Earlier this summer the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUIAP) announced a series of new investments that build on their short but impactful history since their inaugural awards in 2020. … Read More →
Farm Bill
What’s At Stake: Appropriations, Shutdown, and Farm Bill
Last week, both the House and Senate were back in session after more than a month of Congressional recess. As of today, Congress has one week – just 4 session days – until the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 on September 30. This post looks at where things stand across all of these moving pieces as Congress enters a crucial week of fiscal negotiations that will undoubtedly impact on federal food and farm policy…. Read More →
More Money Out the Door! Farm Bill and IRA Funding Available Through Conservation Innovation Grants
USDA NRCS announced the availability of $65 million for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. This funding is split into two separate opportunities: $50 million for CIG On Farm Trials and $15 million for CIG Classic. Half of the funding for the On Farm Trials competition was provided through the historic Inflation Reduction Act. This post provides details on both programs and how to apply before the October 30, 2023 deadline…. Read More →
Farm, Taxpayer, Conservation Groups Agree: Don’t Raise Reference Prices
Groups at the Summit on the Future of Farm Subsidies agreed Congress must oppose increasing reference prices and curb unlimited insurance subsidies…. Read More →
Regional Centers Promote Business Development and Stronger Supply Chains
USDA AMS recently announced the selection of the twelve new Regional Food Business Centers. In this post, NSAC details the structure, regional considerations and anticipated national impact of these Centers in strengthening local and regional food systems and supply chains. … Read More →
NSAC Heads to the Rockies – A Summer Meeting Recap
This year’s NSAC Summer Meeting was held last week in sunny (although unusually rainy) Boulder, Colorado. More than 100 members and NSAC staff from across the country gathered at the foothills of the Rockies to re-energize and strategize ahead of the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. Summer Meeting is one of two annual opportunities when NSAC’s nearly 150 member organizations come together in person to discuss the Coalition’s policy and grassroots priorities for the year. At more than 5,000 feet above sea level and with its endless opportunities for outdoor adventure and good food, Boulder was the perfect backdrop to get down to coalition business. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Celebrates Introduction of Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act
Today, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) Program Improvement Act alongside Senators Booker (D-NJ), Fetterman (D-PA), Smith (D-MN), and Welch (D-VT). If incorporated into the 2023 Farm Bill, this bill will expand insurance access to producers historically left out of the federal crop insurance program. Strong bipartisan interest exists to expand voluntary access to crop insurance to include underserved producers. This Act is the moving vehicle to do that…. Read More →
Agricultural Diversification: Practice and Policy
On the eve of the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization, this post drills down into the potential shape of a diversified U.S. agricultural landscape and the policies that are most closely aligned with incentivizing its creation. This post focuses on policies most directly shaping on-farm landscape diversity…. Read More →
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 →
Release: Farmers and Advocates Take the Fight for the Farm Bill to the Capitol
This week, advocates and farmers from across the country came to Washington, DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. Hosted by NSAC, a cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates from 6 states met with Congressional leaders and 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 →
Following the Money: A Look at the Billions Behind CBO’s Farm Bill Baseline
Every spring, CBO – Congress’s official budgetary scorekeeper – publishes its ten-year projection (or “baseline”) for government spending. CBO’s baseline covers everything funded by the federal government – including farm bill spending. Published most recently on May 12, 2023, CBO’s baseline will be adopted as the official baseline for the 2023 Farm Bill. In this post, NSAC digs into the latest CBO changes to the four largest funding items within the farm bill – Commodity (Title 1), Conservation (Title 2), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, in Title 4), and Crop Insurance (Title 11). It also looks through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, PL 117-169) spending projections included in CBO’s most recent updates…. Read More →
Why Congress Should Mandate a Farm Credit Grant
The Farm Credit System (FCS), agriculture’s government sponsored enterprise (GSE), is a nationwide network of customer-owned lenders with a mission to support rural communities and agriculture. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) 2023 Farm Bill Platform includes a proposal that requires FCS, agriculture’s GSE, to grant 15 percent of its annual profits to support underserved producers and food systems enterprises. These grants will build upon successful programs already facilitated by some Farm Credit associations and help fulfill its mission and public mandate to serve young, beginning, and small farmers and ranchers. … Read More →
