National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release January 10, 2012 Contact: Greg Fogel or Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 Farmer Deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up Extended until January 27 Washington, D.C. January 10, 2012 – The cutoff date for farmers and ranchers to apply to participate in the 2012 sign-up for the Conservation Stewardship Program has […]
Press Releases
NSAC Comment on the GIPSA Contract Reform Final Rule
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release December 8, 2011 Contact: Martha Noble or Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 NSAC Comment on the GIPSA Contract Reform Final Rule Washington, D.C. December 8, 2011 — USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration will issue a rule on Friday that finalizes selected provisions of the GIPSA rule proposed in […]
Senate Champions Introduce Beginning Farmer Bill
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release November 10, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner, Juli Obudzinski 202-547-5754 Senate Champions Introduce Beginning Farmer Bill Washington, D.C. November 10, 2011 – Ten Senators today introduced the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011, a comprehensive bill intended for inclusion in the upcoming farm bill that highlights federal […]
Local and Regional Farm and Food Bill Introduced in Congress
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release November 1, 2011 Contact: Helen Dombalis, Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Local and Regional Farm and Food Bill Introduced in Congress Washington, D.C. November 1, 2011 – Today Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine and 35 original co-sponsors introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs […]
Local and Regional Food Bill Prepared for Inclusion in New Farm Bill
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release October 27, 2011 Contact: Helen Dombalis, Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Local and Regional Food Bill Prepared for Inclusion in New Farm Bill Washington, D.C. October 27, 2011 – Today Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine announced that next week they will introduce the Local […]
Beginning Farmer Bill Introduced in Congress to Include in Farm Bill
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release October 25, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner, Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 Beginning Farmer Bill Introduced in Congress for Inclusion in New Farm Bill Washington, D.C. October 25, 2011 – House and Senate members today announced the introduction of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011 [H.R. 3236], a […]
USDA Announces 2011 Farmers Market Promotion Program Awards
For Immediate Release October 13, 2011 Contact: Helen Dombalis 202-547-5754 USDA Announces 2011 Farmers Market Promotion Program Awards Washington, DC October 13, 2011 – Today USDA announced the recipients of this year’s Farmers Market Promotion Program awards. The 2011 awards span 149 projects in 42 States and the District of Columbia and total $9.2 million […]
USDA Announces 2011 Beginning Farmer Awards and 2012 Request for Applications
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release September 30, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner, Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 USDA Awards $18 Million to Support Beginning Farmers Washington, D.C. September 30, 2011 – Today, USDA announced $18 million in grants to beginning farmers and ranchers at a press conference held in Washington, D.C. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan […]
NSAC Releases Letter to the Super Committee and Farm Bill Budget Views; Comments on Obama Farm Budget Proposals
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release September 20, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 NSAC Releases Letter to the Super Committee and Farm Bill Budget Views; Comments on Obama Farm Budget Proposals Washington, D.C. September 20, 2011 — The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urged the congressional deficit reduction or super committee today to take a […]
Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program
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 […]
Tester – Now More Than Ever
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release August 17, 2011 Contact: Helen Dombalis 202-547-5754 Tester – Now More Than Ever Washington, DC August 17, 2011 – Some national produce industry groups seem to be exploiting a recent outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, thought to have originated in strawberries from an Oregon farm, for the […]
National Day of Action
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release June 28, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 National Day of Action to Preserve Conservation and Local Food Development Funding On June 28th, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and a broad coalition of farm, conservation, wildlife, and forestry organizations representing millions of Americans are joining forces for a […]
Farm Value-Added Grants Available
For Immediate Release June 28, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 . Farmers Have 60 Days to Apply for Value-Added Grants from USDA . Washington, DC June 28, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a notice inviting farmers to apply for Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG). Today’s notice combines two year’s worth of funding […]
Farmers and Ranchers Call the White House
For Immediate Release: June 22, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner (202) 547-5754 Farmers & Ranchers Tell the White House to Issue Final GIPSA Rule Washington, D.C. June 22, 2011. Farmers and ranchers applauded when the Obama campaign pledged to restore open and competitive markets and fair contracts for livestock and poultry producers and again when last […]
USDA Seeking Public Comment on GHG Estimation Tools
On February 18, 2011 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a notice in the Federal Register, seeking public comments on the development of tools and guidance for estimating greenhouse gases (GHG). The project, an effort to provide user friendly tools and guidance to farmers, ranchers and forest land owners interested in assessing the footprint […]
NSAC Comments on Obama Cuts to Conservation
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release February 14, 2011 Contact: Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 NSAC Comments on Obama FY 2012 Agriculture Budget Comments of Ferd Hoefner, NSAC Policy Director: The President’s FY 2012 budget calls for deep cuts to farm bill mandatory spending for farm conservation with over $1 billion in permanent rescissions. As in […]
Consumer Groups Get it Wrong on Tester
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, representing 40 grassroots family farm, food, rural, and conservation organizations from all regions of the country, today responded critically to a letter and analysis sent to the United States Senate by a coalition of 9 national consumer organizations opposing an amendment to be offered by Senators Jon Tester and Kay Hagan to S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act…. Read More →
USDA Announces $18 Million in Awards for Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training and Mentoring Programs
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is a competitive grants program administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). BFRDP grants are awarded to local, state, and regionally based networks and partnerships to support financial and entrepreneurial training, mentoring, and apprenticeships for beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as land link programs that connect retiring with new farmers and innovative farm transfer and transition practices…. Read More →
Senators Urge Implementation of USDA Rules to Address Corporate Control and Restore Competitive Markets and Contract Fairness in Livestock and Poultry Markets
USDA’s Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) issued proposed rules in June that promise to outlaw preferential pricing, expand producer rights to sue over unfair and deceptive practices, and compel contract fairness for poultry producers. The rules have been widely praised by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), NSAC member groups from all parts of the country, and many other farm organizations…. Read More →
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Urges Senate to Enact Comprehensive Climate Change Legislation
Washington, D.C., July 13, 2010 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition joined 64 sustainable agriculture and environmental groups from around the nation on a letter delivered to Senate leaders (see letter below), urging them to pass comprehensive climate change and energy legislation in this session of Congress. “Agriculture is especially vulnerable to the adverse […]
USDA Moves to Restore Competitive Markets and Contract Fairness in Livestock and Poultry Markets
Washington, D.C. June 18, 2010 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture released new rules today that propose a host of reforms necessary to help restore competitive markets and contract fairness to livestock and poultry markets. The new rules directed by the 2008 Farm Bill, promise to outlaw preferential pricing, expand producer rights to sue over […]