When Congress returned from its August recess, it faced a long to-do list and little time to act. On the September list is to fund the government by September 30, when current funding expires for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and across the federal government. A failure to fund the government by September 30 […]
Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program
Grant Program Supporting Farmers of Color and Veterans Makes Final Awards
For decades, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the “Section 2501” program) has served as the only farm bill program dedicated to addressing the specific needs of farmers of color. In the 2014 Farm Bill Congress expanded Section 2501 to include military veteran farmers; unfortunately, […]
USDA Grants Support Programs Serving Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers
For nearly 30-years the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has endeavored to better support historically marginalized farmers and ranchers, in large part through the Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OA). This week, as part of that commitment, OAO announced the awarding of $8.4 million in grants through its Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged […]
Stories from the Field: Empowering Latino Farmers
Despite a demonstrated track record of success in supporting innovative outreach, training, and technical assistance programs, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as “Section 2501”) remains severely underfunded. The 2014 Farm Bill cut funding for the program in half, while at the same time expanding the program’s user […]