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 →
FSA
USDA Announces $300 Million in Awards to Support Access to Land, Capital, and Markets for Beginning and Undeserved Farmers
This month, the USDA Farm Service Agency announced more than $300 million in awards to 50 projects focused on increasing underserved farmers and ranchers’ access to land, markets, and capital. This post details some of the projects that were awarded under the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (Increasing Land Access) Program (LCM), which funds cooperative agreements or grants for projects that help move underserved producers from surviving to thriving. … 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 →
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 →
A Look at the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
This post offers a look at the status of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production’s program activities since the 2018 Farm Bill. While full implementation has yet to be fulfilled, there has been immense progress. NSAC is optimistic that the 2023 Farm Bill will continue to build upon its successes to date. … Read More →
Release: USDA Announces Implementation of Equity Work Under the Inflation Reduction Act and Equity Commission Outcomes
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlined plans to implement equity-related funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The Department also presented some of the outcomes from the work of its Equity Commission…. Read More →
Release: Farm Service Agency Rolls Out Streamlined Direct Loan Applications
USDA announced that a streamlined process to apply for direct loans with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will be available to farmers and ranchers starting March 1, 2023. … Read More →
USDA Invests $550 Million to Assist Underserved Producers: Funding Seeks to Increase Access to Land, Capital, and Markets and to Train the Next Generation of Agricultural Professionals
USDA is making a historic new investment to fund and direct action to help underserved producers with the resources, tools, programs, and technical assistance they need to succeed in agriculture. With funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Section 1006, as amended by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA will make available $550 million for projects that enable underserved producers to access land, capital, and markets, as well as train the next generation of agricultural professionals…. Read More →
Comment: NSAC Praises USDA Announcement of More Than 3.1 Million Acres Offered Through CRP Grassland Signups
NSAC applauds the announcement that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for more than 3.1 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grassland Signup…. Read More →
CLEAR30 Sign-Up Open Now!
On April 1, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment for the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) CLEAR30 subprogram – an important component of the larger Continuous Conservation Reserve Program. With both programs taking applications, NSAC offers a quick review of how these essential conservation tools function and shares key information for producers interested in applying…. Read More →
What’s in the President’s Budget Request for Sustainable Agriculture?
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 →
CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM SIGNUP BEGINS JANUARY 31, 2022
For more than 35 years, the Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has paid farmers and landowners to take highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive lands out of crop production and enroll them instead in conserving practices. CRP signups begin January 31, 2022…. Read More →
$20 Million Now Available for Organic Transition and Certification Cost-Share
Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will provide $20 million in pandemic assistance to cover certification, education, and other expenses for agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic. … Read More →
ELECT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO INFLUENCE FARM POLICY AT LOCAL LEVEL
FSA County Committee elections and Urban County Committee elections are underway in certain counties. Submit your ballot by December 6th…. Read More →
Important Emergency USDA Changes for Farm Loans and Crop Insurance
With the ongoing pandemic sweeping throughout the country, farmers who are just ahead of spring planting are already feeling the impacts on their farms and in their communities of price volatility, labor shortages, lack of rural healthcare facilities, and dwindling or ever changing markets. And while NSAC has been pushing Congress to do more to […]
Farmer Engagement Opportunity: FSA County Committee Elections
The midterm elections aren’t the only civic opportunity for farmers and ranchers this November. In addition to casting their votes for federal, state, and local elected officials, producers who participate or cooperate in a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) program are also eligible to vote in the upcoming FSA County Committee […]
Enrollment Resumes for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program
After a year of frozen enrollment, this week the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced it would reopen enrollment in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP). CCRP pays farmers to install partial field conservation practices, primarily conservation buffers or wildlife habitat. Farmers and landowners may enroll such land at any time […]
FSA Lending to Female Farmers and Farmers of Color Continues to Fall
Editor’s Note: This is the final post of a 3-part analysis of FSA loan program usage throughout FY 2017. Prior posts focused on lending trends for beginning farmers and overall annual trends. Recognizing that farmers of color and female farmers have historically experienced disproportionate burden and discrimination when seeking access to loan financing, the National […]
Farm Service Agency Lending to Beginning Farmers Remains Strong
Editor’s Note: This is the second post of a 3-part analysis of FSA loan program usage throughout FY 2017. Stay tuned for our final post on lending trends for women and farmers of color. Access to credit is a make or break issue for farmers, particularly those just starting out. Rarely do beginning farmers have […]
Despite Decreased Demand for Loans, FSA Credit Still Critical for Farmers
Editor’s Note: This is the first post of a 3-part analysis of FSA loan program usage throughout FY 2017. Stay tuned for subsequent posts on lending trends for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Access to loans and credit lines are critical for farmers looking to start up a new operation, expand their operation, […]
New Opportunity to Influence Farm Policy at the Local Level
The power to make decisions about agricultural policies and programs lies not only with Congress and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials, but also in the hands of farmers, ranchers, and rural community members across the country. Stakeholders interested in being involved in federal decision making without taking a trip to Washington D.C., should explore the […]
Expanded Options for Organic Certification Cost Share in 2017
Late last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) underwent some significant changes as administration of the program was shifted from the Agricultural Market Service (AMS) to the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The change was intended to expand opportunities for producers and handlers to access certification funding, as when the […]
Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers
In the run up to the 2018 Farm Bill debate, the House Agriculture Committee has been holding regular hearings to examine key agricultural and food issues. This week, the Committee’s Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee held a hearing focused on the farm credit programs. The backdrop for the hearing was was the depressed farm economy […]
RELEASE: Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers in Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Farm Advocate Testifies on Importance of USDA Financing for Farmers in Crisis Scott Marlow, Executive Director at the Rural Advancement Foundation International, testifies before House Agriculture Committee Washington, D.C., April 4, 2017 – North Carolina farm advocate and Executive Director of the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) Scott […]