• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Work
  • Publications
  • Press
  • Take Action!
  • Blog
  • Donate

Search National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

EQIP

The Agriculture Resilience Act in 2023

March 29, 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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs

Release: Agriculture Resilience Act Delivers Farming’s Solutions to the Climate Crisis

March 28, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases

Guest Post: Still Closed Out

March 2, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

IRA Rollout Begins: Conservation Program Application Dates Change

February 24, 2023

As of February 13, USDA began enrolling producers in working lands conservation programs using IRA funding. This blog post covers a few points farmers and food and agriculture system professionals need to know about how to access IRA funds in CSP and EQIP, and how these conservation programs will be affected…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Release: USDA Announces Implementation Plans for Inflation Reduction Act and Plans Around Western Water

February 13, 2023

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced plans for the implementation of the agricultural conservation provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, an act that provided sweeping greenhouse gas reductions across sectors including farming. NSAC welcomes the Administration’s approach that encompasses both direct greenhouse gas benefits and the many co-benefits that accompany effective conservation practices…. Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases

NSAC’s Top 10 of 2022: A Year in Review

December 22, 2022

The end of a year signifies a time to reflect on all the most important accomplishments and tribulations of the past year. At NSAC, we had the opportunity to celebrate and find new reasons to expand our advocacy to support sustainable agriculture practices, small-scale producers, diversified farming, local food systems, and beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers. This post shares NSAC’s Top 10 accomplishments of 2022. … Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Coronavirus, Farm Bill, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Building a Climate-Resilient Future

December 15, 2022

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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill

Farmers and Advocates Fly-in to DC to Call for Climate and Sustainability Action in the 2023 Farm Bill

October 19, 2022

With the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization on the horizon, advocates and farmers from across the country gathered in Washington, DC last month to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. NSAC hosted a cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates for more than thirty meetings with Congressional leaders and senior USDA officials to encourage them to prioritize sustainable food and farm needs in the upcoming farm bill and in ongoing program implementation efforts. … Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Farm Bill, Organic, Research, Education & Extension

$300 Million Invested into New Organic Transition Initiative

September 15, 2022

The Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) is USDA’s recent program aimed at helping “build new and better markets and streams of income” for organic farmers and producers, by providing producers with technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring, financial assistance for conservation and crop insurance, and support developing markets. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Organic

Release: Biden Signs Historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

August 16, 2022

Today, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a far-reaching $750 billion health care, tax, and climate bill, into law. The bill makes historic investments in federal programs to address the climate crisis and aims to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. … Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Press Releases

$25 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR ON-FARM CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS

July 27, 2022

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service announced the availability of $25 million in funding to advance the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation practices on agricultural lands. The funding is for on-farm trials, a subprogram of the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. The deadline to apply for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials is September 22, 2022…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

How do working lands conservation programs shape cover crop adoption?

June 16, 2022

A recent study led by the American Soybean Association (ASA) claims to demonstrate the differing value of two agricultural working lands conservation programs and their ability to create increased adoption of cover crops. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) takes issue with several aspects of the study. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

Climate and Agriculture Legislation Roundup

June 7, 2022

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.
… Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Climate Change, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Organic, Research, Education & Extension

Release: NSAC Publishes Newly Revised Growing Opportunity Guide

March 24, 2022

NSAC published a brand new, fully updated Growing Opportunity: A Guide to USDA Sustainable Farming Programs. This free, comprehensive, practical guide is for farmers and ranchers who want to better understand which key federal programs offered by USDA can help them meet their needs and support their diversified, sustainable farming operations…. Read More →

Filed Under: Press Releases

Release: NRCS Announces Improvements to CSP and EQIP

January 11, 2022

Yesterday, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) made a series of changes to its premier conservation programs to better support farmers’ ability to face climate change. … Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases

The “Sweet Spot” for Farms to Enhance On-farm Biodiversity

January 11, 2022

In this guest blog post Patrick Baur and Kenzo Esquivel discuss their newly published study that shows how some diversified farms have found a “sweet spot” to expand their crop portfolio and adopt ecologically based practices like hedgerows or cover crops. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Research, Education & Extension

NSAC’s New Farmers’ Guide to CART Published

November 8, 2021

Fall is here, and it has brought with it new Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) program deadlines! NRCS recently unveiled a comprehensive list of program deadlines by state for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. This list has information on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest

Cover Crops and CAFOs: EQIP in FY 2019 and FY 2020

October 6, 2021

In this blog post, we analyze how EQIP financial assistance was utilized in FY 2019 and FY 2020 through the EQIP general pool. … Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Sustainable Livestock

Farmers Need Our Help Tackling Climate Change

September 30, 2021

On-farm conservation is a vital part of ensuring a thriving rural landscape. Organic farmer, Paul Mugge a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), has been experimenting with ecological approaches to agriculture for many years…. Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Organic, Rural Development

Closed out: How U.S. farmers are denied access to conservation programs

September 13, 2021

Editor’s Note: This blog post is co-authored by Cathy Day, PhD, NSAC Climate Policy Coordinator and Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP). ITAP is an NSAC member organization with a 30-year history of pursuing cutting edge solutions that benefit family farmers, rural communities and […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

Farmers Virtually Visit the Hill to Advocate for Climate Action

June 7, 2021

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 […]

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

The Climate Crisis Needs More Than a Silver Bullet

March 5, 2021

Energy and momentum to address the climate crisis is building under the Biden-Harris Administration. Many parts of the agriculture sector, previously opposed to climate action, have shifted their stance as agricultural soils come into focus as potentially powerful carbon sinks – and source of profit. Legislators, farm groups, advocates, and corporations have been churning out […]

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest

Combating the Climate Crisis Through Conservation

July 10, 2020

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 […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

EQIP Signups Ongoing – Reach Out to Your NRCS Office!

March 16, 2020

Signup deadlines for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) vary by state, and there are many deadlines coming up at the end of March or even later in the Spring!… Read More →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Organic, Sustainable Livestock

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Action Alerts
  • Beginning and Minority Farmers
  • Budget and Appropriations
  • Carousel
  • Climate Change
  • Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs
  • Competition & Anti-trust
  • Conservation, Energy & Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • Farm Bill
  • Food Safety
  • General Interest
  • Grants and Programs
  • Implementation & Rule-making
  • Local & Regional Food Systems
  • Marketing and Labeling
  • NSAC Coalition
  • Nutrition & Food Access
  • Organic
  • Press Comment
  • Press Releases
  • Research, Education & Extension
  • Rural Development
  • Sustainable Livestock

Take Action

What's happening right now »

Subscribe for Updates

Footer

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 209 Washington, DC 20002
Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 · National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design