FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner or Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 Federal Low Interest Financing Program Expanded to Help Farmers Reach Local Food Markets Washington, DC, April 29, 2016 – Small and mid-scale family farms operating in burgeoning local and regional food markets received some welcome news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today. USDA’s Farm […]
Press Releases
RELEASE: NSAC Comment on Harris Rider (“GIPSA Rider”)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC Press Statement on Passage of Harris Amendment We are deeply disturbed by the passage of the Harris amendment to prohibit USDA from protecting farmers as provided by the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 against anticompetitive, deceptive, fraudulent, retaliatory and other abusive business practices by […]
RELEASE: Proposed GIPSA Rider Aims to Silence America’s Contract Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754, PWolfe@sustainableagriculture.net Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net Proposed GIPSA Rider Aims to Silence America’s Contract Farmers National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Speaks Out Against Anti-Farmer Maneuver Washington, DC, April 18, 2016 – Family farmers in the contract poultry industry thought their time had finally come. After years of struggling to eke […]
RELEASE: New “Farmers’ Guide” Helps Producers Apply for Value Added Producer Grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wes King, 202-547-5754 WKing@sustainableagriculture.net New “Farmers’ Guide” Helps Producers Apply for Value Added Producer Grants The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has published this free resource annually since 2012 Washington, DC, April 13, 2016 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced the publication of their annual Farmers’ Guide to […]
RELEASE: Funding Available through Value-Added Producer Grant Program
For farmers, adding value to their products means adding revenue to their businesses, which also means more jobs… Read More →
RELEASE: Agriculture Programs Help Veterans Launch Successful Careers in Farming
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, NSAC, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Evan Eagan, FVC, (530) 419-6740, evan@farmvetco.org Agriculture Programs Help Veterans Launch Successful Careers in Farming U.S. Air Force Veteran and Montana Farmer Testifies Before Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Washington, DC, April 5, 2016 – Spring is not just cherry blossom season here in the capital […]
RELEASE: Food LINC Initiative Connects Rural Farmers with Urban Buyers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wes King, 202-547-5754, wking@sustainableagriculture.net Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754, gfogel@sustainableagriculture.net Food LINC Initiative Connects Rural Farmers with Urban Buyers USDA Initiative Designed to Strengthen Local and Regional Food Systems WASHINGTON, DC, March 31, 2016 – Today, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Delta Regional Authority (DRA), and 15 philanthropic […]
RELEASE: NFU and NSAC Join Letter Urging FSIS to Adopt Meaningful Grassfed Label Standard
A coalition of nine agricultural and consumer organizations today sent a letter urging USDA to reinstate a meaningful grassfed label… Read More →
Farmers Fly-in to Fight for Sustainable Ag Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754 Farmers Fly-in to Fight for Sustainable Ag Funding National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Helps Farmers Share Their Stories with Legislators Washington, DC, March 1, 2016 – This week the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), one of the nation’s leading voices in food and agriculture policy, kicks off a month-long series […]
RELEASE: New Conservation Option for Organic Farms Unveiled
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner, Paul Wolfe, 202-547-5754 New Conservation Option for Organic Farms Unveiled U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in establishing up to 20,000 acres of new conservation buffers Washington, DC, February 26, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a new conservation option for organic farmers–cost-share and land […]
RELEASE: NSAC Comments on the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Greg Fogel, Senior Policy Specialist, 202-547-5754 NSAC Comments on the President’s FY 2017 Budget Request President’s request would preserve conservation funding and increase funding for sustainable agriculture priorities Conservation Alongside President Obama’s proposal to double funding for public lands conservation through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, his FY 2017 budget […]
RELEASE: USDA Announces Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-up for 2016
Over 20 million acres of farm and ranch lands eligible for conservation support… Read More →
