This post shares all the information that food and farm organizations might need to best utilize the newly released funding resources. From funding guidelines, application deadlines, and program requirements, NSAC covers everything needed for the latest round of Requests for Applications (RFAs) to support your community of farmers and advocates…. Read More →
Nutrition
Guest Post: USDA’s Proposed Rule for School Meals Shines a Light on Local
Editor’s Note: This guest blog post by FoodCorps, an NSAC member, discusses the USDA’s proposed school nutrition and local sourcing guidelines to update nutrition standards for school meals. These recommendations build off of the work of school nutrition professionals to deliver nourishing food to students every day. The public comment period on the guidelines is open until April 10. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health ahead of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. … Read More →
Welcome Back from Recess
This week, the House of Representatives and Senate are both in session for the first time since the end of the August Congressional recess. In this post, NSAC summarizes recent activities and maps out the upcoming landscape for the 118th Congress and its reauthorization of the farm bill…. Read More →
USDA Awards Over $41 Million for Healthy Food Access Projects
When it comes to food production, the United States is a land of abundance and plenty. On the food access front, however, the numbers are not very encouraging. One in 10 American households is struggling with food insecurity, meaning that over 100 million low-income, urban and rural Americans cannot afford or have trouble affording healthy […]
Top Ten Reasons to Reject the House Farm Bill
1. Helps the big get bigger and rich get richer Over the last three decades, American agriculture has become increasingly consolidated. As of 2015, a majority of our food (51 percent) came from farms with over $1 million in annual sales – up 20 percent since 1991. Federal policy has historically contributed to this consolidation […]
Filling the Local Foods Gap in the Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran on the website of the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). To view the original article, click here. When we started our partnership with St. Cloud’s Reach Up Head Start program, Nutrition Services Coordinator Haley Anderson knew she wanted to […]
$21 Million Announced for Projects that Connect Families to Healthy Food
Editor’s Note: USDA’s NIFA will host a free informational webinar for interested applicants on Oct. 19, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. An archived version will be available on NIFA’s FINI webpage following the webinar. A $21 million infusion of funds through the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) Program will help families in need […]
$8.6 Million Available for Community Food Projects
Roughly one out of every eight Americans was food insecure (meaning that at times these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members) in 2016, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). Of those households, slightly less than […]
The Numbers Behind the Farm Bill: What the New CBO Baseline Means for the 2018 Farm Bill
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a four-part series of blog examining the funding outlook for the 2018 Farm Bill. In an effort to simplify the complex subject of farm bill funding, we will present these blogs in FAQ format. Part two of this series will answer questions related to agricultural spending in the […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
As a lead-up to the 2018 Farm Bill, around which discussions and debate in Congress have already begun, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is previewing some of the major programs and policies advocates need to know in order to effectively engage. The first post in our series, “Path to the 2018 Farm Bill,” covers […]
CNR is Dead! Long Live CNR!
If there’s one thing time doesn’t do it is stand still – except in the case of the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR). At the end of September last year, child nutrition, farm to school, and anti-hunger advocates –including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) – were wringing our hands and lamenting the failure of […]
USDA Awards $16.8 Million to Increase Healthy Food Access for Low-Income Americans
Eating a nutritious diet is the cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle, but for many Americans healthy foods may seem hopelessly out of reach. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) bridges the gap between lower-income families, but benefit levels are low and make purchase of nutritionally important items like fresh fruits and vegetables difficult. The Food […]
House Child Nutrition Bill Supports Farm to School, But Big Issues Remain
Representative Todd Rokita (R-IN), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education of the full House Education and Workforce Committee, recently introduced the long-awaited and highly-anticipated House Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization bill (CNR). The House bill, filed on April 20, 2016, is titled the “Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016” […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Unanimously Approves Child Nutrition Bill
Senate Agriculture Committee takes a critical step forward by voting on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization… Read More →
Peterson and Vilsack endorse local and regional food at Home Grown
More than 200 people braved chilling western Minnesota February weather on Monday and Tuesday to hear House Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Collin Peterson and USDA Secretary Vilsack speak about the need to develop better local food systems at the Home Grown Economy conference at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. At least another 100 participants […]