National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release September 7, 2011 Contact: Greg Fogel or Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program Washington, DC September 7, 2011 – Today the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) releases an updated version of our popular Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program. The Guide is intended […]
Organic
Conservation Stewardship Program Update – Part II
Note: This is the second of several blog posts that summarizes initial data we are receiving from USDA National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) on the Conservation Stewardship Program. You can read the first blog post in this series here. In last week’s blog Update on the Conservation Stewardship Program – Part I we highlighted data […]
House Holds Hearing on USDA Research Programs
On Thursday, July 28, the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture held an audit hearing on federal research programs administered by USDA. This was the ninth hearing on farm bill programs the Committee has held this year. The Committee heard testimony from top administrators of four agencies that make […]
Senate Holds Specialty Crop and Organic Hearing
On Thursday, July 28, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing to discuss farm bill specialty crop and organic programs. The Committee, led by Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), heard testimony from USDA officials Ann Wright, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Dr. Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary for Research, […]
Oklahoma’s Sustainable Agriculture
Last month, NSAC Policy Associate Helen Dombalis traveled to Oklahoma where she explored the state’s many sustainable agriculture endeavors. Policy Advocacy and Research: GIPSA, Conservation, and Beyond – Yukon and Oklahoma City Helen was joined by sustainable agriculture advocate and farmer Kathy Moore of Anichini-Moore Ranch & Farm and co-founder of the Oklahoma Composting Council. […]
House Agriculture Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Conservation Programs
On Thursday, July 7, the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry held an audit hearing to examine USDA conservation programs. This is part of a series of hearings to be held by the House Agriculture Committee leading up to the 2012 Farm Bill. According to the Committee’s press release on the hearing, […]
House Agriculture Subcommittee Specialty Crop Hearing
On Thursday, July 7, the House Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture held a farm bill hearing to examine USDA specialty crop programs. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, flowers, and nursery plants. The specialty crop title of the farm bill also includes organic agriculture programs. The Subcommittee heard testimony from Rayne Pegg, Administrator for USDA’s […]
Secretary Vilsack Includes Organic Agriculture Leaders on Biotech Advisory Committee
On June 24, 2011, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced 22 appointments to the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture. The Committee, commonly referred to as AC21, has been dormant since 2009. The new members hail from 16 states, and a handful of appointees are important advocates for organic agriculture. Secretary Vilsack stated […]
Value-Added Producer Grant NOFA Released – 60 Day Turn Around for Applications
On Tuesday, June 28, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service will announce that its Value Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) will be open for applications until the deadline of August 29, 2011. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) appears in the June 28 edition of the Federal Register. Advocates for the program are delighted the long anticipated […]
Proposed FY2012 Food and Agriculture Cuts One Step Closer to Becoming Law
On Tuesday, May 31, the full House Appropriations Committee passed its fiscal year (FY) 2012 agriculture appropriations bill, which was first passed by the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee last week. If it were to become law, this bill would make truly massive cuts to conservation, extension, research, renewable energy, and rural development programs. A number […]
National Organic Certification Cost Share Program Releases 2011 Report to Congress
The National Organic Program (NOP) has released its 2011 Organic Certification Cost Share Program Report to Congress. The report contains full information for Fiscal Year 2010 on the number of participating states, the number of producers and handlers the program served, and expenditures. Read our earlier blog post for an analysis of FY 2010 for […]
Organic Transitions Program Grant Applications Now Open
On Tuesday, May 24, USDA released the Request for Applications (RFA) for its Organic Transitions Program. The overall goal of the Organic Transitions Program is to support the development and implementation of research, extension, and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are newly […]
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 […]
Deadline to Apply for FY 2011 Organic Initiative Support Next Week
The deadline to apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives (EQIP) Organic Initiative Program is coming up fast. USDA has allocated $50 million for the Organic Initiative Program in 2011, which is available for all three of the following: certified organic growers, those transitioning to organic farming systems, and farmers exempt from formal certification.* The Organic […]
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 […]
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 […]
Congress Passes FY 2011 Budget, Cuts Billions from Agriculture
On Thursday, April 14, Congress passed a final 6-month continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year. The CR cuts $42 billion relative to FY 2010 levels for non-defense spending, but couples that with a $4 billion increase in defense spending, for a net decrease of approximately $38 […]
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 […]
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, […]
USDA Extends EQIP Organic Initiative Sign-up for FY 2011
On Monday, April 11, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced an additional sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program’s (EQIP) Organic Initiative for 2011. Certified Organic and Transitioning-to-Organic producers will now have until May 20, 2011 to sign up for the Organic Initiative for this ranking period. While applications for the program are […]
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, […]
More FY 2010 Conservation Program Sign-up Data
The Resource Economics Analysis and Policy (REAP) Division of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently released draft final sign-up data for most USDA conservation programs for fiscal year (FY) 2010. We previously blogged the final FY 2010 sign-up numbers, including state-level data, for the Conservation Stewardship Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Farm and Ranch Lands […]