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 […]
EQIP
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 […]
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 […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Examines Conservation Options for Next Farm Bill
On-farm, voluntary conservation programs – such as the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – provide farmers with the tools, technical assistance, and financial support they need to make their operations more sustainable and resilient. The farm bill, our nation’s largest and most significant package of food and farm funding legislation, […]
Stories From the Field: Conservation Programs for New Farming Futures
Raised in western Kansas, Ryan Speer grew up knowing that he wanted to farm. What he didn’t know, however, was how to farm in a way that was both economically and environmentally sustainable. Having come of age during some difficult economic times in farm country, Ryan took the opportunity to study and practice agronomy. Though […]
A Late Start Doesn’t Have to Mean a Slow Start: 10 Things Secretary Perdue Can Do Now to Support Family Farmers
On his first day on the job, Sonny Perdue – a former two-term governor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) long-awaited new Secretary – addressed two very important audiences. The first, a formal introduction to USDA staff, was an opportunity for the Secretary to lay out his general vision for the department’s next four […]
Celebrating Agro-Environmental Stewardship on Earth Day
Throughout this week hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. will be leading projects, demonstrations, and activities in celebration of Earth Day (April 22). Whether you’re a farmer who’s proud of the advanced conservation activities on your farm, a gardener doing your part to add greenery to your neighborhood, or a consumer who loves […]
RELEASE: Over 220 Organizations Urge Appropriators to Protect Conservation Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: National Association of Conservation Districts: Whitney Forman-Cook (202) 595-9139, Whitney-Forman-Cook@nacdnet.org National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Reana Kovalcik (202) 547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Wildlife Federation: Casey Skeens (202) 797-6808, SkeensC@NWF.org Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Kristyn Brady (617) 501-6352, kbrady@trcp.org Over 220 Agriculture, Wildlife, and Conservation Organizations Urge Appropriators to Protect Conservation Funding Washington, D.C., […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing for USDA Secretary
Since January, the Senate has been holding confirmation hearings for President Trump’s cabinet nominees. On Thursday, March 23, the Senate Agriculture Committee held its confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, Sonny Perdue, the last of Trump’s cabinet nominees to be vetted by the Senate. The Committee will soon schedule […]
RELEASE: Appropriations on the Agenda: Farmer-Advocates Fly-in to Washington DC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Appropriations on the Agenda: Farmer-Advocates Fly-in to Washington DC National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition hosts first “farmer fly-in” of FY 2018 season Washington, DC, March 17, 2017 – This week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) hosted its first “farmer fly-in” of the fiscal year (FY) 2018 season. Growers from […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Conservation
Editor’s Note: As a lead up to the 2018 Farm Bill, around which discussions and debate in Congress have already begun, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is previewing some of the major programs and policies advocates need to know in order to effectively engage. The second post in our series, “Path to the 2018 Farm […]
Congressional Hearings Kick Off Farm Bill and Appropriations Season
In recent weeks, the debate around the next farm bill – which will be up for reauthorization next year – has begun to gain momentum. The Senate Agriculture Committee held its first field hearing last week in Kansas and yesterday the House Agriculture Committee held its first subcommittee hearing focused on the farm bill, choosing […]
Cover Crops and CAFOs: An Analysis of 2016 EQIP Spending
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) awarded more than $1 billion in financial assistance (FA) to American farmers and ranchers in fiscal year (FY) 2016. These funds are provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and offer financial cost-share and technical assistance to help growers implement conservation practices on working […]
USDA to Invest $25 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants
Farming is equal parts art and science; farmers and ranchers continuously combine their time-tested knowledge and experiences with creativity and innovation in order to develop new practices that help improve their businesses and protect their lands and waters. From soil sensing to crop scanning, agtech involves a spectrum of technologies coming to bear on agriculture. […]
Climate Change and Agriculture: A Problem Too Hot (and Cold, and Wet, and Dry) to Ignore
Editor’s Note: This article was written by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) for the Fair Farms Maryland (FFM) blog, and was originally published by FFM on September 1, 2016. Climate Change and Agriculture: A Problem Too Hot (and Cold, and Wet, and Dry) to Ignore By Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition […]
Guest Post: From Cover Crops to High Tunnels
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), an NSAC member organization. Their post highlights the benefits of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative, which provides financial and technical assistance to support the implementation and installation of conservation practices tailored to organic producers. Despite the significant benefits that the Organic Initiative can […]
Sustainable Agriculture Groups Call for Improved Organic Conservation Support
As demand for organic production continues to grow, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has enormous potential to provide support to transitioning-to-organic farmers through conservation planning and technical and financial assistance. Through their Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative (OI), NRCS offers important conservation supports to organic farmers, but […]
High Tunnels Create Opportunities for New Farmers
Zoë Bradbury of Valley Flora Farm is part of a team of family farmers (Zoe, her sister Abby, and her mother Betsy) raising over 100 varieties of organic fruits and vegetables on 90 acres along Flora’s Creek in Langlois, Oregon. Their CSA serves families within a 50-mile radius and the farm is committed to sustainable […]
A Breakdown of the Senate’s Annual Food and Farm Spending Bill
Each year, Congress debates and makes key decisions about federal funding priorities for all government agencies, programs, and initiatives – including programs and resources that support our nation’s farmers and ranchers. This week marks an important step in that process (known as appropriations), as the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill to fund the U.S. […]
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 […]
$72 Million Investment in Soil Health to Help Farmers Address Climate Change
As the impacts of climate change become more extreme, resilient agriculture systems are critical to maintaining economic, ecological, and community health. In the face of such uncertainty, we must prioritize the establishment of food production systems that are diverse and flexible enough to deal with a changing climate. On May 12, 2016, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) […]
Farm Groups Defend Agricultural Conservation Programs
Congressional appropriators are this month in the process of drafting their fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations bills, bills which will determine the success or failure of programs by setting federal funding levels for the year. Several agricultural conservation programs, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), are under fire in […]
Senators Defend Conservation Funding in FY 2017 Budget Negotiations
On Thursday, March 17, 33 Senators delivered a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, urging them to oppose cuts to conservation programs in fiscal year (FY) 2017. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Chris Coons (D-DE) steered the effort, as they have done in previous years. Included among the […]
Farmers Fly in to the Capital to Advocate for Sustainable Agriculture
Throughout the month of March, farmers, ranchers, and “ag-vocates” from across the country traveled to DC for a series of “farmer fly-ins”, sponsored by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). During the fly-in the groups met with Senators and Representatives from their home states to discuss the benefits of federal sustainable agriculture programs, and to […]