Local farmers play an essential role in keeping our communities fed and thriving. While individuals can readily buy freshly harvested items from farmers at the farmers market, options for accessing local food are expanding. Increasingly, families can find it in local grocery stores, restaurants, and schools. 

The local and regional food systems that support this network of local producers, retailers, and consumers are receiving growing recognition and support for their unique value add every time we experience a global supply chain disruption (such as the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change). In one recent example, President Biden issued an executive order to strengthen supply chains, and with funding authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) began making unique investments to strengthen supply chains by building on existing partnerships and initiatives and prioritizing resources where they are needed most. Earlier this year, AMS announced the selection of the twelve new Regional Food Business Centers (Centers) that will have three primary responsibilities: 

• Collaborate with a wide range of regional partners and stakeholders to develop a strategic plan for the Center’s region, coordinate existing initiatives, and develop new opportunities to support a more resilient and competitive food system.
• Provide business technical assistance across the supply chain – to producers, processors, aggregators, and distributors – with an emphasis on small- and mid-sized businesses to increase their participation in the regional food system. 
• Deploy “business builder” grants to support businesses in building their capacity or expanding their business. 

Regional Food Business Center Structure 

In May of this year, USDA initiated cooperative agreements with twelve organizations that will lead the operation of their respective regional center, managing project activities and coordinating with a team for planning and implementation. Each Center will cover a distinct geographic area that expands across multiple states or territories, or in the case of the National Intertribal Center the entire nation. USDA AMS staff will be assigned to the Centers to ensure USDA funding opportunities and resources are actively shared out and learnings from the ground are shared back with national programmatic staff. While the Centers will not have a physical location, they will develop online platforms that can be a place for businesses to get information as well as promote connections across the supply chain.

While each Center has one distinct organizational lead, they are led by a wide range of partners that include formal entities like state agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, economic development corporations, and networks of stakeholders such as producer networks or associations, and local food councils. 

For example, Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems, an NSAC member, will lead the Great Lakes Midwest Center alongside four key partners – Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Northwest Indiana Food Council, Food Finance Institute, and the Menominee Indian Tribe (a partnership of several Indigenous tribes). Each of these partners will play a role in coordinating activities within their service areas, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, respectively.  

Rodger Cooley, the Executive Director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, an NSAC member, shared “the Centers will be a great opportunity to serve small-scale and underserved producers through technical assistance and connecting them to impactful USDA programming and resources like the Local Food Purchase Program, Local Food in Schools, and eventually the new Regional Food System Infrastructure grants that will be available in Illinois soon.” Rodger went on to share about how this initiative is unique from other USDA AMS grants noting that “the five year commitment is significant.  We are able to hire someone focused solely on supporting farmers through the larger ecosystem and direct business builder grants to producers. We will be able to take our experience in this work to influence state level policy in Illinois while learning from the other states in the Center.” 

Unique Regional Considerations

While the Regional Food Business Centers are tasked with providing business technical assistance, capacity building awards, and coordination of broader regional efforts, they will implement these initiatives considering unique regional agricultural and organizational assets and gaps within the food supply chain. 

For example, The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources was selected as the lead organization for the Southwest Center to serve California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. While this Center will provide services for a wide range of food and farm businesses in the region, they will dedicate specific attention to serving the predominantly rural Colonias communities to advance business development for socially disadvantaged producers in these often underserved areas.  

One way that the Center will leverage existing partnerships and organizational assets to reach this community is to partner with Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), an NSAC member, in the Salinas Valley. For over twenty years ALBA has operated an organic farm business incubator, helping Mexican immigrant farmworkers – and other aspiring farmers – to make the transition to independent farm ownership. The incubator farm sits on 100-acres in the Salinas Valley. The program is designed to lower the barriers to starting a farm, offering subsidized access to education, technical assistance, farmland and equipment over five years. Their history working with Latino communities makes ALBA uniquely positioned to serve the Colonias border communities, and as a model for other regions through the Center’s network. For the first time, investments from the Regional Food Business Centers will allow ALBA to support the development of other land-based training programs throughout the Center’s footprint.

National Impact

While it is too early to evaluate the success of the program in its early implementation phase, the regional structure and organizations selected showcase the great potential for this program to support community-led efforts to provide business support through trusted technical assistance providers already established in their communities. It takes significant time to build genuine relationships and conduct outreach for new initiatives, particularly in underserved communities where distrust of USDA and short-term projects may be common. To address this challenge, USDA has structured the cooperative agreements for an implementation period between four to five years. This longer project period allows for organizations to hire dedicated staff, provides a longer window of time for businesses to engage with the Center, and increases the opportunities to provide technical assistance. 

The Regional Food Business Centers offer an opportunity to build on the existing assets of organizations and pair outreach and technical assistance with business builder awards. While USDA will invest $400 million across the Centers, a portion of this funding will go directly to food and farm businesses to build their capacity to participate in the regional food value chain. With support from USDA staff, each Center will develop a sustainability plan to ensure the initiative extends beyond federal funding. Undoubtedly, through partnership and business development, the Centers will catalyze economic development opportunities nationwide.  

Sustaining Impact through the Farm Bill

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA responded to market and supply chain disruptions that left families and farmers vulnerable to food insecurity and unprecedented revenue loss. Last year, USDA announced a food system transformation framework that invested in strengthening essential elements of the food system, building resiliency, promoting greater competition, and generating economic opportunity for small and medium scale producers. 

While these USDA initiatives addressed unique challenges along the supply chain – from production, to processing, workforce development, distribution, and market development – these investments complemented one another to address the supply chain as a whole and build true resilience. The overarching goals are to: 

• build a more resilient food supply chain while reducing carbon pollution; 
• create fairer markets through competition and increasing access for small scale producers to the marketplace; 
• make nutritious food affordable and readily available; and 
• implement all in an equitable manner so investments reach even the most remote or underserved communities. 

