National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

On Friday, January 13, USDA announced the availability of $10 million for water quality credit trading projects through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. According to USDA’s vision of water quality credit trading, “a producer who implements conservation practices to reduce water quality pollutants can also benefit by generating water quality market credits that could Read the Rest...

The EPA has released a Report from its Farm, Ranch & Rural Advisory Committee that was presented to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in December 2011.  The Committee, as reconstituted under the Obama Administration, held its first meeting in September 2010.  Administrator Jackson charged the Committee at the meeting with preparing recommendations regarding water quality issues Read the Rest...

A number of actions at the end of 2011 and early 2012 may result in a changed landscape for biofuels in 2012. EPA Sets Renewable Fuel Standards for 2012 On January 9, EPA issued a final rule with standards for the Renewable Fuel Standards Program (RFS2) in 2012.  A link to the final rule, a Read the Rest...

Stay tuned for a detailed blog post on the 2012 Farm Bill next week. The summer’s bounty may feel far away, but even in January, farmers and ranchers are busy – unloading hay for cattle on the snowy range, selecting next summer’s most-delicious tomato seeds, or harvesting fresh grapefruit for your breakfast table.  Here in Read the Rest...

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release January 10, 2012 Contact: Greg Fogel or Ferd Hoefner 202-547-5754 Farmer Deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up Extended until January 27 Washington, D.C. January 10, 2012 – The cutoff date for farmers and ranchers to apply to participate in the 2012 sign-up for the Conservation Stewardship Program has Read the Rest...

INFORMATION ALERT 2012 Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up Extended On Friday, December 9, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that the fiscal year (FY) 2012 ranking period cutoff for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is January 13, 2012.  Given the busy holiday season time frame, on January 10 NRCS extended the ranking period cutoff date Read the Rest...

On January 3, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) issued a notice that it is accepting proposals for new projects under the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI).  Proposals are due March 19, 2012. Under the MRBI, NRCS provides financial assistance to farmers in areas covered by MRBI projects who undertake conservation practices specified Read the Rest...

On Wednesday, January 4, USDA issued a press release to remind program applicants that the deadline to submit a pre-proposal for a fiscal year (FY) 2012 Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) is January 31. You can download the FY 2012 CIG Announcement of Program Funding from USDA’s CIG webpage.  Those who are interested in proposing a Read the Rest...

USDA is closing out 2011 in much the same way it started the year — approving the use of genetically modified (GM) crops designed to withstand pesticide applications.  On Tuesday, December 27, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved the use of two more GM crops and announced the availability of assessments for Read the Rest...

As we reported in an earlier blog post, in mid-December Congress passed a “megabus” appropriations bill that included FY 2012 appropriations funding for numerous departments including Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency.  Included in this package is $32 million in funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative.  HFFI aims to Read the Rest...

On Monday, December 19, the EPA announced that it is extending the comment period on a proposed rule with requirements for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to report specific information about the their operations to the agency.  Comments are now due January 19, 2012.  EPA has issued a fact sheet with information on submitting comments. Read the Rest...

by Jon Bailey, Director, Rural Research and Analysis Program, Center for Rural Affairs A new Center for Rural Affairs report released finds that rural areas in the Great Plains and Midwest continue to lose population and are caught between “bookend generations” – the youngest and the oldest – with a demographic valley in between. The Read the Rest...

USDA has announced the final FY2011 loan and grant awards for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).  The program funds renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses. REAP grants can fund up to 25-percent of a project’s costs, up to $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for Read the Rest...

Last week, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released an updated version of its nutrient management standard, also known as conservation practice standard 590 (CPS 590).  NRCS practice standards delineate the steps that a producer may or must take in order to receive payments for a particular conservation practice under NRCS conservation programs. According to Read the Rest...

On Thursday, December 15, members of a House and Senate Conference Committee passed a nine-bill appropriations package, H.R. 2055, to fund most government functions through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2012.  The House then voted, 296-121, on Friday afternoon to pass the funding package.  The nearly 2,300 page package was scheduled to go to the Senate for Read the Rest...

INFORMATION ALERT 2012 Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-Up On Friday, December 9, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that the fiscal year (FY) 2012 ranking period cutoff for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is January 13, 2012. Interested farmers and ranchers have until January 13, 2012, to complete the initial application form to compete for Read the Rest...

USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a proposed rule to change its generic label approval process.  This new rule would allow food processing establishments to use new labels or to modify labels on a broader set of products without first submitting the labels to FSIS for approval.  FSIS will still verify that labels comply Read the Rest...

A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service analyzes potential overlap and duplication in federal farm safety net programs.  The report, Identifying Overlap in the Farm Safety Net, clarifies competing definitions of what is meant by the terms “farm safety net,” provides an overview of where overlap can occur in these programs, and presents an Read the Rest...

On Wednesday, December 7, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced 17 grants to universities in 13 states to improve the safety of our food supply through research, education, and extension in a number of areas.  A total of $10.4 million was awarded by USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through the National Integrated Read the Rest...

USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration has issued a rule, to be published on December 9,  that finalizes some provisions of the GIPSA rule proposed in June 2010.  The provisions are intended to increase protections for farmers who produce poultry and hogs on contract.  The four major areas covered in the final rule include: Read the Rest...