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

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Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open

FMLFPP

Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open

June 5, 2025

Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $26.5 million in competitive grant funding available through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. This year marks a notably shorter application window, but there are several resources available to support […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

Expanded and Easier Access to LAMP Funding Now Available

March 14, 2024

In this blog post, NSAC shares all the details around the $26 million in grant funding currently available through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) for projects enhancing producer-to-consumer marketing and local food enterprises, with changes aligning with advocacy priorities for better access and effectiveness. Notable changes include updated eligibility criteria for equipment purchases and prioritization of projects supporting existing partnerships. Prospective applicants are directed to attend webinars and encouraged to volunteer for grant peer review panels…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

A Deep Dive on the Senate’s FY2024 Appropriations Bill

June 30, 2023

On June 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill in what has become a rare occurrence – unanimous, bipartisan approval. The Senate’s approval of the agriculture bill stood in stark contrast to what transpired in the House Appropriations Committee just a week earlier – an eight plus hour partisan slog that resulted in approval of the House’s FY2024 Agriculture spending bill along party lines. In this post, NSAC takes a closer look at the bill. … Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel

Funding available for rural farmers and cooperatives

March 29, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Investing in Healthy Communities

December 9, 2022

This is the second post in NSAC’s series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, focusing on how the Farm Bill can invest in healthy rural and urban communities by strengthening the resilience of local and regional supply chains, increasing market opportunities for small and mid-sized farms and processors, enhancing job growth and local economic development through workforce development and training, and ensuring the most vulnerable have ample access to nutritious, culturally-relevant, locally-produced foods…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Farm Bill, Local & Regional Food Systems, Nutrition & Food Access, Rural Development

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

Digging into the 2023 Farm Bill: Senate Hearings Kick-Off the Long Road to the 2023 Farm Bill

July 22, 2022

NSAC details the recent Senate Agriculture Committee field hearing as a first step as part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization process. This is the first post in a multi-part series taking a deeper look into the 2023 Farm Bill process…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Farm Bill

What’s in the President’s Budget Request for Sustainable Agriculture?

May 13, 2022

The Biden-Harris Administration released the President’s Budget Request (PBR) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 on March 28, 2022. The $5.8 trillion budget request comes several months late and includes the President’s discretionary spending plans and builds on the PBR FY 2022. NSAC outlines the Administration’s proposed budget as it pertains to the sustainable agriculture community and specifically: climate and conservation, research and food safety, local food and rural development, and farm loans and beginning and socially disadvantaged producers. … Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel

USDA Opens Latest Round of Funding to Support Local and Regional Food Economy Development Projects

March 11, 2022

NSAC looks at USDA’s recently announced round of grant funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) and Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program to build and expand local and regional food and agriculture markets. The deadline to apply for the FMLFPP and RFSP program is Monday, May 16, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Full details on the NSAC blog. … Read More →

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

USDA Programs Support Small Meat Processing Plants

July 16, 2020

There are a few existing federal programs that could be expanded to further support small, local, and regional meat and poultry processing plants and increase farmers’ access to slaughter and processing options…. Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, General Interest, Local & Regional Food Systems, Sustainable Livestock

$23.5 Million to Support Local Food Projects Awarded

December 18, 2019

When consumers connect with farmers from their region, they not only get access to the freshest fruits, vegetables, and value-added goods, they also help to drive economic opportunity in rural and food producing communities. Developing the farm to fork supply chains that make those connections possible, however, is no small task. In order to help […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Nutrition & Food Access

From the Farm to the Hill: NSAC Hosts FY 2020 Farmer Fly-in

July 10, 2019

Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) brought in over a dozen farmers and advocates for the Coalition’s second “farmer fly-in” of 2019. Fly-in advocates from ten different states across the country came to DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities before congressional appropriators. Currently, Congress is negotiating federal […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Farm Bill, Grants and Programs

