As part of our 2018 Farm Bill efforts, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) sought to strengthen programs and policies that support the growth of local food economies and support direct market opportunities for family farmers. One of the most significant achievements of those efforts was the development of the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), […]
local and regional food systems
Value-Added Agriculture: Creating New Opportunities in an Era of Uncertainty
Long before the Trump trade war was propelling the agriculture economy into new realms of uncertainty, many producers were already struggling with persistently low commodity prices. Under the yoke of a depressed agriculture economy, a growing cadre of family farmers have found success with value-added agriculture and tapping into growing markets for organic and local […]
What’s At Stake: Farm and Rural Business Development
Editor’s Note: The 2014 Farm Bill expires on September 30th. If the next farm bill is not finalized before that date, numerous “tiny but mighty” farm bill programs that support family farmers and food-producing communities will effectively shut down in terms of new funding and grant opportunities for fiscal year 2019. These workhorse programs, which […]
Draft Senate Farm Bill: Local & Regional Food and Rural Development
This is the fourth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on June 8, 2018 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Subsequent posts will focus on beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and crop insurance and commodity subsidies. The bill is expected to be considered and “marked-up” (aka amended) by the full Agriculture Committee […]
Federal Reserve Puts Its Money on Regional Food Systems
The Federal Reserve, better known for setting the nation’s monetary policy than promoting locally-grown produce, released a book this week celebrating the growing local and regional farm and food sectors as key drivers of economic and community development. Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities, produced by the Federal Reserve […]
Local Food: From Grassroots Movement to Mature Marketplace
The term “local food” means many things to many people. For some it defines a particular geographic area, while for others it means good, high quality food. A recent survey published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) reveals that, varying conceptions aside, the local food market has matured into […]
Local/Regional Food Sector Moves Out of Data Dark Ages
Data is crucial for any well functioning market – producers, investors, and consumers alike need to understand market trends and dynamics in order to make sound business decisions. This is as true for farmers and ranchers as it is for Wall Street executives. Growers, however, have long struggled due to a lack of useful data […]
Millions Awarded for Local Food and Direct Market Projects
Local and regional food systems are expanding nationwide; supporting job growth in agriculture, revitalized rural and urban communities and increased consumer access to healthy sustainable local food and farm products. Developing markets for local and regionally produced food – building connections between farmers and consumers is no small task. That’s why the U.S. Department of […]
Farm to School Grant Funding Now Available
Farm to school programs are a win for kids, farmers, and communities. They empower our children and their families by informing them about their food system and giving them the tools and confidence to make healthy choices. At the same time they support local farmers financially by connecting them to new market opportunities. In March, […]
New Local Food Survey Needs Farmer Input
Data is crucial for any well functioning market. Producers, investors and consumers need to understand market trends and dynamics in order to make sound business decisions. This is as true for farmers and ranchers as it is for Wall Street executives. However, despite being an over $12 billion a year industry, the local and regional […]
New USDA Initiative Aims to Build Capacity and Strengthen Local Food Systems
For local and regional food systems to thrive, farmers and rural producers increasingly need to access customers in urban areas and be able to offer products that meet their unique needs and demands. “Value chains” and “value-adding” have long been solutions to this problem. Value-adding is simply the process by which farmers and producers are […]
New Funding Available for Local and Regional Food Systems
APPLICATION DEADLINE is this week – 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 12, 2016 Local and regional food systems are expanding nationwide. These systems create new economic opportunities for small and mid-sized family farmers, increase consumer access to fresh and healthy food, and improve rural livelihoods. Over the past decade, local and regional food systems have […]
Local Foods, Local Places Energizes Food Economies in 27 New Communities
The United States farm sector has been steadily shrinking for years. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture the farming population shrunk by 4 percent between 2007 and 2012, while new farmers (farming for 5 years or less) declined by as much as 23.3 percent. And as the farmers go, so goes farmland; recent estimates […]
Call your State Dept of Ag to learn about Specialty Crop Block Grants
In 2007, part of Washington State’s block grant went to fund an initiative led by the Organic Seed Alliance to start a producer-led organic seed cooperative in Washington State. Today’s Federal Register included a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG). These funds go out to state Departments of Agriculture for […]