February 17, 2017
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 […]
February 9, 2017
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) […]
February 3, 2017
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 […]
January 26, 2017
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, […]
January 25, 2017
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 […]
January 4, 2017
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 […]
November 8, 2016
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 […]
September 2, 2016
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 […]
August 5, 2016
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 […]
July 5, 2016
The halls of Congress and offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are commonly where the decisions about agricultural policies and programs are made, but they are not the only places. For farmers, ranchers, and the scores of rural community members for whom a trip to Washington D.C. is not feasible, opportunities to get […]