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Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

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Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open

Rural Development

Apply Today: USDA LAMP Funding Window Is Open

June 5, 2025

Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $26.5 million in competitive grant funding available through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. This year marks a notably shorter application window, but there are several resources available to support […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities

May 2, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: Proposed USDA Budget Undermines Farmers and Rural Communities  Washington, DC, May 2, 2025 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a statement in response to the Trump Administration’s release of its “skinny” budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 discretionary […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Press Releases

USDA Begins Releasing Frozen REAP Funding

April 3, 2025

On January 20, 2025, President Trump’s executive order on American energy led to the freezing of projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including stopped payments to recipients of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). More than $911 million in obligated funds through REAP have been frozen. On […]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Broken Promises: Over 30,000 Farmers Denied Funds

February 26, 2025

Shortly after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an array of executive orders, a practice that has become common in recent years. However, abnormally, several of these executive orders triggered a pause on broad swaths of federal funding. As a result of this pause, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Grants and Programs

Sowing impact: Latest crop of LAMP awards continue to bolster farm economies

December 4, 2024

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced $33.5 million in awards that will strengthen and improve access to local and regional food markets by investing in a diverse range of businesses, organizations, markets, and communities.  This latest announcement of funds for 113 projects across 43 states is a part of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Local & Regional Food Systems

USDA Announces Recipients of New Healthy Food Financing Expansion Grant

April 25, 2024

The USDA Rural Development, in collaboration with Reinvestment Fund, has announced the recipients of over $40 million in grants for the inaugural round of the Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program, aimed at expanding or creating new Healthy Food Financing Programs with technical and financial assistance; this program, funded partly through the American Rescue Plan, supports public-private partnerships to increase access to healthy food in underserved areas, emphasizing capacity building and credit enhancement activities…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

Everything You Need to Know About FY2024 Agriculture Appropriations

March 27, 2024

On March 8, 2024, Congress finally approved a final FY2024 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 funds USDA and FDA – alongside numerous other departments and agencies – through September 30, 2024. This blog post examines the food and agriculture components of the CAA and its significance amidst Congress’s delayed appropriations process. … Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Climate Change

RFA Roundup: Spring 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Opportunities 

February 15, 2024

USDA has announced several funding opportunities for sustainable agriculture. This blog post outlines the funding guidelines, application deadlines, and program requirements for a range of food and farm system grants funded through USDA that are currently accepting applications. The funding opportunities fall into three categories: Research and Education, Local Food (including urban and rural-focused programs) and Nutrition, Climate, Conservation, and Energy…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Research, Education & Extension

USDA Unveils Streamlined Local Food Funding

November 16, 2023

USDA recently announced the 2023 Regional Food System Partnership, Farmers Market Promotion and Local Food Promotion program awards. This year, AMS offered a new ‘turnkey’ application process for applicants seeking funding for a specific set of marketing and promotion activities for Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion grants. This post highlights this new process and features NSAC members who were awarded a grant this year…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling

Digging into the 2023 Farm Bill: Senate Hearings Kick-Off the Long Road to the 2023 Farm Bill

July 22, 2022

NSAC details the recent Senate Agriculture Committee field hearing as a first step as part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization process. This is the first post in a multi-part series taking a deeper look into the 2023 Farm Bill process…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Farm Bill

Comment: NSAC Applauds President Biden’s Remarks on Funding Adaptive Measures, But Urges Action on Climate Mitigation

July 20, 2022

NSAC responded to President Biden’s remarks today on tackling the climate crisis…. Read More →

Filed Under: Climate Change, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases, Rural Development

Comment: NSAC Responds to House Passage of FY 2023 Agriculture Spending Bill

June 23, 2022

“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the House Appropriations Committee members for voting to support robust funding for Conservation Operations and a significant increase in Conservation Technical Assistance that farmers and ranchers need to adopt new conservation practices that improve the sustainability and profitability of their family farms.”… Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Press Releases, Rural Development

USDA Opens Latest Round of Funding to Support Local and Regional Food Economy Development Projects

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. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, General Interest, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

Release: NSAC Publishes Newly Revised Farmers’ Guide to the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Program

March 4, 2022

This week USDA announced its 2022 Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) for the Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG). For the last several years, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has updated its Farmers’ Guide to Applying for the Value-Added Producer Grant Program to help producers navigate this program. … Read More →

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Press Releases, Rural Development

Value-Added Producer Grants Are Now Open

March 3, 2022

On March 1, 2022, USDA Rural Development announced the availability of at least $19.75 million in total funding for VAPG projects. … Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

National Farmers Market Week Provides Platform for Essential Engagement with Elected Officials

July 29, 2021

Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog post authored by Ben Feldman, Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition, an National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition member, in honor of the 22nd annual National Farmers Market Week, August 1-7th, 2021. For over two decades, National Farmers Market Week (NFMW) has been a time of celebration for everyone […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Rural Development

Unpacking the House Appropriations Committee FY 2022 Agriculture Funding Bill

July 22, 2021

On June 30th, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved its fiscal year (FY) 2022 Agriculture Spending bill. The full House Appropriations Committee markup and approval followed the Agriculture Subcommittee’s approval of the funding bill on Friday, June 12. The agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for a wide range of farm and food programs, […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Local & Regional Food Systems, Research, Education & Extension

Value-Added Agriculture: Creating New Opportunities in an Era of Uncertainty

September 27, 2018

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 […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

Draft Senate Farm Bill: Local & Regional Food and Rural Development

June 9, 2018

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 […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Rural Development

Funding Available for Rural Cooperative Development

May 31, 2018

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced the availability of nearly $9 million in grants to support rural cooperative development. $3 million of those funds are set-aside specifically for grants targeted to socially disadvantaged groups. Cooperative development grant funds are available through the general Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program (RCDG) […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Rural Development

Trump Administration Undertaking Historic Reorganizing of USDA, But to What End?

September 15, 2017

Back in May, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a USDA reorganization plan that eliminated its Rural Development Mission Area and downgraded the status of what was the Under Secretary for Rural Development to an Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, closing the Office of the Under Secretary in the process. […]

Filed Under: Competition & Anti-trust, Food Safety, Nutrition & Food Access, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

RELEASE: “Farmers’ Guide” Will Help Producers Navigate VAPG

September 11, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net   “Farmers’ Guide” Will Help Producers Navigate Value-Added Producer Grant Program National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Releases Newly Updated Resource Washington, DC, September 11, 2017 – Following months of consternation by farmers and advocacy groups alike, on Monday, August 28, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally announced […]

Filed Under: Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Rural Development

Senate Appropriators Prioritize Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development

July 21, 2017

Following closely on the heels of the House Agriculture Appropriation Subcommittee’s funding bill, which was approved by the full House Appropriations Committee last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced its agriculture appropriations funding measure for fiscal year (FY) 2018. The Senate bill moved quickly through the Subcommittee and full Committee approval process, with just […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

Congressional Appropriators Question Secretary Perdue on USDA Budget and Reorganization Plans

June 15, 2017

On Tuesday, June 13, shortly after appropriators received a letter from nearly 600 organizations, businesses, and local governments opposing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to eliminate its Rural Development Mission Area, the Secretary of Agriculture returned to Capitol Hill to once again defend his plans for a Departmental reorganization. This week, the Secretary […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Rural Development

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