There are just two weeks left for organic farmers across the country to complete their 2014 Organic Production Survey! This important survey is a follow-on to the 2012 Census of Agriculture and focuses exclusively on issues and trends facing organic producers. NSAC encourages organic producers to participate by filling out the survey they received by mail or […]
Organic
Organic Farming Research Funding Available
USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released the Requests for Applications (RFA) for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – Organic Transitions (ORG). These two programs are the flagship federal research, education, and extension grant programs for organic production. Approximately […]
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Farm and Food Grant Programs
NSAC has compiled a list of upcoming deadlines for federal grant applications and grant assistance workshops…. Read More →
Plant Breeding and Food Security Research Funding Available
On Monday, February 1, USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Food Security Challenge Area. The AFRI Food Security Program provides grants for research, education, and extension projects, with the long-term goal to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and the availability and accessibility […]
Sustainable Farming in the South: NSAC Members Gather in Georgia
Earlier this week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) held its bi-annual meeting on Jekyll Island in Southeastern Georgia. Representatives of NSAC’s member organizations convened to discuss and set NSAC priorities for 2015, plan grassroots actions for the year, and engage on sustainable agriculture issues with other advocates from around the country. Georgia Organics, a […]
Organic Farming… Before It Was Cool
Looking to transition to organic farming? Curious which cover crops will work in your region? Look no further than PubAg, the National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) newest search engine. This month, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has unveiled this free search engine tool for USDA and peer reviewed agriculture-related research publications. Their digital collection features 40,000 full-text articles from […]
ICYMI — Webinar on New Whole Farm Revenue Protection Crop Insurance Policy
ICYMI – On Wednesday January 21, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA) presented a national webinar on the Risk Management Agency’s new Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) insurance policy, a new risk management product designed for diversified farms. Crop insurance specialists with […]
Important Organic Survey Hits Farm Gates
On January 5, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) mailed the much anticipated 2014 Organic Survey to organic farmers all across the country. This survey is a follow-on to the 2012 Census of Agriculture and focuses exclusively on issues and trends facing organic producers. This survey was mandated by a provision of the Fiscal Year 2014 omnibus […]
Top 14 of 2014: A Look at This Year’s Key Victories for Sustainable Food and Farming
As 2014 comes to a close, we thought we would take a moment to recognize and celebrate this year’s victories for sustainable food and farming. Among the successes? From new or restored farm bill programs that are up and running, important progress on our campaign priorities, hill visits and hearings, and the release of our […]
New Organic Price Elections for 2015 Crop Insurance Announced
December 15, The Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently released 10 new organic price elections for the 2015 crop insurance year. This brings the total number of organic price elections to 26 for the 2015 crop year. While this represents progress there is a long way to go since RMA offers over 100 individual crop policies. […]
Improved Insurance Option Available for Underserved Crops and Farms
On December 12, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced an interim final rule implementing the changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) made by the 2014 Farm bill. The release of the interim rule means the changes go into effect immediately, but public comments will be accepted on the rule through February 23, […]
Organic Plant Breeding Research Grant Announced
As farmers across the country close down their market stands and prepare their fields for the coming winter, they have very important decisions to make for the coming year – including what crops to plant and what seeds to order for the next growing season. And just as consumers make important decisions about what type […]
Organic Food Starts with Organic Seeds!
This post is the second post in a blog series devoted to exploring the importance of seeds to sustainable food and farming systems. Since everything starts with seeds, this series will focus on the importance of public seed research to sustainable agriculture, including organic farmers and local and regional food producers, as well as to […]
The Top 6 Improvements with New Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insurance Policy
As farmers consider signing up, we look at why Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is better than its predecessor policies. … Read More →
USDA Releases Guidance Documents for Conservation Initiatives
In the final days of October, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provided its state NRCS offices with national guidance on when and how to administer various conservation initiatives for fiscal year (FY) 2015. The initiatives are funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program. An October 23 directive […]
What Does “Good Farming Practices” Really Mean?
In October 2014, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) released a 76-page Good Farming Practices (GFP) handbook. The handbook defines all of RMA’s policies and procedures related to GFP. Good Farming Practices: “The production methods utilized to produce the insured crop and allow it to make normal progress toward maturity and produce at least the yield used to […]
New Report Finds Farmers Harmed by Decline in Nation’s Public Seed Supply
Everything starts with seeds. Sustainable and organic agriculture and local food systems depends on this critical first building block…. Read More →
Program Roundup – SARE Funding Available for On-Farm Research Projects
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program or SARE is a farmer driven research and education competitive grants program designed to help advance sustainable agriculture across the whole of American agriculture. North Central, Northeastern, Western, and Southern regional councils — comprised of producers, researchers, educators, and government representatives — individually set SARE policies and make […]
Organic Farms Noteworthy in Many Ways According to USDA Census of Agriculture
On September 30, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released more detailed organic agriculture data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. The basic Census information was published earlier this year. The Census of Agriculture has been conducted since 1840 and currently is collected once every five years. NSAC’s discussion of the first release, from May […]
USDA Announces $23 Million in Grants for Organic Research
On Monday, September 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced over $23 million in grants to support organic farming research. The money was awarded through the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)—the flagship research competitive grants program dedicated to funding research relevant to organic producers—and the Organic […]
FDA Revises Draft Food Safety Rules for Farms
On September 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released revised language for two major proposed rules detailing standards for farms that grow fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) and for facilities that process food for people to eat…. Read More →
Organic Certification Farmer Cost Share Funds Still Available
Organic producers and handlers can still take advantage of certification cost-share funding through the end of the fiscal year…… Read More →
Program Roundup — Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program
Editor’s Note — Each SARE region operates independently, setting their own policies and priorities. They also solicit proposals and award grants at different times of the year. This is the first in a series of periodic blog posts on the latest happenings in each SARE region as they roll out project solicitations and announce grant […]
USDA Climate Report Misses Sustainable Systems
On Thursday, July 31, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report, Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture and Forestry: Methods for Entity-Scale Inventory, which provides scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities. The report is designed to aid […]