National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Release: FY2027 USDA Budget Proposal is a Historic Setback for Farmers and Rural Communities Washington, DC, April 3, 2026 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) responded to the Trump Administration’s release of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget Propos…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Release: Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship Welcomes Applications for its Eighth Cycle The Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship honors the co-founder of the first network for African American organic farmers in the United States Washington, DC, April 3, 2026 – Last week, the Nationa…

For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Comment: NSAC Condemns USDA’s Withdrawal of Support For Next Generation Farmers Washington, DC, April 1, 2026 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Nick Rossi, NSAC Policy Specialist, in response to the termination of…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: USDA Halts Rural Energy Efficiency Investments Washington, DC, April 1, 2026 – On March 31, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business Cooperative Service announced a halt to all awards for the Rural Energy for America Program (R…

Editor’s Note: This is the third post in a four-part blog series analyzing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on March 5. The first post provides an overview of the markup process and the bill as a whole. The second post provides a deep dive analysis of the bill’s potential impacts on local and regional food systems. This p…

Editor’s Note: This is the second post in a four-part blog series analyzing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on March 5. The first post provides an overview of the markup process and the bill as a whole. This post provides a deep dive analysis of the bill’s potential impacts on local and regional food systems. The third p…

Editor’s Note: This is the first post in a four-part blog series analyzing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on March 5. This 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. Subsequent posts provide a deep dive analysis of the bill’s potenti…

For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: Without Investments and Reforms, House Bill Rings Hollow Washington, DC, March 5, 2026 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the following statement attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director, following the House Agric…

Despite the winter weather blanketing much of the nation and Washington, DC, an ongoing shutdown, and continued national debates on food and agriculture policy, NSAC’s advocacy work continues. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) held its annual Winter Meeting from February 9 to 12 in Washington, DC. Over 150 farmers and advocates from NSAC’s network gathered to strategize, build…

On Friday, February 13, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) released the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (FFNSA). The introduction of the bill comes amidst an historic moment in federal food and agriculture policy. More than seven years removed from the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers are in a moment of crisis, with countless farm…

On Tuesday, June 4, more than 25 national conservation organizations delivered a letter to House Appropriators opposing the practice of cutting mandatory conservation program funding in annual appropriations bills. Mandatory conservation spending falls under the jurisdiction of the authorizing committees, in this case, the Agriculture Committees. Yet, year after year, recent annual appropriations…

Dear Supporter, Guess what? Last week, the Senate heard from us – and they listened! Because of calls from grassroots advocates like you, the Senate passed an amendment – the Durbin-Coburn amendment – that takes a bold first step towards reforming ballooning crop insurance subsidies for wealthy mega-farms in the 2013 Farm Bill! Calls from constituents helped encourage 59 Senators to support this …

Dear Supporter, Guess what? Last week, the Senate heard from us – and they listened! Because of calls from grassroots advocates like you, the Senate passed an amendment – the Durbin-Coburn amendment – that takes a bold first step towards reforming ballooning crop insurance subsidies for wealthy mega-farms in the 2013 Farm Bill! Calls from constituents helped encourage 59 Senators to support this …

For Immediate Release: Conservation Stewardship Program Deadline Extended to June 14 Deadline Extended: On May 28, USDA/NRCS extended the deadline for the filing of the initial application form to participate in CSP for 2013 until June 14, 2013. Washington, D.C., May 28, 2013 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced an extension of the d…

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has announced the availability of $6.5 million as part of its Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) program. The Notice of Funding Availability was published in the May 23 Federal Register. The goal of RCDG is to improve the economic condition of rural areas through the use of cooperative development. Grants are awarded competitively on an annual basis…

This week, USDA Secretary Vilsack announced additional crop insurance options for organic farmers available in 2014. Earlier this year, USDA made progress on organic crop insurance options by removing the premium surcharge for organic producers and making other adjustments. In this week’s announcement, Vilsack discussed plans for releasing additional organic price elections as well as a contract …

For Immediate Release NSAC COMMENTS ON HOUSE FARM BILL MARKUP Washington, DC, May 16 – The House Agriculture Committee late last night voted a new five-year farm bill out of committee by a vote of 36-10. The bill includes a variety of major priorities of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, along with several serious setbacks for farmers, natural resource conservation, and rural develo…

USDA has issued a notice that the Rural Development Agency is taking applications for Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG). RBOG funds feasibility studies, strategic planning, leadership training and other services and activities that can foster the creation of businesses and jobs in rural areas. Eligible applicants include public entities, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher edu…

For Immediate Release NSAC COMMENTS ON SENATE FARM BILL MARKUP Washington, DC, May 14 – The Senate Agriculture Committee today voted a new five-year farm bill out of committee by a vote of 15-5. The committee bill maintains the historic reforms to commodity subsidies included in last year’s bill that limit payments to the operator and not more than one additional farm manager per farm operation. …

For Immediate Release May 10, 2013 Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 NSAC Endorses the Farm Program Integrity Act of 2013 Washington, DC – On Thursday, May 9, Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) introduced the Farm Program Integrity Act of 2013 (H.R. 1932) in the House of Representatives to restore integrity and fiscal responsibility to the commodity program portion of the farm safety net. T…