Editor’s Note: This post is the fifth post in a multi-part series exploring some of the key sustainable agriculture and food systems challenges that the farm bill can address. Through a series of posts comparing the House and Senate Agriculture Committees’ proposals, we provide an assessment of how each chamber’s bill would address a given […]
ARA
Farmers on the Hill: Advocates and Farmers Join in Washington DC to Call for Food and Agriculture System Reform in the 2023 Farm Bill
Last week, NSAC hosted farmers, ranchers, and food system advocates from six states, who collectively attended nearly 20 meetings with Congressional offices and USDA officials, to share their stories and call for stronger, better-funded sustainable agriculture programs in the next farm bill…. Read More →
Bipartisan Agrivoltaics Bill Introduced in Senate
On May 31, 2023, Senators Heinrich (D-NM) and Braun (R-IN) introduced the Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act of 2023 (S. 1778). Featuring a proposal first outlined in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), the bill provides for the Department of Energy (DoE) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) to jointly focus on advancing research on agrivoltaics and demonstrations of the value of such systems…. Read More →
Release: Farmer Letter in Support of Agriculture Resilience Act Delivered to Bill Sponsor Representative Pingree
NSAC delivered to Representative Pingree (D-ME) a letter in support of the Agriculture Resilience Act. Signed by over 1,000 farmers from 48 states and Puerto Rico, the letter outlines the fundamental threat that climate change presents to agriculture. However, it also points to the ways in which agriculture offers solutions to climate change. … Read More →
The Agriculture Resilience Act in 2023
The Agriculture Resilience Act represents a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change in agriculture. First of its kind, the act addresses climate change throughout much of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) programming–not only that which affects farmers, but elements that shape the larger food system, as well. There is broad public support for government incentive-based solutions to climate challenges in agriculture. With its focus on incentives for best practices throughout agricultural programs, the ARA represents exactly what the public, researchers, and advocates have been calling for to move agriculture toward climate resilient systems…. Read More →
Release: Agriculture Resilience Act Delivers Farming’s Solutions to the Climate Crisis
Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) in both the House and Senate. The ARA outlines a farmer-focused, science-based path to agricultural climate mitigation and adaptation. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is proud to endorse this bill which delivers a bold vision for the future of agriculture. The ARA would refocus Farm Bill conservation, research, renewable energy, and rural economic development programs on climate resilience and empower farmers and ranchers eager to drive climate change solutions on the ground…. Read More →
Guest Post: Still Closed Out
This guest post by Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP), provides an update on the federal conservation agriculture policy landscape since it’s 2021 publication, Closed Out: How U.S. farmers are denied access to conservation programs. … Read More →
Climate and Agriculture Policy Recommendations from House Climate Leaders
Two different bodies within the House of Representatives recently released recommendations for how to address climate change in agricultural legislation. Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) provided recommendations to House leadership on how to address climate change in the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. In addition, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) released a final report on its accomplishments as well as additional opportunities–including those that can be included in the next Farm Bill…. Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Building a Climate-Resilient Future
This is the fourth post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform which details how conservation programs and research centered on ecologically beneficial approaches can support farmers and their communities, contributing to a climate-resilient future. … Read More →
Getting Into the Meat of It: A Roundup of Livestock and Poultry Reform and Resilience Bills
This post is a roundup of federal legislation, some new and some old, that would positively impact meat production, processing regulations, and food safety inspection. Most of the bills are in response to the effects of consolidation across the meat industry, and how consolidation allows for upward price manipulation…. Read More →
Release: National Farmer Climate Story Week Showcases Climate Solutions
This week, across the country, advocates for sustainable agriculture are joining together in a week of action to highlight the impacts that farmers increasingly face from climate change and the solutions needed to mitigate and adapt their practices to build greater resiliency and to bolster the food system. The week of action also builds support for the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), a comprehensive set of policy changes that would steer agriculture in the US towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and serves as an important roadmap for how the next farm bill can effectively address climate change. … Read More →
Long-Term Agroecological Research Showcases New Innovations for Resilient Agriculture
A virtual briefing featured the ground-breaking research of USDA’s LTAR network, which helps farmers and ranchers overcome productivity challenges while improving environmental stewardship…. Read More →
Climate and Agriculture Legislation Roundup
During the 117th Congress, congressional legislators have introduced a number of bills that aim to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in agriculture and transform farms and the food system to better address climate challenges. In this post, NSAC summarizes those bills.
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A Year in Review: Wins and Reflections for Sustainable Agriculture in 2021
As this unpredictable year comes to a close and we look to the future, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition takes a look back at our coalition’s hard-fought wins towards building a more sustainable, equitable food and farm system in 2021…. Read More →
NSAC Report on Climate Solutions for Farmers: Invest in Proven Federal Programs
The climate crisis is reaching a crucial tipping point. The past decade was the hottest on record, rife with extreme weather events and unparalleled natural disasters that highlight economic inequity and expose instability in our food and farming systems. Now more than ever, the urgency of this crisis requires bold steps to build resiliency, responsibly manage […]
Farmers Virtually Visit the Hill to Advocate for Climate Action
What do you get when you mix a pandemic context, a carbon-conscious group of farmers and advocates, and a critical window for Congressional action on the climate crisis? The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s latest Virtual Farmer “Fly-In” on Climate and Agriculture. Bringing farmers to Washington, D.C. to tell their stories to their lawmakers and […]
RELEASE: Agriculture Resilience Act Delivers Bold Vision for Net Zero Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Deeble National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Email: edeeble@sustainableagriculture.net Agriculture Resilience Act Delivers Bold Vision for Net Zero Agriculture National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Applauds Trailblazing Climate and Agriculture Bill Washington, DC, April 22, 2021 – Today, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), which […]
Climate and Agriculture Legislation Roundup
Editor’s Note: The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) created a blog series on Rep. Chellie Pingree’s Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Blogs one through seven focus on specific provisions within the ARA; whereas this eighth and final blog in […]
Federal Support for States & Tribes Building Climate Resilience Through Soil Health
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Read blogs one, two, three, […]
Regional and Long-Term Agricultural Research Build Climate Resilience
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Read blogs one, two, three, […]
Combating the Climate Crisis Through Conservation
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth blog in a series that focuses on the provisions of the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Read our previous blogs in […]
RELEASE: FY 2021 House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Bill Finally Gives Farmers Hope
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric DeebleNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition FY 2021 House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Bill Finally Gives Farmers Hope The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) commends appropriators for comprehensive funding of programs at levels that meet or exceed the priorities of the sustainable agriculture community for FY 2021. Washington, DC, July 9, 2020 –After months […]
A Climate-Friendly Approach to Managing Manure
Editor’s Note: This is the third blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. The first blog focused on […]
Potential for Carbon Markets in Agriculture to Address Climate Change
Editor’s Note: This is the second blog in a series that will be focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. The first blog […]