As of May 3, 2017, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) will cease enrollment of any new acres – with the exception of State Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) enrollments – through the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2017. While USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers CCRP, will continue […]
Sustainable Livestock
Organic Animal Welfare Final Rule – What It Says and What’s Next
Animal living conditions and well being have long been a key component of organic livestock production systems, including allowing animals to exhibit their natural behaviors and have access to their natural diets. However, inconsistencies in organic livestock and poultry production standards have emerged in recent times, causing confusion in the organic marketplace and jeopardizing the […]
How Sustainable Agriculture Advocates Can Take Action in 2017
With a new president and the 115th Congress recently sworn in, farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates around the country have been asking: What does this new Administration and Congress mean for agriculture and food policy? How can we most effectively advocate and continue to make change on the issues that we care about? Here at […]
New Grasslands Conservation Opportunity for Small Dairy Operations
America’s grasslands are among our most productive natural resources, providing wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, erosion control, and helping to sequester an enormous amount of carbon dioxide. Moreover, grasslands are a critical component of our ranching and hunting economies. Unfortunately, these lands are also some of the most threatened natural resources in the country. A study […]
With Food Labeling Claims, the Devil’s in the Details
Food labeling claims are a confusing mix of simple words whose meaning is anything but, and complex certifications that even some in the food industry would struggle to fully explain. Local, organic, natural, grassfed, non-GMO – figuring out what each means and which claims are actually verified is enough to give the most savvy […]
Livestock and Poultry Industry Groups Continue Efforts to Stall USDA Protections for Farmers
Six years ago, powerful corporate livestock and poultry industry groups released a report claiming that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2010 Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule would harm family poultry and livestock producers. In fact, what they were really worried about was interrupting the anti-competitive, vertically integrated livestock and poultry systems that they […]
Final Environmental Cost-Share Rule Fails to Incorporate Sustainability Recommendations
Farmers and ranchers are important stewards of our natural resources. Through national initiatives like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is able to support farmers and ranchers in their efforts to introduce conservation efforts on their lands and more sustainably manage their operations. EQIP, managed by USDA’s Natural Resource […]
Boosting Community Development through Value-Added Products in Fulton, MO
When farmers and entrepreneurs take raw agricultural products like vegetables, grains, or dairy and transform them into goods like sauces and bread, they increase their bottom line because of the higher prices they can demand and they also contribute to community and rural economic development by creating new jobs in processing, marketing, or retail. The […]
RELEASE: NSAC Comment on Harris Rider (“GIPSA Rider”)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FHoefner@sustainableagriculture.net NSAC Press Statement on Passage of Harris Amendment We are deeply disturbed by the passage of the Harris amendment to prohibit USDA from protecting farmers as provided by the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 against anticompetitive, deceptive, fraudulent, retaliatory and other abusive business practices by […]
RELEASE: NFU and NSAC Join Letter Urging FSIS to Adopt Meaningful Grassfed Label Standard
A coalition of nine agricultural and consumer organizations today sent a letter urging USDA to reinstate a meaningful grassfed label… Read More →
Conservation Stewardship Stories: Miguel Otero
This piece is the first in a four-part series chronicling stories from farmers and ranchers who have experienced success with the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Farming and ranching is more than just a job; according to Alabama farmer, Miguel Otero, it’s a way of life. “I guess farming is something you carry in your genes,” said Miguel. “If […]
New USDA Ruling Protects Contract Poultry Growers
During the peak of the Avian Flu (also known as “bird flu) outbreak in 2015, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) wrote about the problems with USDA rules that placed the burden for certain losses on contract growers, paying indemnities only to the integrators (companies that own but don’t raise the animals). At the time, […]
Innovative Grazing Apprenticeship Program Attracts Young Farmers
The aging of America’s farmer population has become of increasing concern in the last several decades as older farmers retire without a new generation ready to take their place. Given the challenges inherent in farm life– hard work, high risk, and unreliable earnings– younger generations have been leaving rural areas for more secure career opportunities, […]
USDA Revokes Grass Fed Meat Labeling Standard
On Tuesday, January 12, the USDA AMS rescinded the labeling standard for grass fed meat… Read More →
10 Ways USDA Can Address Climate Change in 2016
The new year presents a final window of opportunity for the Administration to act upon climate change … Read More →
What’s Up with USDA Food Labels? Changes Made to USDA Process Verified Program
This is the first in an occasional series we will be doing to report on some recent and pending changes to USDA food labeling programs. The fate of mandatory GMO labeling may still be unknown, but some companies are already using voluntary non-GMO labels through a third party certification or verification service, such as the U.S Department […]
White House Honors Champion of Change for Sustainable Agriculture: Martin Kleinschmit
This post is the second in a two-part series highlighting farmers recognized as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. This post features Martin Kleinschmit of Nebraska. On October 26, the White House honored 12 farmers and educators as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. We congratulate all of these hardworking individuals for […]
White House Honors Champion of Change for Sustainable Agriculture: Loretta Jaus
This post is the first in a two-part series highlighting farmers recognized as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. This post features Loretta Jaus of Gibbon, Minnesota. On October 26, the White House honored 12 farmers and educators as White House Champions of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. We congratulate all of these hardworking individuals […]
Congresswomen Hold Briefing to Raise Awareness about Anti-Competitive GIPSA Rider
On Wednesday, June 3, Congresswomen Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) held a briefing for congressional staff and press to raise the awareness about the “GIPSA rider” in advance of likely House Agriculture Appropriations Committee action to advance the rider. The GIPSA rider has blocked USDA from finalizing rules of the road for the […]
FDA Rule on Food Animal Antibiotic Use Data Now Open for Comment
On May 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule that will enable more detailed data collection on antibiotic use in livestock production in the United States. This rule would require drug companies to obtain and report estimates of sales by major food producing species – namely cattle, chickens, turkeys, and pigs. The additional […]
Plant Breeding and Food Security Research Funding Available
On Monday, February 1, USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Food Security Challenge Area. The AFRI Food Security Program provides grants for research, education, and extension projects, with the long-term goal to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and the availability and accessibility […]
Enterprise Diversity and Farm Income
The recent news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that farm incomes are down — and expected to recede even more after several years of high incomes linked to historically high crop price — shines a light on something that NSAC has been talking about for many years. NSAC has long advocated for federal […]
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 […]
Farm Aid 2014: Making Policy Connections on North Carolina Farms
Decisions that legislators make in Washington, DC have real impacts on the ground in communities and on farms around the country. On Friday, September 12, 2014, several NSAC staff members toured several farms in and around Raleigh, North Carolina hosted by Farm Aid (an NSAC member) ahead of their 2014 Farm Aid Benefit Concert. The […]