[…] 56 former USDA and other federal agency officials – who served under both Democrat and Republican administrations – also reached out to congressional leaders. The officials specifically highlighted their opposition to the Administration’s plan to move ERS out of USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area and under the Office of the Chief […]
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Conservation Agriculture in the Delaware River Basin: Opportunities and Challenges
[…] an interactive map of the Delaware River Watershed and the threats to water quality in the basin. Pictured is a map of the basin, with the red highlighting impaired waters. For access to the map tool, click here. With the 2014 Farm Bill officially expired without a new bill in place, the fate of […]
$18 Million Awarded for Vital Beginning Farmer Program, but Future Remains Uncertain
[…] critical work they are doing to support the next generation of farmers and ranchers – in particular we would like to congratulate the five member organizations ( highlighted below) whose projects received support in the latest funding round which was recently announced. Program Background In the latest round of awards (FY 2018), BFRDP issued 37 […]
Upcoming Deadlines For Family Farm and Rural Community Research Grants
Farmer on computer. Photo Credit: USDA Five research, education and extension grant programs relevant to small and mid-scale family farms and rural economic development have upcoming deadlines for proposals. All there are funded through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the largest of the competitive grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) […]
$4.4 Million for 2018 Nutrition and Food Access Research Award Winners
[…] NSAC congratulates all grantees on their projects, in particular the enterprising NSAC members (spotlighted below) who received awards or will be partners on awarded projects.  Award Highlights Sustainable Food Center’s Joy Casnovsky is spearheading a project that examines the “Farm For Less” farm stands, mobile markets, and healthy corner stores in the Eastern Crescent […]
$180 Million Available for AFRI Research Grant Projects
[…] grants in 2018, $30 million more than last year as a result of increased congressional appropriations for AFRI. The additional funding will allow NIFA to fund a higher percentage of eligible research projects submitted as well as a more diverse range of research topics. The fiscal year (FY) 2018 AFRI RFA outlines several key […]
The Farm Bill and U.S. Territories: Setting the Stage
[…] manufacturing, and wholesale trade are also major economic activities in the territories. The islands are small in size and have limited agricultural land, which means they are highly dependent on food imports and offer few jobs in the agriculture sector. It is also important to note that following Hurricanes Irma and MarĂa, which hit […]
FSA Lending to Female Farmers and Farmers of Color Continues to Fall
[…] the percentage of SDA producers in a state. If there is leftover funding in a state’s SDA pool, that funding can be transferred to a state with higher demand. See our Grassroots Guide for more details on how target participation rates are set by FSA. SDA Farmer Lending Trends for FY 2017 Roughly a quarter of […]
Congress Examines SBA Poultry Loan Practices in Contentious Hearing
[…] Cory Booker (D-NJ) offered, and the Committee passed, an amendment to an SBA oversight bill (S. 2283) requiring SBA to report on how it plans to address the issues highlighted in the IG’s report. Subsequently, the House Small Business Committee also called for this congressional hearing, which gave SBA its first opportunity to respond to directly […]
New Report Exposes Over $1 Billion in Bad Loanmaking at SBA
[…] in recent years made an increasing number of loans to large contract poultry operations, and that $1.8 billion worth of these loans were made illegally. It also highlights the extreme control that poultry companies, known as “integrators,” exert over chicken farmers. The OIG report explains that the highly restrictive contracts under which contract poultry […]
Racial Equity in the Farm Bill: Recommendations and Opportunities
Aeric Cole waters cabbage growing in a high tunnel house at the East Arkansas Enterprise Community, Inc. in Forest City, Arkansas. USDA photo by Bob Nichols Editor’s Note: This blog post is the third and final post in a three-part blog series by NSAC Policy Intern Noah McDonald, which examines how the Farm Bill […]
$17.6 Million Available for Organic Research Funding
[…] research. NSAC’s resources can be found in our online Grassroots Guide, as well as on our blog. OFRF recently released their 2016 National Organic Research Agenda, which highlights the specific research needs of organic farmers throughout the country. Additionally, OFRF has also recently published a report entitled. “Taking Stock: Analyzing and Reporting Organic Research […]
Celebrating 40 Years of Family Farm Policy
