As we barrel toward the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on September 30, both the House and Senate have now passed their respective versions of what they hope will become the next farm bill. The House passed its version on June 21 by a narrow and strictly partisan margin of 213-211. The Senate passed […]
Conservation / Land Stewardship
COMMENT: President’s Rescission Package is Direct Attack on Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net President’s Rescissions Package is Direct Attack on Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urges Senate to reject nearly $1 billion in farm bill cuts Washington, DC, June 18, 2018 – The rescissions package being considered by the Senate this week would pull the […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Senate Agriculture Committee Advances Farm Bill
Every five years or so, Congress reauthorizes the federal farm bill, a large and complex package of legislation that affects all facets of food and agriculture policy in the U.S. The current farm bill, which Congress passed in 2014, expires on September 30, 2018. The 2018 Farm Bill must be passed before September 30 in […]
COMMENT: Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Farmer-Forward Draft Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Farmer-Forward Draft Bill NSAC optimistic as Senate Agriculture Committee farm bill moves to floor Washington, DC, June 13, 2018– In response to the Senate Agriculture Committee passage of Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) […]
Draft Senate Farm Bill: Conservation
This is the first post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on June 7, 2018 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Subsequent posts focus on: local/regional food systems and rural development, research and seed breeding, organic agriculture, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, and crop insurance and commodity subsidies. The bill is expected to be considered and “marked-up” (aka […]
New Report Reveals Gaps in Enforcement of Conservation Compliance
Each year, billions of taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize farm bill programs (e.g., commodity programs and crop insurance). In exchange, farmers and ranchers who benefit from those programs are required to take certain basic steps to conserve our shared natural resources, specifically soil and wetlands. These expectations are codified in law through what is […]
Administration Seeks to Poach Nearly $1 Billion from Agriculture Programs
Last budget cycle, advocacy groups like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) helped to push a strong budget package through Congress, one which the President ultimately – if reluctantly – signed. Immediately after that budget deal was done and a fiscal year (FY) 2018 appropriations omnibus was delivered (with an extra $2 billion for agriculture […]
Top Ten Reasons to Reject the House Farm Bill
1. Helps the big get bigger and rich get richer Over the last three decades, American agriculture has become increasingly consolidated. As of 2015, a majority of our food (51 percent) came from farms with over $1 million in annual sales – up 20 percent since 1991. Federal policy has historically contributed to this consolidation […]
Draft House Farm Bill: Conservation
This is the fifth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on April 12, 2018 by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX). Other posts in this series focus on: beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, crop insurance and commodity subsidies, local/regional food systems and rural development, research and seed breeding, and organic […]
RELEASE: The Facts About Working Lands Conservation in the House Draft Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net The Facts About Working Lands Conservation in the House Draft Farm Bill Washington, DC, April 13, 2018 – Yesterday, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) presented a draft farm bill to America’s farmers and ranchers that would eradicate the nation’s largest voluntary […]
A Conservation Blueprint for the Next Farm Bill
When it comes to federal support for conservation activities, family farmers have a lot at stake in the 2018 Farm Bill. Conservation programs make up one of the largest slices of the farm bill pie (third to nutrition programs and the federal crop insurance program), and support a wide range of farm, ranch, and forest […]
RELEASE: GROW Act to Strengthen Conservation Programs in Farm Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net GROW Act to Strengthen Conservation Programs in Farm Bill National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition endorses conservation bill Washington, D.C. March 15, 2018 – Today, Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Give our Resources the Opportunity to Work (GROW) […]
RELEASE: Family Farmers Deliver Farm Bill Priorities to Congress
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Family Farmers Deliver Farm Bill Priorities to Congress National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition brings 20 farmer advocates to Capitol Hill Washington, D.C., March 9, 2018 – With the next farm bill and annual agriculture funding decisions actively being debated, now is the time to amplify the voices of […]
Soil Health Briefing Digs Into On-Farm Conservation
From the microorganisms down in it to the food that grows from it, farmers care deeply about the health of their soil. Cultivating and maintaining healthy soils on working lands has benefits far beyond crop production, however. The healthier the soil, the less a farmer has to use chemical inputs, which is both a cost […]
PRESS COMMENT – Organic Agriculture, Soil Health, and Sustainable Grazing Prioritized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Organic Agriculture, Soil Health, and Sustainable Grazing Prioritized in FY 2018 Conservation Innovation Grants Washington, DC, December 18, 2017 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for supporting organic farmers, grazing lands conservation, and soil health opportunities […]
Iowa Cover Crop Initiative Offers “Good Farmer Discount” on Crop Insurance
Editor’s Note: This blog is a guest post written by Ann Y. Robinson, Agriculture Policy Director for the Iowa Environmental Council, an NSAC member organization. Cover crops are catching on in Iowa. Over the last decade, farmers in the state have significantly increased the acreage of cover crops; as of 2016 an estimated 600,000 acres […]
NSAC Special Report: Conservation Stewardship Program
In just under a decade, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has enrolled over 87 million acres of farmland, ranchland, and forestland in conservation contracts. According to preliminary enrollment data, over 72 million acres are currently enrolled in CSP active contracts – combined that’s a landmass equal to the entire size […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Comprehensive Conservation Reform
Editor’s Note: On October 24, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its 2018 Farm Bill policy platform, An Agenda for the 2018 Farm Bill, which provides a comprehensive vision for a more sustainable farm and food system based on the recommendations and experience of American family farmers and the organizations that represent them. This is the third post […]
RELEASE: Farmers Take the Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754 rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Farmers Take The Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition leads farmer/advocate fly-in in advance of 2018 Farm Bill Washington, D.C., November 8, 2017 – This week, 20 farmers and farm advocates representing 13 agricultural states flew into Washington D.C. as part […]
Pocket Guide Outlines How Agriculture Can Help Stave Off Climate Catastrophe
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Brian DeVore of the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), a National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition member organization. Brian manages media and communications for LSP, and is the author of “Soil Health, Water & Climate Change: A Pocket Guide to What You Need to Know“. At a time of skyrocketing water […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: A Comprehensive Approach to Food and Farm Policy
Editor’s Note: On October 24, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released its 2018 Farm Bill policy platform, An Agenda for the 2018 Farm Bill. NSAC has been a leader in agricultural policy for over 30 years, and has been instrumental in helping to develop some of our nation’s most successful agricultural programs for conserving […]
Land Tenure Provision Provides Opportunities for Current and Future Farmers
For producers enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Land Tenure Provision provides an opportunity to bring land back into production and give a hand up to the next generation. The Land Tenure Provision, which is only available for the least environmentally sensitive CRP acres, incentivizes producers to transfer (by […]
RELEASE: NSAC Endorses American Prairies Conservation Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Kanika Gandhi, 202-547-5754, kgandhi@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Endorses American Prairies Conservation Act Washington, DC, October 4, 2017 – The American Prairies Conservation Act, a bipartisan bill introduced today by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) […]
Conservation Groups Deliver Farm Bill Recommendations
Conservation, agriculture, and wildlife organizations joined together this week to present a comprehensive list of recommendations for the conservation provisions of the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) joined 25 other signatories in asking legislators to strengthen the next farm bill’s Conservation Title by improving and increasing funding for U.S. Department […]