RFA Roundup: Bonanza of Spring Funding Opportunities

May 2, 2019

Grant funding announcements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been log jammed due to a series of government delays over the course of the last six months: passage of the 2018 Farm Bill was delayed by roughly three months, the last several appropriations and budget bills have been delayed, and the government shutdown […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs

$23 Million Available for Local Food Programs

April 24, 2019

As part of our 2018 Farm Bill efforts, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) sought to strengthen programs and policies that support the growth of local food economies and support direct market opportunities for family farmers. One of the most significant achievements of those efforts was the development of the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access

Stories from the Field: Growing Hope

March 20, 2019

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, Growing Hope works to reduce food inequity and inequality among their fellow residents. Growing Hope’s vision is to see Ypsilanti transformed into “a community where all people–particularly those with barriers due to race, class, culture, language, ability, and mobility–have access to nourishing local food that is culturally appropriate and affordable, can grow […]

Filed Under: Local & Regional Food Systems

National Farm to School Month Spotlight: Missouri Coalition for the Environment

October 16, 2018

October is National Farm to School Month, the perfect time to share stories of farm to school (F2S) impact and innovation! This farm to school month, we have even more reasons to elevate F2S success stories because the next farm bill – which includes programs that have significant impact on F2S efforts, such as the […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems

With the Farm Bill’s Future Uncertain, USDA Announces Local Food and Specialty Crop Awards

September 20, 2018

Local and regional food chains have long been part of the social and economic fabric for some American communities. With the American farm economy is in a multi-year downturn and commodity prices at historic lows, interest has peaked and family farmers nationwide are realizing that big economic opportunities can be found close to home. The […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

Celebrating Local Food by Taking Action for Family Farmers

August 16, 2018

Editor’s Note: This blog is a guest post written by Ben Feldman of the Farmers Market Coalition, a National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Member group, and edited by Reana Kovalcik. Ben Feldman currently serves as the Policy Director for the national Farmers Market Coalition. He has spent his career working with farmers’ markets and the farmers […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Local & Regional Food Systems

Draft Senate Farm Bill: Local & Regional Food and Rural Development

June 9, 2018

This is the fourth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on June 8, 2018 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Subsequent posts will focus on beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and crop insurance and commodity subsidies. The bill is expected to be considered and “marked-up” (aka amended) by the full Agriculture Committee […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Rural Development

$89 Million in Funding Available to Support Local Food Systems

March 12, 2018

Editor’s Note: USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is hosting two webinars to help prospective applicants better understand the application process and requirements. The first webinar is on Tuesday March 27 at 2 p.m. ET and will cover how to use Grants.gov. The second webinar will be held the following day, March 28 at 2 p.m. ET and will focus specifically […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access

Harvesting Local Food Opportunities

October 11, 2017

For family farmers, fall is one of the busiest times of the year. While farmers are keeping busy harvesting their fields, food and farm advocates have been occupied with their own bumper crop of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program announcements. In fact, in the past two weeks, USDA awarded approximately $40 million in grants […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Programs with Expiring Funding

March 27, 2017

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 that advocates need to know in order to effectively engage. The fourth post in our series, “Path to the 2018 […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Farm Bill, General Interest, Nutrition & Food Access

New Funding for Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion

January 13, 2017

USDA Farmers Market. Photo credit: USDA Over the past decade, the growth in local and regional food systems has been tremendous: farmers markets have shot up by 180 percent, regional food hubs have expanded by 288 percent, and school district participation in farm to school programs has increased by 430 percent. These systems are fast […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems

Support Local Farmers, Celebrate National Farmers Market Week

August 8, 2016

Editor’s Note: To kick off National Farmers Market Week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is excited to present this guest post from our member organization, the Farmers Market Coalition. National Farmers Market Week is from August 7-13, but many farmers’ markets go year round, so get out there and “shake the hand that feeds […]

Filed Under: Local & Regional Food Systems

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