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 →
FSA
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 […]
New Guide Simplifies Federal Programs for Farmers
Which U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies have programs that are tailored to meet the needs of diversified farming operations, organic growers, or beginning farmers? What resources are available for small- and mid-sized growers looking to reach expanding regional markets, and where can you find them? For most people, even many farmers and ranchers, the […]
FSA Loans to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Drop in 2016
Editor’s Note: This is the third post of a three-part blog series analyzing the impacts of the Farm Service Agency’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 direct and guaranteed loan programs. This blog will focus on socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and the trends in their loan participation across the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) […]
FSA Loans Remain Popular with Beginning Farmers; Guaranteed Lender Support Falling Behind
Editor’s Note: This is the second post of a three-part blog series detailing the outcomes of fiscal year (FY) 2016 direct and guaranteed loan data. This blog will focus specifically on beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) and their loan participation trends across the U.S. In the early 1990s, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) led […]
Growing Demand for FSA Loans in 2016 Shows Importance of Credit
Editor’s Note: This is the first post of a 3-part analysis of the FSA loan program throughout FY 2016. Click here to see part 2 (on beginning farmers and ranchers) and here for part 3 (on socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers). Whether a farmer’s goal is to start up a new operation, expand their farm, […]
FSA Cooperative Agreements Connect Farmers to USDA Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is dedicated to helping farmers start, grow, and improve their businesses. Farmers are busy people, however, and cannot always easily access information and programs from USDA. This has been especially challenging for farmers of color, military veteran farmers, women farmers, and farmers who utilize less conventional practices and […]
USDA Microloan Program is a Good Fit for Small Family Farms
America is a nation of family farmers – nearly half of all production comes from small and medium-sized family farms. Like any small business owner, these farmers occasionally need infusions of relatively small amounts of capital to sustain and grow their operations, but often have trouble accessing funds through traditional lenders because of a lack […]
New Grasslands Conservation Opportunity for Small Dairy Operations
America’s grasslands are among our most productive natural resources, providing wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, erosion control, and helping to sequester an enormous amount of carbon dioxide. Moreover, grasslands are a critical component of our ranching and hunting economies. Unfortunately, these lands are also some of the most threatened natural resources in the country. A study […]
COMMENT: NSAC Applauds USDA, Congress for Filling Farm Operating Loan Gap
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds USDA and the congressional agriculture appropriators who have answered the call of farmers across the country and allocated up to $185 million in additional lending for direct and guaranteed farm operating loans. Thanks to this reprogramming, nearly 2,000 approved loan applicants […]
Upcoming Webinar on the Newly Expanded Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, August 9 at 2:00pm EDT to provide information about the Farm Storage Facility Loan program and the expansions and improvements that have been made to it over the past two years. Register for the webinar here. Farm Storage Facility […]