On Thursday, May 26, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed members of the Senate Agriculture Committee at the Committee’s first hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill. A second panel of witnesses followed, comprised of former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, Michigan farmer and United Soybean Board founding director Barry Mumby, Dr. Andrew Rosenberg of Conservation International, […]
Research, Education & Extension
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, […]
National Genetics Board Being Re-Established
On Monday, May 16, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) published a notice or intent and request for nominations in the Federal Register for the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council. The Council has been dormant but is in the process of being re-established. Its purpose is to formulate recommendations on actions and policies with respect […]
SARE Grant Proposal Deadlines
A number of important deadlines for pre-proposals and proposals to USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program lie ahead this spring, summer, and fall. SARE, part of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, is a national competitive grants and education program operating in every state and island protectorate. The program is operated regionally […]
NIFA Director Roger Beachy to Resign
On Friday, April 29, USDA announced that Roger Beachy, Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), will leave his post on May 20 of this year. USDA Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics, Cathie Woteki, announced Beachy’s resignation today in a memo to her staff. Beachy intends to return to St. Louis. […]
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 […]
FY 2010 AFRI Awards on Food Systems
Earlier this year, USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) posted the Fiscal Year 2010 awards for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Five of the six AFRI award categories focus on integrated solutions to five “societal challenge areas”: Childhood Obesity Prevention, Climate Change, Food Safety, Global Food Security, and Sustainable Bioenergy. The […]
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, […]
National Agricultural Landscapes Forum in Review
On Thursday and Friday, April 7-8, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), along with the Farm Foundation and American Farmland Trust, presented a two-day forum on landscape integrity and water security in the 21st century. As outlined in an earlier blog post, the National Agricultural Landscapes Forum followed a series five public meetings to gather […]
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, […]
Attend the National Conference on Rural Wealth Creation and Livelihoods in October
The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ford Foundation are convening a National Conference and Conversation on Rural Wealth Creation and Livelihoods, October 3 – 5, 2011, in Washington, D.C. This conference will bring together researchers, practitioners and policy-makers who are working on regional and rural development issues to […]
ATTRA Loses Its Funding at Least Temporarily
One very distressing casualty of the continuing series of Continuing Resolutions that are keeping the government open but cutting funding week by week is the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, known as ATTRA. ATTRA’s $2.8 million was cut entirely in H.R. 1, the House-passed full-year Continuing Resolution from mid-February and that proposed program termination was […]
AFRI Grants Awarded to Research Sustainability of Small- and Medium-Sized Farms
USDA recently released the reports on funded Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) projects for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 grant cycle, including research focusing on sustainability of small- and medium-sized farms and rural development and on the economics of markets and development, two of the many AFRI subprograms. For 2011, as we previously reported […]
Congress Passes 3-Week Budget Extension
On Thursday, March 17, the Senate passed a three-week continuing resolution, which extends fiscal year (FY) 2010 federal funding levels until April 8. The House passed companion legislation on Tuesday, March 15, so the bill will now go to the President’s desk for his signature. As we reported in an earlier blog post, the three-week […]
USDA’s First Organic Farming Systems Research Conference
On March 16-18, USDA held its first ever Organic Farming Systems Research Conference to explore the agronomic, economic, ecological, and social dimensions of organic farming. The Conference participants included researchers, policymakers, farmers, ranchers and others interested in sharing information on organic farming systems research and shaping the future of organic research, with an emphasis on […]
FY 2012 NIFA Budget Proposal Increases Funding for Sustainable Agriculture Research
On Wednesday, March 16, 2011, the House Agriculture Appropriations committee held a hearing on the proposed fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget for USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) programs, featuring testimony by Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE). In her written testimony, Dr. Woteki emphasized that although […]
Agricultural Research Community Responds to Proposed Budget Cuts
Earlier this week the food and agricultural research community issued appeals to Congress urging that already low funding for USDA-sponsored research, education and extension not be cut. The letters came in response to the House-passed continuing resolution to fund all government functions for the remainder of the current fiscal year. The House bill, H.R. 1, […]
House Holds Two Hearings on Agriculture Appropriations
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held two hearings with top officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, along with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, Chief Economist Joe Glauber, and USDA Budget […]
Over 185 Groups Urge Congress to Oppose H.R. 1 Cuts to Sustainable Agriculture
On Tuesday, March 1, NSAC delivered two letters to Senate offices in opposition to the sustainable agriculture cuts contained in H.R. 1, the House-passed Continuing Resolution (CR). The first letter was signed by 154 grassroots organizations from throughout the country, while the second letter was signed by 35 national conservation organizations. The common thread, running […]
National Beginning Farmer Survey, Have You Participated?
Data on the challenges faced by today’s young and beginning farmers is hard to come by. That’s why the National Young Farmers’ Coalition, in partnership with the Greenhorns and Beginningfarmers.org, is conducting a national survey to understand what’s working for beginning farmers, what’s not, and what policies they’d like to see in the next Farm […]
USDA Organic Farming Systems Research Conference Coming March 16-18
USDA will sponsor a free conference March 16-18, 2011 in Washington, DC, to examine findings from research on organic farming systems. Attendees include researchers, policymakers, farmers, ranchers, and others interested in learning more about the implications of organic farming research. Major objectives for the conference are: To investigate findings on U.S. research on organic systems, […]