NSAC applauds USDA’s announcement of $400 million to establish Regional Food Business Centers. NSAC is pleased to see that USDA is structuring this critical investment in a way that builds on existing partnerships and initiatives and prioritizes resources where they are most needed. … Read More →
local and regional food systems
Comment: NSAC Praises Introduction of the Farmers Market & Food Bank Local Revitalization Act of 2022
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Interim Policy Director, praising the introduction of the Farmers Market & Food Bank Local Revitalization Act of 2022 (HR 8707) by Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9). … Read More →
Digging into the 2023 Farm Bill: Senate Hearings Kick-Off the Long Road to the 2023 Farm Bill
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 →
COMMENT: NSAC Lauds USDA Framework to Transform the Food System Announced Today by Secretary Vilsack
Today, Wednesday, June 1, 2022 the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a comment lauding the announcement made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack regarding the USDA Framework to Transform the Food System. … Read More →
COVID Relief Funding NOW Available for Farmers Markets, Processors and Underserved Farmers
With farmers pulling long hours at the height of harvest season, and cases of the coronavirus skyrocketing across the country, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now providing additional funding to help many in our food and farm supply chains who were left out of previous aid programs. As of October 6, USDA […]
National Farmers Market Week Provides Platform for Essential Engagement with Elected Officials
Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog post authored by Ben Feldman, Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition, an National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition member, in honor of the 22nd annual National Farmers Market Week, August 1-7th, 2021. For over two decades, National Farmers Market Week (NFMW) has been a time of celebration for everyone […]
COMMENT: USDA Announces More Than $4 Billion to Strengthen Food System
NSAC responds to today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative…. Read More →
$15 million Now Available to Support Regional Food Economy Development Projects
On May 5, 2021 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $15.3 million in funding for the second ever Request for Applications (RFA) for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) Program. RFSP is a new program that supports foodshed-level approaches to developing regional food economies. RFSP was launched in the 2018 Farm Bill […]
$76 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR VALUE-ADDED AND LOCAL FOOD PROJECTS
On March 5, 2021, USDA Rural Development announced the availability of at least $76 million in total funding for VAPG projects. The application window to apply is open now and online applications are accepted until April 29, 2020 through grants.gov, and paper applications must be postmarked by May 4, 2021. We encourage all readers to […]
NASS 2020 Local Food Marketing Survey Needs Farmer Input
In recent years, the increasing interest in local and regional food systems has garnered consensus around the need for more robust economic data about the sector. The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on farm and food systems in the U.S. have further underlined the need for better data. While many small to mid-sized farmers […]
How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Support a More Sustainable and Resilient Food System
NSAC has identified the most pressing issues facing the sustainable agriculture community for the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize in order to rebuild our food system. At the top of the list are issues like addressing the climate crisis, building a more resilient food supply chain, addressing longstanding issues of racial inequities, strengthening anti-trust enforcement, and scaling up investments in public research…. Read More →
Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Awards Announced
In October, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the inaugural round of grant awards for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program, providing $9.3 million in competitive grant funding for 23 projects. RFSP supports the formation of public-private partnerships working at the foodshed-level to transform local and regional food […]
Calling all Researchers! Nearly $300 million in Ag Research Funding Now Available!
USDA recently announced over $290 million in research grant funding through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – including funding for research on plant breeding, local and regional food systems, beginning farmers, farmers of color, and the impact of COVID-19 on our farmers and the food supply chain…. Read More →
RELEASE: The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act Would Deliver Critical Pandemic Aid for Farmers, Ranchers, and Local Food Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric DeebleNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act Would Deliver Critical Pandemic Aid for Farmers, Ranchers, and Local Food Businesses Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12) Introduces Comprehensive Bill to Provide Direct Aid to Farmers and Local Markets Feeding Families Amidst the Pandemic Washington, DC, August 26, 2020 […]
The Senate is Negotiating Pandemic Aid: What Does it Mean for Farmers and Food Systems?
On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the highly anticipated HEALS Act. This $1 trillion bill is the Senate Majority proposal for the fourth coronavirus response package (C4), which will serve as the starting point for Senate negotiations. In this post we will examine the farm and food systems provisions of the […]
USDA Programs Support Small Meat Processing Plants
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 →
Healthy Food Financing Initiative Now Accepting Applications
The Reinvestment Fund (RF) recently announced the opening of 2020 applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Targeted Small Grants program. Funding for the HFFI is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the Farm Bill to offer $3 million in grant funds for food […]
Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Complications & COVID-19
There is more meat available than it seems, and that is thanks to farmers and ranchers, plant workers, small plant operators, and others working throughout the food supply chain…. Read More →
Farmers Feeding Families Act Would Prioritize Local Relief Efforts
With the official unemployment rate approaching 15 percent, the number of food insecure families is growing. This can be seen in a dramatic increase in applications for SNAP benefits and in the long lines at food banks and emergency feeding sites across the country. This difficult situation is made even worse because as the demand […]
RELEASE: NSAC Joins With More Than 750 Organizations Calling on USDA to Provide Direct Aid to Farmers Who Rely on Local and Regional Markets
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric DeebleNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition NSAC Joins With More Than 750 Organizations Calling on USDA to Provide Direct Aid to Farmers Who Rely on Local and Regional Markets Washington, DC, April 9, 2020 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and more than 750 farm and food system organizations from all across […]
Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Funding Opportunity Announced
Local and regional food economy entrepreneurs and organizations received some long-awaited news earlier in March – the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) finally released the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) Program. RFSP is a new program that supports foodshed-level approaches to developing regional food economies. […]
COVID-19 Economic Impact on Local Food Markets
The following economic impact assessment was compiled on March 18, 2020 for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition by Dawn Thilmany, Becca Jablonski, Debra Tropp, Blake Angelo, and Sarah Low. More information about the authors can be found at the end of the document. Last updated March 21, 2020. Bottom Line Across key local and regional […]
RELEASE: NSAC Response to COVID-19 and its Impacts on the Farm and Food System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Deeble National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, edeeble@sustainableagriculture.net RELEASE: NSAC Response to COVID-19 and its Impacts on the Farm and Food System National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition calls on Congress to Support the Most Vulnerable Farmers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Washington, DC, March 19, 2020 – The rapidly developing COVID-19 pandemic is already […]
$23.5 Million to Support Local Food Projects Awarded
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 […]