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FSA

Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities

May 2, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities  Washington, DC, May 2, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a statement in response to the Trump Administration’s release of its “skinny” budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 discretionary […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Press Releases

Uninsured: Federal Crop Insurance Program Leaves Most Farms Unprotected

March 21, 2025

Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net, insuring farms for losses from unpredictable weather, market fluctuations, and other risks. Consequently, the federal crop insurance program (FCIP) is the costliest part of agriculture production spending, as taxpayers subsidize the program to the tune of billions of dollars each year. Despite being a cornerstone […]

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

USDA Staffing Cuts Hurt Farmers and Rural Communities

March 14, 2025

While the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not confirmed the number of employees that have already been laid off or their plans for a forthcoming “reduction in force”, staffing chaos has reigned at the agency for the past several weeks. The firing of nearly 6,000 probationary employees was ruled illegal and extensive terminations are […]

Filed Under: Carousel, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Rural Development

The Farm Safety Net: A Closer Look at ARC and PLC

February 7, 2025

As the 119th Congress begins, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) reauthorization is again on the agenda after numerous extensions. The farm safety net, which includes commodity support programs and federal crop insurance, is a fundamental component of any farm bill.  The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has long supported a federal […]

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

Path to the Farm Bill: Expanding Access to Credit

September 23, 2024

Editor’s Note: This post is the sixth post in a multi-part series exploring some of the key sustainable agriculture and food systems challenges that the farm bill can address. Through a series of posts comparing the House and Senate Agriculture Committees’ proposals, we provide an assessment of how each chamber’s bill would address a given […]

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

Government Funding and Farm Bill’s Future Top Congress’ September To-Do List

September 6, 2024

On September 9, 2024, Congress will be back in session in Washington, DC for the first time since early August. Yet, their return will be short lived. In an election year, Members of Congress spend all of October and early November in their states and Congressional districts. In total, Congress will be in session for […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Farm Bill

Release: New Lending Rule Signals More Savings for Farmers

August 8, 2024

For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: New Lending Rule Signals More Savings for Farmers Washington, DC, August 7, 2024 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux for the announcement of a new final rule: Enhancing Access and Delivery for […]

Filed Under: Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Implementation & Rule-making, Press Releases

Release: NSAC Welcomes Bicameral Capital for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Act

June 3, 2024

Representatives Marilyn Strickland, Alma Adams, and Jimmy Panetta, alongside Senator Peter Welch, introduced the Capital for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Act in the House and the Senate, which directs FSA to develop a multi-year operating loan pilot for beginning farmers to finance initial assets and the development of production and management systems…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Press Releases

What the Expiration, and Likely Extension, of the 2018 Farm Bill Means for Food and Agriculture

October 25, 2023

On October 1, 2023, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 – more commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill – expired. Thankfully, in recent days Congress has begun to turn its attention toward a much-needed extension of the 2018 Farm Bill. Yet until an extension is passed, many essential programs will continue to be impacted. This blog post takes a deep dive into the current and potential future impacts of the expired bill, examining which programs are stranded, and what it means for food and agriculture…. Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill, Local & Regional Food Systems, Organic, Research, Education & Extension

New but Mighty Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

September 29, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Local & Regional Food Systems

What’s At Stake: Appropriations, Shutdown, and Farm Bill

September 22, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Farm Bill

USDA Announces $300 Million in Awards to Support Access to Land, Capital, and Markets for Beginning and Undeserved Farmers

July 28, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Grants and Programs

Farmers on the Hill: Advocates and Farmers Join in Washington DC to Call for Food and Agriculture System Reform in the 2023 Farm Bill

June 22, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Farm Bill

Secretary Vilsack Underscores Priorities for USDA to House Agriculture Committee

April 5, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Farm Bill

A Look at the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

March 3, 2023

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 →

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

Release: USDA Announces Implementation of Equity Work Under the Inflation Reduction Act and Equity Commission Outcomes

March 1, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Press Releases

Release: Farm Service Agency Rolls Out Streamlined Direct Loan Applications

February 7, 2023

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 →

Filed Under: Press Releases

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

October 14, 2022

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 →

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

Comment: NSAC Praises USDA Announcement of More Than 3.1 Million Acres Offered Through CRP Grassland Signups

July 15, 2022

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 →

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Press Releases

CLEAR30 Sign-Up Open Now!

July 7, 2022

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 →

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

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

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM SIGNUP BEGINS JANUARY 31, 2022

January 28, 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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

$20 Million Now Available for Organic Transition and Certification Cost-Share

November 19, 2021

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 →

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Organic

ELECT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO INFLUENCE FARM POLICY AT LOCAL LEVEL

November 8, 2021

FSA County Committee elections and Urban County Committee elections are underway in certain counties. Submit your ballot by December 6th…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Implementation & Rule-making, Local & Regional Food Systems

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