On Tuesday, May 19, the US Department of Agriculture published an interim rule on the Strategic Economic and Community Development program under Section 6025 of the 2014 Farm Bill. This rule, which goes into effect on June 19, sets aside up to 10 percent of funds appropriated to a handful of Rural Development (RD) programs to focus some […]
Rural Development
Upcoming Deadlines for Federal Farm and Food Programs
With seeds in the soil and summer approaching, deadlines for federal farm and food grant programs are coming up as quickly as your seedlings! For farmers, ranchers, and groups who work with producers, the next few months are critical to ensure timely and successful completion of applications, so read on! NSAC has compiled a list of upcoming deadlines […]
Organizations Defend Rural Development Funding in 2016 Appropriations
On Thursday, May 14, the Campaign for a Renewed Rural Development (CRRD) — a coalition of organizations that works to advance rural development — delivered a letter urging the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees to support key rural development programs during the fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations process. The letter urges appropriators to protect and […]
Programs in Action: Growing Business with the Value-Added Producer Grant Program
Last week, USDA announced the request for applications for this year’s Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program cycle. Today we check in with a past VAPG grantee to see how their farm business has grown thanks to the grant funding made possible through this important federal program! In 2012, Steve McKaskle and his family had a […]
USDA Now Accepting Applications for Value-Added Producer Grants
NSAC has released an updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. Individual and groups of producers, as well as farmer coops and producer-controlled businesses, are eligible to apply for these grants, which help to increase income and marketing opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers, along with fishermen, loggers, and other harvesters of agricultural commodities…. Read More →
Briefing Spotlights Local Food, Farmer Livelihoods, Community Development, and Healthy Food Access
On Tuesday, May 5th, a Congressional briefing organized by the Food and Agriculture Policy Collaborative (FAPC)* highlighted federal programs to support local and regional food and farming, economic development, improved health outcomes, and access to good food. The briefing was part of a successful and growing partnership of FAPC members, linking federal policy with place-based outcomes and […]
Agriculture Funding Debates Continue, Decisions Loom
This week and last, the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees continued their examination of the Obama Administration’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2016. Food & Drug Administration On Thursday, March 12, Senate appropriators questioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about their increased budget request to support implementation of the Food Safety Modernization […]
Healthy Food Access Project Funding For FY 2015 Available Through HHS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a modified Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for fiscal year (FY) 2015, updated from last year’s announcement for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). HFFI is a tri-agency program administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, HHS, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to […]
What Does the President’s 2016 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
There are some positive signs in the budget request for sustainable food and agriculture priorities, but also some very major disappointments…. Read More →
Farm and Rural Small Business Energy Grant Deadlines Announced
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 2015, the dates range from February through June, as detailed below and in the Federal Register of December 28, 2014. REAP provides two types of funding assistance […]
Arkansas Farmer Uses VAPG to Bring Back Heirloom Tomatoes
Note: This is the third in a three-part series providing a closer look at some of this year’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) award recipients. To read the other blog posts in this series, click here to read about how one organization used a VAPG award to expand online access to healthy food, and here to learn how […]
Local Food System Community Planning Awards Announced
On December 3, the White House Rural Council, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies, announced 26 communities in 19 states chosen to take part in the Local Food, Local Places Initiative. The new initiative provides technical support to help them develop and implement action plans promoting local food and downtown revitalization. […]
White Paper: How the Federal Crop Insurance Program Benefits Mega Farms
On December 2, the Land Stewardship Project released the second of three white papers on the federal crop insurance program. This paper is entitled, Crop Insurance Ensures the Big Get Bigger. This paper makes the point that the top 10 percent of crop insurance subsidy recipients took in more than half of all premium subsidies […]
Grant Announcement and Webinar on Co-ops and Local Food
Following closely on recent announcements about the Rural Business Enterprise Grant and Rural Business Opportunities Grant awards to support small businesses and economic development in rural communities, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced the latest round of grantees for the Rural Cooperative Development Grant program (RCDG) on Friday, October 24. The timing of […]
NSAC member organizations receive Rural Business Enterprise Grants from USDA
On Tuesday, October 21, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced 50 new Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) for the 2014 fiscal year, including awards for two NSAC member organizations. Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) and National Hmong American Farmers (NHAF) each received RBEG awards from USDA’s Rural Development agency. The announcement follows an earlier […]
FarmieMarket Uses Value-Added Producer Grant to Expand Online Healthy Food Access
Note: This is the first in a three-part series providing a closer look at some of this year’s Value-Added Producer Grant award recipients. You can buy almost anything online: clothes, books, electronics. And now, you can add local food to the list. FarmieMarket—an online farmers market in New York’s Capital Region—is bringing local food purchasing into […]
Rural Poverty Rates and Income Improving Slowly
Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released its report Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013, which showed the number of Americans living in poverty declining for the first time since 2006, but with the poverty rate in rural America still higher than the national level. While the U.S. Census Bureau report delivers some good news, the lagging […]
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program Awards Announced
On Wednesday, September 24, USDA Rural Development Acting Under Secretary Doug O’Brien announced $19.8 million in grant and loan funding under the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) to 44 organizations, enabling them to provide microloans and training and technical assistance to rural microentrepreneurs who are seeking to start or grow small businesses and create jobs. These awardee organizations, […]
Three Vermont Projects Receive USDA Grants to Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Local Foods
On September 12, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development agency announced almost $3 million in awards through the Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) and Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) programs to promote sustainable economic development in rural regions. Eleven projects in New York, North Dakota, and Vermont received RBEG funding, totaling $1,258,825. RBOG funding went […]
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 […]
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 →
Farmers and Ranchers Awarded Value-Added Producer Grants
USDA announces $25 million in grants to support farmers and ranchers in developing or expanding value-added businesses and markets…. Read More →
Release: Grant Awards for Farm Business Development Announced by USDA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eugene Kim, Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Grant Awards for Farm Business Development Announced by USDA Washington, D.C., August 19, 2014 – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that over 247 farm businesses from 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Micronesia will receive $25 million in grants from the 2014 round of the Value-Added Producer […]
USDA Announces Microenterprise Training Awards
On Thursday, July 31, USDA announced that it has provided $300,000 in grant funding to each of 10 organizations to provide training and technical assistance to rural micro-entrepreneurs who are seeking to start or grow rural small businesses. The $300,000 is carry-over funding from previous years, not to be confused with the $1.5 million in […]