NSAC releases an updated version of its annual Farmers’ Guide to Applying for the Value-Added Producer Grant … Read More →
Rural Development
USDA Announces $44 million Available for Value-Added Agriculture
Whether helping farmers turn organic grains into shelf-ready items or providing capital for the creation of … Read More →
New USDA Initiative Aims to Build Capacity and Strengthen Local Food Systems
For local and regional food systems to thrive, farmers and rural producers increasingly need to access customers in urban areas and be able to offer products that meet their unique needs and demands. “Value chains” and “value-adding” have long been solutions to this problem. Value-adding is simply the process by which farmers and producers are […]
Massive Year-End Funding Bill A Mixed Bag But Includes Significant Wins for Sustainable Agriculture
Final appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2016 will fund programs supporting sustainable agriculture… Read More →
Farm-Identified Turkey Operation Aided by Value-Added Grant
This post is the third in a series highlighting Value Added Producer Grants awarded in 2015. Visit our first post for an overview of this year’s awards, and our second post for another producer profile. This post features Peter Stone of Stonewood Farm in Orwell, Vermont. On November 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced awards totaling […]
Value-Added Program Supports Local Meat in the Green Mountain State
This post is the second in a series highlighting Value-Added Producer Grants awarded in 2015. Visit our first post for an overview of this year’s awards. This post features Ethan Gevry of Champlain Valley Farm in Addison, Vermont. On November 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced awards totaling $34 through the Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. Administered […]
USDA Awards $34 Million for Farm Value-Added Business Development
On November 10, Vernita Dore, Deputy Under Secretary of Rural Development, announced that 258 farm businesses from 47 states, Puerto Rico, and the Western Pacific will receive $34 million in grants from the Fiscal Year 2015 round of the Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) program…. Read More →
NSAC Delivers 2016 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Requests
On Tuesday, October 6, NSAC delivered a letter to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, urging them to support sustainable agriculture priorities in the final fiscal year 2016 appropriations legislation. Congress is currently debating funding levels for the remainder of 2016 fiscal year, which began on October 1. On the final day of […]
HFFI Award Promotes Local Sustainable Food System Growth
On October 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded over $5 million through its Community Economic Development Program’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). Republic Food Enterprise Center – Growing a Local, Sustainable Food System NSAC congratulates the nine CDCs in seven states that received awards this year from the HHS HFFI program. In […]
Millions Now Available for Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Development
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a farm bill energy title program, is open for applicants at any time, but application cut-off dates are announced annually. For fiscal year (FY) 2016, the dates range from November 2, 2015 to May 2, 2016, and in limited cases into the summer of 2016, as detailed below […]
New USDA Awards to Build Local Food Systems and Food Security
On October 2, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced nearly $35 million in awards from three grant programs to support local and regional food systems, enhance the effectiveness of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operations at farmers markets, and improve marketing opportunities for farms through state-based research and innovation. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack made […]
Rural Businesses Get $20 Million Boost in USDA funding
On Tuesday, September 28th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced close to $20 million in grants from the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) Program to support the start-up or expansion of rural small businesses. The program provides competitive grants to governmental entities, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for planning, technical assistance, job training, and […]
New Initiative to Fight Rural Child Poverty
As a follow-up to recent announcements by the White House on efforts to combat rural child poverty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced the selection of ten communities for the Rural Integration Models for Parents and Children to Thrive (Rural IMPACT) Demonstration project. […]
Treasury Awards Announced to Help with Farm and Food Business Financing
Last week the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund announced its latest round of awards for three programs: the CDFI Program, the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program, and the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). The $224 million awarded to the 206 CDFIs around the country invests in and builds the capacity […]
USDA Awards $4 Million for Rural Development Projects Including Local Food Hubs
On Wednesday, July 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $4 million across 71 projects through the Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) progarm. The program provides competitive grants to governmental entities, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for planning, technical assistance, job training, and acquisition of land, capital, equipment and other business development needs. Food […]
Food Hub Report Series Launched by USDA
Filling a gap in information on operations and best practices from food hubs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development mission area launched a new technical report series called Running a Food Hub with the first report, Running a Food Hub: Lessons Learned from the Field, Vol. One (hereafter Lessons Learned) on July 15. Yesterday’s release of […]
Study Aims to Help Food Hubs Become More Profitable
To help regional food hubs to grow, it’s important to have data for baseline performance measures – data that can help assess successes, needs, and opportunities. A new report on food hubs released yesterday, July 14, 2015, provides just such data. COUNTING VALUES: Food Hub Financial Benchmarking Study draws on 2013 data from 48 diverse and […]
USDA Compass Tool Highlights Local Food Programs
Under the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has focused in a consistent and substantive way on investments in local and regional food systems. Its innovative online tool — appropriately named the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass Map” — allows organizations and individuals to search an online database and map to […]
Technical Assistance Available for Community Development and Local Food Systems
Local Foods, Local Places 2015 The Local Foods, Local Places Initiative is once again accepting applications from communities seeking technical assistance to integrate local food systems into community economic action plans. Announced on June 30, 2015, the Initiative’s request for applications represents the second time that communities around the U.S. (including neighborhoods or main street […]
$16 Million Available for Rural Micro-Enterprise Development in 2015
Very small businesses are the lifeblood of rural America, yet small entrepreneurs often struggle to access credit and business training. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) operates a rural development program — the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) — aimed at addressing this gap. RMAP provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) — […]
2016 Funding Bill Opens Payment Loophole, Cuts Conservation and Renewable Energy
On Thursday, June 18, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2016. Overall, the bill provides $20.65 billion in discretionary funding, $175 million less than last year’s enacted level and a whopping $1.1 billion less than the USDA request. The full House Appropriations Committee will now take up the […]
USDA Invests $6.7 Million in Rural Energy Projects
On Wednesday, June 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of $6.7 million in 544 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects through the farm bill’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP grants and loans help farmers, ranchers, and small business owners reduce energy use and develop and install renewable energy sources. […]
Value-Added Producer Grants – Great Program but Problems Persist with USDA Rules
On Friday, May 8th, the Rural Business Cooperative Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its final rule for the Value Added Producer Grant program (VAPG), effective immediately. This final rule was published in conjunction with the latest announcement of $30 million in funding available for VAPG projects in 2015. The final rule […]
Rural Child Poverty – New White House Report and Initiative
Addressing rural child poverty is the subject of a recently launched White House “Rural Impact” initiative, including a recently published report highlighting the trends in rural poverty in the United States and plans to address the issue through various federal safety net programs and investments. The Report — Opportunity for All: Fighting Rural Child Poverty […]