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Honors Sustainability Champion, Mark Lipson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner (NSAC) 202-547-5754 National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Honors Sustainability Champion, Mark Lipson Washington, DC, February 2, 2016 – At its annual Winter Meeting, this year hosted in Davis, California, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) honored farmer and former Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Policy Advisor for the Office of the Secretary […]
RELEASE: Senate Bill Offers Hope for a Child Nutrition Act reauthorization in 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner (NSAC) 202-547-5754 Erin McGuire (NFSN) 207-749-7249 Senate Bill Offers Hope for a Child Nutrition Act reauthorization in 2016 Washington, DC, January 20, 2016 – In a critical first step forward, the Senate Agriculture Committee will today begin markup of their draft of the long-delayed Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. The […]
RELEASE: USDA Revokes Grass Fed Label Standard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 USDA Revokes Grass Fed Label Standard Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Speaks Out Against Decision Washington, DC, January 12, 2016 – Today in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) rescinds the labeling standard for grass fed meat that was developed over the course of […]
RELEASE: Omnibus A Mixed Bag for Sustainable Agriculture
Contact: Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754 Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Washington, DC, December 16, 2015 – The omnibus appropriations bill released today increases investments in several programs critical to the sustainability of American farms and ranches, while offering both good news and bad news with respect to proposals to re-open the 2014 Farm Bill. Our […]
RELEASE: USDA Issues Rule to Allow Unlimited Subsidies for Mega Farms
December 15, 2015, Washington, DC – Today USDA preserved access to unlimited subsidies for the biggest commodity farms in the country. The final rule on commodity program payment limitations – making it possible for mega farms to draw over a million dollars annually in taxpayer-funded subsidies – will appear in tomorrow’s Federal Register. In writing the […]
RELEASE: USDA Releases New Handbook to Help NRCS Staff Work with Organic and Transitioning-to-Organic Producers
Contact: Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754 USDA Releases New Handbook to Help NRCS Staff Work with Organic and Transitioning-to-Organic Producers Washington, D.C., November 19, 2015 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the release of a new handbook aimed at helping Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field staff work with organic and transitioning-to-organic producers. In […]
Release: NSAC Comments on Farm to School Grant Awards
Contact: Alyssa Charney; Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Release: Farm to School Program in Great Demand, Congress Should Respond by Passing the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization Today’s announcement by USDA of the latest round of Farm to School Grant awards demonstrates a pressing need for more support for farm to school, as the demand for programs that […]
RELEASE: NSAC Comments on Produce Rule
FDA released the much-anticipated final rule detailing preventive standards for farms that grow, harvest, pack, or hold covered produce for human consumption. … Read More →
Release: Grant Awards for Value-Added Business Development Announced by USDA
Contact: Ferd Hoefner, Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754 Grant Awards for Value-Added Business Development Announced by USDA Washington, D.C., November 10, 2015 – Vernita Dore, Deputy Under Secretary of Rural Development, announced today that 258 farm businesses from 47 states, Puerto Rico, and the Western Pacific will receive $34 million in grants from the 2015 round of the […]
Release: NSAC Comment on FY 2016 Budget Deal’s Implications for Agriculture
October 27, 2015, Washington, DC – The following are comments from Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director, on the fiscal year 2016 budget deal struck this week. “We are pleased that a budget bargain has been struck, providing impetus to finish the work of funding the government for the fiscal year that has already begun. Two things […]
RELEASE: New Data Shows Organic Farmers Continue to Expand Markets and Increase Sales
Contact: Paul Wolfe or Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 New Data Shows Organic Farmers Continue to Expand Markets and Increase Sales Washington, D.C., September 17 — Today, The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) released results from the 2014 Organic Production Survey. This is the first comprehensive snapshot of organic agriculture since 2008. “This survey is […]
Release: FDA Facilities Rule Contains Significant Improvements, But Concerns Remain Regarding Impacts on Farmers
Washington, DC, September 11, 2015 – On September 10, 2015, FDA released the much-anticipated final rule detailing preventive control standards for facilities producing food for human consumption. Once officially published in the Federal Register – scheduled for September 17, 2015 – the rule will go into effect in sixty days and compliance clocks will start […]