September 7, 2022
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.
March 31, 2022
In February 2022, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) announced that their Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Validation webpage was updated to include validation studies that can be used to support HACCP plans for fermented products, salt-cured products, and dried products. This was based on recommendations from a 2020 report addressing guidance, tools, outreach, and responsiveness to the needs of smaller-scale meat processors.
March 11, 2022
NSAC looks at USDA’s recently announced round of grant funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) and Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program to build and expand local and regional food and agriculture markets. The deadline to apply for the FMLFPP and RFSP program is Monday, May 16, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Full details on the NSAC blog.
March 24, 2020
On March 9, 2020 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $27 million in funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP). FMLFPP has two subprograms – the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) – with a separate Request for Applications (RFA) for each […]
November 19, 2013
In his third communication in as many days on the importance of local and regional food systems and marketing for America’s farmers and rural communities, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Fiscal Year 2014 awardees of the national Farm to School Grant Program. USDA awarded $5.2 million in grants to 71 funded […]
November 18, 2011
In the last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has posted two blogs about exciting farmers market research and initiatives. USDA has updated its geo-coded dataset for farmers markets based on the 2011 National Farmers Market Directory. In a blog posted on October 27, 2011, titled “Data-Lovers Rejoice: More Farmers Market Geocodes Available,” USDA […]
February 4, 2010
This post is the sixth in a series of commentaries by NSAC staff on the President’s 2011 budget, released on February 1st. Read the overview by Executive Director Aimee Witteman. Look out in the following days for the final budget analyses on conservation and organic programs. USDA’s 2011 Budget request includes a new Regional Innovation […]
February 1, 2010
By Aimee Witteman Today, President Obama unveiled his $3.8 trillion budget for fiscal year 2011. The big fat volumes with all of the program line items for each department of government were published online at the U.S. Government Printing Office this morning. This post summarizes just a few of the proposed losses and gains for […]