Release: Taxpayer, Farm, and Environmental Advocates Urge Congress to Reject Farm Subsidy Increases
A diverse group of taxpayer, agriculture, and environmental organizations held a press conference at the National Press Club to urge Congressional leaders to reject attempts to increase reference prices for covered commodity crops as Congress debates the farm bill. The organizations participating in the press conference included the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Environmental Working Group (EWG), Rural Coalition, FreedomWorks, National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Taxpayers for Common Sense, R-Street, and Farm Action. … Read More →
$45 Million Available for Outreach and Assistance to Underserved Producers
The USDA announced $45 million in funding for 2501 grants, almost $10 million more than was available last year, to help organizations conduct targeted outreach and provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers. This post details the program, eligibility requirements and features some of the 2022 projects. … Read More →
Senate Hears Commodity and Industry Perspectives on Farm Safety Net and Credit
This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee held two hearings featuring commodity and industry perspectives on the farm safety net and credit…. Read More →
Local Farms and Food Act Strengthens Regional Food Economies Across the US
Senator Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4) introduced the Local Farms and Food Act (S.1205, H.R. 2723) that would offer reforms to LAMP among other programs, to respond to lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sustain investments in impacted communities, and promote a resilient local and regional food system. In this post, NSAC outlines how the bill will strengthen local and regional food systems. … Read More →
Release: Farm Safety Net House Subcommittee Hearing Yields Red Flags
The House Agriculture Committee’s General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Subcommittee held a hearing entitled: “Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill.” The two-part hearing featured 10 witnesses representing major commodity producers, who shared perspectives on federal crop insurance, commodity price support programs, disaster assistance, and access to lending. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Applauds Support for Working Land Conservation Programs in Senate Subcommittee Hearing
Today, the Senate Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry and Natural Resources held a hearing entitled: “Conservation in the Farm Bill: Making Conservation Work for Farmers and Ranchers.” Witnesses spoke about the importance of federal conservation programs that support soil health and on-farm infrastructure, and that provide streamlined access opportunities to help build future generations of farmers prepared to meet the challenges of climate change…. Read More →
Farmers, Communities and Congressional Leaders Seek Full Funding for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
This week, NSAC, together with over seventy organizations and farm businesses, delivered a letter to Congressional Appropriators to urge them to fully fund the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) and the urban agriculture data collection initiative. This request echoed one made by over 50 Senate and House leaders in a separate letter to agriculture appropriators. … Read More →
Secretary Vilsack Underscores Priorities for USDA to House Agriculture Committee
In a hearing before the House Agriculture Committee, Secretary Vilsack highlighted the importance of climate investments, efforts to better support underserved producers, the need for increased staffing at USDA, and how funds allocated through the IRA will address conservation backlogs for farmers across the nation…. Read More →
Funding available for rural farmers and cooperatives
On March 17, 2023, USDA Rural Development announced the availability of at least $31 million in total funding for Value-Added Producer (VAPG) projects and $3 million for Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG). The application window to apply is now open. Online applications will be accepted until May 11 for VAPG and May 16 for SDGG through grants.gov. Additional information on paper application deadlines is below. We encourage all readers to help get the word out to qualified individuals and groups…. 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 →
Release: Broad Coalition of Conservation Organizations Endorses Recommendations to Strengthen Conservation in the 2023 Farm Bill
Thirty-one members of the Conservation Coalition, a group of national and regional organizations collaborating on Farm Bill conservation policy and advocacy, delivered a list of comprehensive farm bill priorities to members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees…. Read More →
FARMERS AND ADVOCATES MARCH FOR CLIMATE ACTION IN THE 2023 FARM BILL
With the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization underway, action is necessary to ensure that the biggest piece of food and agriculture legislation in the United States advances farmer-led climate solutions, centers racial justice, and prioritizes communities over corporations. With these central tenets at the core, over 500 farmers and farmer-advocates from 40 US states and 2 territories gathered in Washington, DC last week for the Farmers for Climate: Rally for Resilience. … Read More →