Despite the winter weather blanketing much of the nation and Washington, DC, an ongoing shutdown, and continued national debates on food and agriculture policy, NSAC’s advocacy work continues. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) held its annual Winter Meeting from February 9 to 12 in Washington, DC. Over 150 farmers and advocates from NSAC’s network […]
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Comment: In Moment of Need, House Farm Bill Underdelivers with Empty Promises
For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: In Moment of Need, House Farm Bill Underdelivers with Empty Promises Washington, DC, February 14, 2026 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the following statement attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Farm, Food, and National Security […]
Release: Farmers and Advocates Converge in DC for NSAC Lobby Day
For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Release: Farmers and Advocates Converge in DC for NSAC Lobby Day Washington, DC, February 12, 2026 – Yesterday, nearly 150 farmers, ranchers, and food system advocates from Alaska to Florida, joined the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) in Washington, DC to press for action […]
Release: 500 Farmers Urge Congress to Act Amid Growing Farm Crisis
Release: 500 Farmers Urge Congress to Act Amid Growing Farm Crisis Washington, DC, February 11, 2026 – Today, a letter signed by 500 farmers and ranchers from across the country was delivered to key members of Congress urging immediate action to address the ongoing farm crisis. The letter outlines the severe challenges facing farmers, including […]
Chaos, Collaboration, and Courage: A Look Back at 2025
A Year Like No Other As 2025 comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a year that reshaped the food and farm policy landscape: from major disruptions in federal agencies to stalled policymaking in Washington, farmers and communities continue to feel the impacts. The historic government shutdown this fall was just the most […]
USDA Staffing Crisis: Rural Development Staff Cuts Leave Rural Communities Behind
This post examines the devastating loss of experienced staff within US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and the consequences for the agency’s ability to support farmers, rural businesses, and communities. As the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) continues to track the staffing crisis across USDA, Rural Development stands out not only for the depth […]
Keeping Farmers on the Land
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) traces its earliest roots to the farm crisis of the 1980s, when cycles in the global economy and federal agricultural policy combined to push farmers losing their farms into the national spotlight. The 330,000 farm families who lost their farms between 1978 and 1992 were, unfortunately, not the last. […]
USDA Staffing Crisis: Food Safety Agencies Struggle as Federal Workforce Shrinks
Federal food safety agencies have seen significant staff losses in 2025, threatening their ability to serve stakeholders and ensure the safety of our food supply Several federal agencies – including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service […]
USDA Staffing Crisis: Legal Oversight Cuts Undermine Fairness and Accountability
Several offices within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide legal guidance, oversight, and accountability for actions the Department takes, and these offices have endured significant staff losses in 2025. Their work, though often invisible to the public, is essential for ensuring that USDA follows its own rules and those set by Congress. It […]
Creemees, Community, and Coalition: NSAC’s Summer Meeting in Stowe, Vermont
As we do every summer, NSAC coalition members recently gathered for our summer meeting, from August 4-7, in Stowe, Vermont. Located some 25 miles east of Vermont’s largest city, Burlington, and about 40 miles from the US-Canada border, we met at the Trapp Family Lodge (yes, that’s right – owned by the Von Trapp Family, […]
Funding Freeze Impacts: Farmers and Organizations Speak Out
Since January, the Trump Administration has frozen vast swathes of federal spending under a series of Executive Orders, including at the United States Department of Agriculture. Hundreds of thousands of lawful, signed, active contracts and grants – supporting critical conservation payments, farmer technical assistance, sustainable agriculture research, market infrastructure, and so much more, and representing […]
Summer in Saint Paul: NSAC Members Meet, Reenergize in Minnesota
NSAC members gathered once again for our annual summer Coalition meeting, this time on the banks of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota on August 5-8, 2024. Over the course of the meeting, NSAC members and staff strategized collectively about current campaigns and future Coalition activities. NSAC members also had the chance to hear […]
Release: NSAC Publishes Unsustainable: State of the Farm Safety Net
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has released a new report, Unsustainable: State of the Farm Safety Net. The farm safety net includes crop insurance, commodity, and disaster programs that farmers and ranchers rely on when disaster strikes – but it leaves small to mid-sized, beginning, and diversified farmers behind. This report reveals which states and commodities received the most farm subsidies from 2017 to 2022 and argues these costly programs are not suited to meet the needs of all producers in the face of worsening climate change…. Read More →
Release: NSAC Hosts Farm Bill Lobby Day
Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) hosted a lobby day for coalition members to meet with Congressional leaders and senior USDA officials to encourage them to prioritize sustainable food and farm needs and farmer-led solutions in the upcoming farm bill reauthorization. Members from across the country scheduled 100 visits throughout the day with members of Congress from their home states and districts to champion the federal programs and reforms most important to them and their communities. … Read More →
Release: Biden Signs Historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
Today, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a far-reaching $750 billion health care, tax, and climate bill, into law. The bill makes historic investments in federal programs to address the climate crisis and aims to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. … Read More →
RELEASE: Mike Lavender, Sophia Kruszewski Join National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Today the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) announced the addition of two new senior members to the Coalition’s policy team: Mike Lavender as Interim Policy Director and Sophia Kruszewski as Deputy Policy Director. … Read More →
NSAC’s Work Heats Up in Sunny Texas: 2020 Winter Meeting Recap
They say everything’s bigger in Texas, so what better setting to grow and strengthen as a coalition? In January 2020, members and staff of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) convened in McAllen, TX for four jam-packed days of policy and grassroots work. NSAC’s annual Winter Meeting is the Coalition’s opportunity to set our policy […]
RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities Washington, DC, February 4, 2020 – Last week, representatives from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) 130+ member organizations voted on a final set of policy and funding priorities to guide the Coalition’s work through 2020. “This collaborative priority […]
Summer in Springfield: Recap of NSAC’s 2019 Summer Member Meeting
Nearly 100 National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) members from across the country came together this month in Springfield, Illinois this month for NSAC’s annual Summer Meeting. This gathering is one of two opportunities each year for NSAC’s 130+ members to work together in person on the Coalition’s policy and grassroots priorities for the year, including: […]
RELEASE: Senior Grassroots Staff Member Steps Up as New Coalition Director for National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Senior Grassroots Staff Member Steps Up as New Coalition Director for National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Washington, DC, June 17, 2019 – Chair of the Organizational Council of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Eowyn Corral, announced today the selection of the organization’s new Coalition Director. […]
NSAC Members Convene to Set 2019 Priorities
Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s annual winter meeting convened over 80 coalition members from all across the country to discuss food and agriculture policy in the nation’s capital. At the four-day convening, participants selected and made plans around NSAC coalition priorities, including implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill, which was signed into […]
NSAC Members Convene in Washington DC to Set 2018 Priorities
Last week, NSAC held its annual Winter Meeting in Washington, DC. This year’s meeting was held at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University and was generously sponsored by Annie’s Homegrown, Clif Bar, Organic Valley, and Patagonia. Over 100 members representing the majority of NSAC’s 120 member organizations convened over four days in the nation’s […]
Say Cheese! NSAC Hosts 2017 Summer Meeting in Madison, WI
This summer, farm and food advocates have more on their minds than just vacation planning and sweet corn picking. Even though the current farm bill doesn’t expire until next September, the content of the 2018 Farm Bill is already being debated in the halls of Congress, on the farm, and in homes across the country. […]
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 […]