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 […]
Research, Education & Extension
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 […]
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 […]
Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grants Announced
On October 2, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $51 million in awards from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). SCRI provides grants for regional research and extension projects to support producers of fruits, vegetables, nursery crops, and other specialty crops. This is the first time since 2012 that SCRI […]
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 […]
NSAC Joins Twenty-Eight Groups in Supporting Funding for AFRI
On Monday September 22, twenty-eight members of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition sent a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committees thanking them for the increase in funding for AFRI included in each of their Fiscal Year 2015 Agriculture Appropriations bills. The letter also requests their continued support […]
Congress Extends 2014 Funding Levels through December 11
On Thursday, September 18, the Senate passed a short-term funding extension, known as a “continuing resolution” (CR), to fund the federal government through December 11. The CR extends fiscal year (FY) 2014 funding levels as well as policy provisions known as appropriations “riders.” The House passed this temporary funding measure earlier this week, and the […]
New Report Identifies Changes Needed for USDA Agriculture Research
Earlier this week, the National Research Council (NRC) released a report calling for increased funding along with major changes to the Agriculture Food and Research Initiative — USDA’s largest agriculture research program. The report was commissioned by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which is the federal agency responsible for awarding extramural research […]
4 Important Policy Decisions that Will Impact Farmers, Food, and the Environment in 2015
Taking a look at Congress’ work over the next few months, here are four appropriations decisions that will have a major impact on farmers, food, and the environment…. 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 […]
Resources Available for a Growing Local Food Movement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program recently introduced a new “topic room” titled Farm to Table: Building Local and Regional Food Systems, which provides valuable resources for individuals working to build strong food-producing communities. It’s a great one-stop-shop to gather relevant fact sheets, bulletins, webinars, and other educational […]
2012 Census Drilldown: Minority & Women Farmers
What does the new ag Census reveal about women and minority farmers across the country?… Read More →
Funding Available to Support Integrated Pest Management Efforts
On Wednesday, May 28, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of more than $16 million in funding for fiscal year 2014 to address critical integrated pest management (IPM) needs. Applications for funding are due June 19, 2014. IPM is a science-based, decision-making process that allows […]
2012 Census Drilldown: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
What does the new ag Census reveal about the next generation of farmers and the future of agriculture?… Read More →
Senate Appropriators Pass 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
What’s in the Senate bill for beginning farmers, food safety training, sustainable agriculture research, and rural communities?… Read More →
House Subcommittee Passes 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund USDA and FDA programs in 2015… Read More →
Busy Week Ahead for USDA Funding in 2015
Next week is a big week for agriculture appropriations. On Tuesday, May 20, both the House and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees will debate and almost certainly pass their respective agriculture funding bills for fiscal year (FY) 2015. The full Senate Appropriations Committee will then take up the agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday, May 22. […]
2012 Census Drilldown: Organic and Local Food
On May 2, USDA released data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture has been conducted since 1840 and currently is collected once every five years. This is the second in a series of drill down posts, looking at particular themes from the Census that relate to local and regionally produced food and organic agriculture. […]
2012 Census Drilldown: Conservation and Energy
On May 2, USDA released data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture has been conducted since 1840 and currently is collected once every five years. This is the first in a series of drill down posts, looking at particular themes from the Census. To view the other posts in this series, […]
2012 Agriculture Census Released
The new agriculture census reveals trends about the growth in organic and sustainable food systems over the past five years…. Read More →
Research Awards to Support Rural Communities
On April 30, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced more than $12 million in grants allocated to support the economic vitality of rural communities across the country. NIFA made the awards through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Foundational Program’s Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities […]
House Agriculture Committee Discusses Pollinator Health
On April 29, the House Agriculture Committee convened a hearing to discuss challenges facing pollinator populations, with the honey bee as the focal point. Throughout the hearing, the increased incidence of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was discussed, and the current research available to identify causes of the devastating decrease in honey bee populations and economic […]