Editor’s Note: This post is part of a multi-part series exploring some of the key sustainable agriculture and food systems challenges that the farm bill can address. Through a series comparing the House and Senate Agriculture Committees’ proposals, we provide an assessment of how each chamber’s bill would address a given challenge, and our recommended […]
SNAP
Digging into the House Farm Bill: Part 3
This is the third post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (FFNSA), which was reported out of the House Committee on Agriculture on Friday, May 24. This post provides a deep-dive analysis of the bill’s potential impacts on the farm safety net, farmers’ ability to access land and capital, fair competition, and treatment of food workers. … Read More →
Digging into the House Farm Bill: Part 1
This is the first post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, which was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on May 24. The post provides an overview of the markup process and the bill as a whole, as well as its likely (or unlikely) path to becoming law. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Welcomes Pragmatic Senate Proposal as a Concrete Step Toward a Bipartisan Farm Bill Reauthorization
NSAC applauded the renewed momentum toward a bipartisan farm bill reauthorization prompted by the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) release of a detailed section-by-section description of its farm bill reauthorization proposal. The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act framework charts a path for completing a farm bill this year. NSAC is extremely encouraged to see a pragmatic Senate farm bill proposal that includes numerous bipartisan policies. The proposal takes meaningful steps to build a fair and accessible farm safety net for farmers and ranchers, protect conservation and climate spending, and invest in local and regional food systems…. Read More →
CBO’s Farm Bill Baseline, Explained
The Congressional Budget Office releases annual baseline projections for federal agriculture policy, including the farm bill, which significantly influence policy debates and outcomes. The latest projections show a decrease in the ten-year cost of farm bill-related programs, primarily due to a drop in SNAP costs but countered by a substantial increase in the crop insurance program’s expenses. Changes in these projections impact the cost and effectiveness of policy proposals, especially regarding crop insurance reform and commodity programs, while also affecting conservation programs and nutrition assistance, ultimately shaping the direction and scope of future farm bills…. Read More →
RFA Roundup: Spring 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Opportunities
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 →
Comment: NSAC Praises Introduction of the Enabling Farmers to Benefit from Processing Nutrition Programs Act of 2023
NSAC issued a comment in response to the introduction of the Enabling Farmers to Benefit from Processing Nutrition Programs Act, which takes significant steps to increase opportunities for local farmers to benefit from nutrition benefits. … Read More →
What the debt-ceiling deal means for food and agriculture
Over Memorial Day weekend, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) struck a “tentative” deal intended to avoid a catastrophic default on the United States’ debt. In the days since the initial announcement, more details about the deal – now known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, H.R. 3746 – have continued to emerge. As of posting, Congress is expected to pass H.R. 3746 without amendment before June 5, when the Treasury Department would have “insufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations.” In this post, NSAC examines several major components of the deal to better understand these impacts, including annual appropriations and the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. … Read More →
Following the Money: A Look at the Billions Behind CBO’s Farm Bill Baseline
Every spring, CBO – Congress’s official budgetary scorekeeper – publishes its ten-year projection (or “baseline”) for government spending. CBO’s baseline covers everything funded by the federal government – including farm bill spending. Published most recently on May 12, 2023, CBO’s baseline will be adopted as the official baseline for the 2023 Farm Bill. In this post, NSAC digs into the latest CBO changes to the four largest funding items within the farm bill – Commodity (Title 1), Conservation (Title 2), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, in Title 4), and Crop Insurance (Title 11). It also looks through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, PL 117-169) spending projections included in CBO’s most recent updates…. Read More →
Release: Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Advances
Congress released a $1.7 trillion year-end bipartisan spending package. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 consists of all 12 fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations bills. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is encouraged to see Congress taking steps to avoid a continuing resolution with concrete progress toward a bipartisan FY2023 spending bill…. Read More →
A Closer Look at the 2018 Farm Bill: Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program
Editor’s Note: This is the third post in a multi-part blog series digging deeper into some of the programs and policies of the 2018 Farm Bill. These posts will detail how the new farm bill is likely to impact core sustainable agriculture programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Previous posts focused on: working lands conservation and local/regional food programs. Our final post of […]
Note to Congress: Be Responsible, Don’t Let the Farm Bill Expire
This month, we have been drawing attention to a set of programs that run out of funding at the end of this fiscal year, and that will cease to fund new projects and applicants if no new funding is provided. These “tiny but mighty” programs are some of the most innovative, far-reaching programs in the […]
RELEASE: Long-term Solutions Needed to Protect Vital Relationship Between Local Farmers, Farmers Markets, and SNAP Customers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Long-term Solutions Needed to Protect Vital Relationship Between Local Farmers, Farmers Markets, and SNAP Customers National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition issues statement on the future of SNAP at farmers markets Washington, DC, August 20, 2018 – In early July, Novo Dia Group, a major […]
$21 Million to Increase Healthy Food Access in Low-Income Communities
Millions of Americans struggle each day to access fresh, nutritious food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food-purchasing assistance to low-income individuals across the country to help bridge that gap. Another program, the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Program provides grants to projects that help low-income consumers participating in SNAP purchase more fresh fruits […]
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 […]
Celebrating 40 Years of Family Farm Policy
Forty years ago, on September 29, 1977, the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (that year’s farm bill) became law. Today, we at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) join other food and farm groups across the nation who are celebrating the inclusion in the 1977 Farm Bill of the Food Stamp Act, which became […]
$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 […]
$16.8 Million Awarded to Increase Access to Healthy Food
Millions of Americans struggle each day to access fresh, nutritious food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) bridges that gap for many lower-income families across the country, connecting them with healthy foods in their supermarkets and at local farmers’ markets. Making healthy purchases at farmers markets has become a particularly desirable option over the last […]
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 […]
A Late Start Doesn’t Have to Mean a Slow Start: 10 Things Secretary Perdue Can Do Now to Support Family Farmers
On his first day on the job, Sonny Perdue – a former two-term governor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) long-awaited new Secretary – addressed two very important audiences. The first, a formal introduction to USDA staff, was an opportunity for the Secretary to lay out his general vision for the department’s next four […]
Path to the 2018 Farm Bill: Programs with Expiring Funding
Editor’s Note: As a lead up to the 2018 Farm Bill, around which discussions and debate in Congress have already begun, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is previewing some of the major programs and policies that advocates need to know in order to effectively engage. The fourth post in our series, “Path to the 2018 […]
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 […]
Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives Program Connects Low-Income Families with Healthy Options
Every family needs and deserves access to fresh, healthy foods, but for far too many Americans a healthy meal made from fresh ingredients seems like just a dream. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed to help assist lower-income families with food purchases, but because benefit levels are low, purchasing fresh, local produce remains […]
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 […]