy Clinic and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition release recommendations to strengthen USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Washington, DC, February 2nd, […]
NASS 2020 Local Food Marketing Survey Needs Farmer Input
In recent years, the increasing interest in local and regional food systems has garnered consensus around the need for more robust economic data about the sector. The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on farm and food systems in the U.S. have further underlined the need for better data. While many small to mid-sized farmers […]
Government Funding Bill – Sustainable Agriculture Wins
With the country facing an imminent government shutdown, the President finally signed the $2.3 trillion Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020 on December 28th. This bill includes both badly needed emergency COVID-19 relief aid as well as regular fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriations. For more information on the COVID-19 relief aspects of the bill check […]
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) […]
Over $61 Million Invested in Value-Added Agriculture Entrepreneurs
Editor’s note: as we were preparing this blog for publication, the USDA announced the next round of funding through the program, with a 90 day application window. NSAC will be updating and publishing our farmers guide to applying for the program first thing in the new year. “Value-added” foods and goods are made from raw […]
How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Support a More Sustainable and Resilient Food System
NSAC has identified the most pressing issues facing the sustainable agriculture community for the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize in order to rebuild our food system. At the top of the list are issues like addressing the climate crisis, building a more resilient food supply chain, addressing longstanding issues of racial inequities, strengthening anti-trust enforcement, and scaling up investments in public research…. Read More →
What the New FDA Rule Means for Farms: Part 1
Almost a decade ago, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), along with thousands of farmers, asked Congress to make sure the new food safety measures in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) worked for sustainable and organic farmers. Farmers were particularly concerned with the FSMA provisions around extensive traceability and recordkeeping. Fortunately, Congress listened to […]
Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Awards Announced
In October, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the inaugural round of grant awards for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program, providing $9.3 million in competitive grant funding for 23 projects. RFSP supports the formation of public-private partnerships working at the foodshed-level to transform local and regional food […]
Guest Post: Climbers and Farm Policy
Like it or not, the laws and policies we enact at the state, local, and federal level all play a critical role in shaping our food and farming system. The climbing and outdoor community has an important role to play in being advocates for the land that sustains us…. Read More →