[…] of the 1977 family farm statute directed USDA to prepare an annual report on the status of the family farm system of agriculture and to include a review of all existing agricultural programs. The 1981 Farm Bill added to this directive that tax policy should also be included in the review. That annual report […]
The Numbers Behind the Farm Bill: What the New CBO Baseline Means for the 2018 Farm Bill
[…] years, the June CBO score showed the cost of SNAP steadily declining as the national economy continues to improve. Participation in the program has dropped from a high of nearly 48 million people to less than 42 million people today. It is important to remember that the improving economy and subsequent reduction in the […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Examines Conservation Options for Next Farm Bill
[…] throughout the hearing. To learn more about the on-the-ground impact of voluntary USDA conservation programs, see NSAC’s June 2018 “farmer fly-in” blog. Demand for Working Lands Programs Remains High As part of the hearing’s first panel, Deputy Chief for Programs at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Jimmy Bramblett discussed the oversubscription and growing demand […]
The Challenge of Assessing Food Safety Compliance Costs
[…] be difficult, particularly when looking to assess the impact on smaller businesses. FDA’s original economic analysis of PSR made it clear that smaller operations would face disproportionately higher costs of compliance. For example, FDA estimated that the upfront costs of implementing the new requirements are significantly higher for smaller operations: $5,027 and $23,382 respectively […]
Congressional Appropriators Question Secretary Perdue on USDA Budget and Reorganization Plans
[…] Senator  Jeff Merkley (D-OR), asked pointed questions about the Departmental reorganization and the elimination of the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Interest in Rural Development Changes Remains High As he did at the May 25 House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Secretary Perdue continued to defend his plan to eliminate the Under Secretary for Rural […]
Farm to School Grant Awards Will Fund 65 Projects Nationwide
[…] NSAC. Farm to school projects started in a small number of communities as a way to support healthy eating, connect children to farming, and expand market opportunities for farmers. Today, as interest in “farm to fork” eating has grown, so too has interest in farm to school programs, which can now be found in […]
USDA Secretary Testifies on Administration’s Budget Proposal, Department Reorganization
[…] the coming fiscal year. Perdue went before the Subcommittee in order to speak about the Administration’s FY 2018 budget proposal, and also took a considerable number of questions from representatives interested in better understanding his proposed “reorganization” of the Department. Members of the Subcommittee pressed the Secretary to explain what drove the Administration to […]
USDA Announces $17.5 Million in Agriculture Research Grants
[…] projects that address one or more of the following: Economics, markets, and trade Environmental and natural resource economics Behavioral economics Small and medium-sized farms Rural entrepreneurship Project Highlights Michigan State University:Â Linking Agricultural Nutrient Pollution to the Value of Freshwater Ecosystem Services This project examines pollution of water sources in the Great Lakes region. The […]
New Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture Research
[…] The funding for this year’s AFRI Foundational Program RFA includes an additional $50 million more than last year’s funding levels, which will allow NIFA to fund a higher percentage of eligible research projects submitted, as well as a more diverse range of research topics. The fiscal year (FY) 2017 AFRI RFA outlines several key […]
Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers
[…] Direct Farm Ownership loans), there has been excess demand at the current statutory loan caps in recent years. As noted above, demand for loan funding was especially high in 2016 and required an additional emergency appropriation to address the backlog of farmers seeking FSA financing to cover year-end operating expenses. Experts do not expect […]
Farmers Testify Before House Agriculture Committee on Needs of Specialty Crop Industry
[…] of the agriculture economy – now is not the time to cut important programs serving agriculture and promoting rural jobs and economic opportunity.” Throughout her testimony, Laura highlighted a number of USDA farm bill programs that have been key to supporting the tremendous growth within the local, regional and organic agriculture sector; many of […]
Congressional Hearings Kick Off Farm Bill and Appropriations Season
[…] the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee held its first hearing yesterday to take a closer look at farm credit and lending programs. This post highlights key takeaways from yesterday’s hearings, including an examination of federal conservation programs and farm loan programs for small, beginning, and other underserved farmers. Conservation: A Focus […]