What’s in the Senate bill for beginning farmers, food safety training, sustainable agriculture research, and rural communities?… Read More →
Rural Development
New Funds Available to Support Rural Economic Development
Apply now! $2.5 million in funding available through the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program… 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. […]
Funding Available for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects
On Monday, May 5, 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of grants and guaranteed loans for eligible farms and other rural businesses under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for fiscal year 2014. Applicants can also apply for a combination grant and guaranteed loan. Under this Notice of Funding […]
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 […]
Regional Strategies for Rural Development
On May 1, 2014, the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation held a hearing entitled The Importance of Regional Strategies in Rural Economic Development. Chaired by Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), the hearing addressed Farm Bill changes encouraging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to prioritize regional approaches to rural […]
Loan Guarantees Link Food Hubs with Consumer Markets
On Wednesday, April 30, USDA’s Rural Business–Cooperative Service issued a notice with additional details relating to the availability of federal loan guarantees through the Local and Regional Food Enterprise provision of the Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program. The B&I program helps improve, develop, or finance businesses and employment in rural areas by bolstering […]
Funding Available for Rural Cooperative Development
On April 29, 2014 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of competitive grant funds to support the development of rural cooperatives. A total of $5.8 million is available this year for the Rural Coop Development Grant (RCDG) program and an additional $3 million will be available for Small Socially-Disadvantaged Producer Grants, […]
Iowan Food Business Takes Root With USDA Loan Guarantee
This post is the second in a two-part series highlighting participants in the USDA Business and Industry Loan Guarantee (B&I) Program’s Local and Regional Food Enterprise Initiative, a provision of the 2008 Farm Bill championed by NSAC and reaffirmed by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill. The first post looked at financing for a North […]
Loan Guarantee Helps Rural Coop, Foodways Thrive
Small food and farm businesses in rural areas foster vibrant economies, but difficulty in accessing loans can be a major barrier to these businesses’ success and broader impact, especially for a newly evolving market like the local and regional food business…. Read More →
USDA Seeks Public Input on Value-Added Producer Grant Program
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is seeking initial public input on a farm bill change to the Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) via written comments and a listening session scheduled for this Friday, April 25, 2014. The 2014 Farm Bill made two additions to VAPG: (1) it created an additional priority preference […]
More 2015 Funding Hearings – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing Programs
This week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held hearings on the Obama Administration’s FY 2015 funding requests for three USDA mission areas – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which includes the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee also held […]
NSAC, Farmers Partner to Advocate on Sustainable Agriculture Funding
This week, a dozen family farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates from eight states traveled to Washington, DC to share their stories with the members of Congress who will decide on the coming year’s agricultural budget. In meetings Wednesday and Thursday, farmers called upon their legislators to invest in a more sustainable food and farm future […]
Working Together to Bring Healthy Foods to Communities in Need
Guest Blog – Cross posted from the White House Rural Council Blog Editor’s note: The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition played a lead role in helping to organize a recent White House meeting that brought together government agencies, spokespeople for innovative projects from around the country that involved both healthy food access and local and regional food system […]
Rural Poverty Increasing, Especially Among Children
Rural poverty increased significantly in the U.S. following the 2007 recession, especially among children, according to data released earlier this month in the March Supplement of the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey (sponsored by the US Census Bureau and US Bureau of Labor Statistics). The 2012 data reveals that the rural poverty […]
Value-Added Producer Grant Program Deadline Extended; Veteran Priority Added
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development retroactively announced that the deadline for applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program would be extended by two weeks in order to incorporate a change from the recently enacted 2014 Farm Bill. Coming over one month from the original February 24 deadline for VAPG applications, the […]
Release: USDA Value-Added Producer Grants Deadline Extended with Veteran Priority Included
Release: Value-Added Producer Grants Deadline Extended with Veteran Priority Included Washington, DC, March 25, 2014 – Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency announced a two week extension for grant applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant program. The extension, published in today’s Federal Register, was made necessary by changes to the program included […]
Guest Blog: New report shows food buyers how regional hubs work
Editor’s Note: We want to thank John Fisk, from NSAC member the Wallace Center, for his contribution. Dr. Fisk is the director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International. He is also a founding board member of the National Food Routes Network, an editorial board member of the Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, and an active member […]
What Does the President’s 2015 Budget Mean for Sustainable Agriculture?
President Obama sent his budget proposal for 2015 to Capitol Hill yesterday. The overall spending number in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year (FY) would match the two-year budget deal Congress reached last year, though the President also includes an aspirational $56 billion add-on, which he calls the Opportunity, Growth, and Security (OGS) […]
2014 Farm Bill Drilldown: Local and Regional Food Systems, Healthy Food Access, and Rural Development
With the 2014 Farm Bill recently signed into law, NSAC is doing a blog series that delves into the details of the bill for sustainable food and farming systems. Previous posts in this farm bill series dove into the overall farm bill by the numbers, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmer issues, working lands conservation programs, […]
What is in the 2014 Farm Bill For Sustainable Farms and Food Systems?
At the start of this long and twisted farm bill reauthorization process, NSAC released an ambitious farm bill platform with the goal of expanding opportunities for family farmers to produce good food, sustain the environment, and contribute to vibrant communities. Reflecting input from sustainable and organic farmers, rural and urban communities, and food entrepreneurs, the […]
Congress Outlines 2014 Funding Package
Update: Both the House and Senate passed the omnibus package this week, and the President is expected to sign the bill shortly. For a detailed breakdown of the funding levels provided in the bill, see our updated appropriations chart. On Monday, January 13, House and Senate appropriators released the text of the fiscal year (FY) 2014 […]
Interagency collaborations developing farms and rural businesses
In an effort to better meet the financing needs of small businesses and agricultural producers in rural areas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a notice in December providing guidance for increasing collaboration between the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and USDA. The notice included a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the USDA and SBA signed […]