The farm bill offers a pathway to carry forward the goals of the Food System Transformation Network, including the Regional Food Business Centers. The 2023 Farm Bill should:

• Sustain historic investments beyond the onetime infusion of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to ensure the networks and value-chain development continue beyond the life of the initial cooperative agreements. 
• Prioritize funding for agreements in an equitable manner with investments reaching underserved producers, businesses, and communities.
• Ensure sufficient geographic coverage with an emphasis on community-led centers with a smaller geographic footprint to allow for ongoing coordination among trusted partners and networks. 
• Maintain the focus on partnerships of several entities and organization types that can demonstrate their track record of working within communities and readily deploy technical assistance or funding for business development. 
• Require USDA to provide a report to Congress evaluating the degree, nature, and effectiveness of the Centers’ engagement with underserved producers, and make the data on which the report is based publicly available. 

The post Regional Centers Promote Business Development and Stronger Supply Chains appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

The end of a year signifies a time to reflect on all of the most important accomplishments and tribulations of the past year. At NSAC, we had the opportunity to celebrate and find new reasons to expand our advocacy to support sustainable agriculture practices, small-scale producers, diversified farming, local food systems, and beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers. Here are NSAC’s Top 10 accomplishments of 2022: 

1. NSAC’s In-Person Engagement!

After two long, difficult years managing the COVID-19 pandemic, NSAC members gathered for the annual summer meeting in Durham, North Carolina for the first time since the pandemic began. With nearly 100 members in attendance, NSAC’s coalition celebrated a renewed commitment to sustainable agriculture with many in-person conversations, connections made, and visits to local farms and food processing facilities that are doing the hard work to make our food system more sustainable and equitable. 

The NSAC Summer Meeting subsequently launched more in-person engagement with our incredible members. September 2022 saw the first in-person NSAC Fly-In since the beginning of the pandemic, bringing together farmers and food systems professionals from across the country to Washington, DC to discuss important policy and program improvements for a more sustainable and resilient farm system. With visits to Capitol Hill to share grassroots stories, important themes came to the forefront, including the need for increased investment in conservation programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program, government support for local food systems, the passage of legislation like the Agriculture Resilience Act. 

These in-person events provided a much needed return to normalcy. Beyond Zoom meetings and computer screens, NSAC and our member organizations experienced the power and impact of in-person engagement both in the field and on Capitol Hill. 

2. NSAC’s 2023 Platform Has Launched!

With the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization next year, NSAC staff and members have been busily developing recommendations for ways the Farm Bill can invest in healthy communities, level the playing field for small- and mid-sized farms, build a climate resilient future, and advance racial equity across the food system. After months of hard work from the NSAC staff and with valuable input from our members, we released NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for nearly every title of the farm bill informed by expert analysis and the experiences of farmers and food systems professionals on the ground. 

Since the release of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, staff have been busy setting up meetings all over Capitol Hill to share key recommendations. By proactively building solid relationships with Congressional offices now, NSAC is gearing up for an exciting and impactful farm bill year ahead. You can learn more about NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform by reading our blog series on the Platform here. 

3. Making Strides in Equity

2022 also saw  new initiatives to advance a more resilient and equitable food and farm system. 

In particular, the USDA began convening its new Equity Commission, a 15-member independent body dedicated to addressing the Department’s investments and commitments to improving racially and socially equitable outcomes for USDA programs. Implemented as part of USDA’s Equity Action Plan, the inaugural meeting of the Commission occurred in February 2022, and invited members of the public to register and provide oral comments for the Commission to consider as it began the work of formally addressing equity across USDA programs and policies. Subsequent meetings occurred in May and September of 2022. NSAC strongly supports efforts taken to ensure the equitable distribution of USDA resources such that farmers of all backgrounds, including people of color, beginning farmers, and veteran farmers, have the opportunity to thrive in our agricultural system. For more information on NSAC’s commitment to racial equity, click here. 

4. Breaking Climate Ground with the Inflation Reduction Act

During the summer of 2022, Washington, DC was abuzz with news that Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Chuck Schumer had negotiated the most comprehensive climate change bill ever passed in the history of the United States. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) offered more than 700 pages of substantive investments in a variety of climate-oriented programs, many of which were relevant to food systems. Of note, agriculture conservation programs, including the Conservation Stewardship Program, Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program were reauthorized.  More than $20 billion dollars in incremental payments was allocated through 2026. Additionally, organic producers and those transitioning to organic received explicit support in the bill. Further still, the IRA codified key elements of conservation programs that NSAC has long fought for, including removing the requirement that 50 percent of EQIP funds go to livestock operations, which has long resulted in Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) receiving large portions of conservation funds. While the IRA did not address every issue in climate and conservation programs, it certainly made some major improvements. 

Beyond conservation program support, the Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act provided $3.1 billion in funding for USDA to provide relief for distressed borrowers with at-risk agricultural operations. Nearly $800 million has already been disbursed to distressed borrowers with direct or guaranteed loans administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

As we round out 2022, NSAC staff are busy responding to requests for comments from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on ways to best implement the expansive funds that have been allocated to agricultural conservation programs in the IRA. With immense dedication and input from our members, our staff have prepared a substantive comment filled with recommendations on how to improve programs and implement new funds for conservation. 

5. Moving Forward on Appropriations

This year NSAC worked with the Biden-Harris Administration and with Congressional appropriators to seek increased sustainable agriculture investments in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 federal spending, including for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, conservation technical assistance, and much more. The fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill, as it currently stands, includes significant funding for key NSAC priorities including a. If the bill makes it through the House and Senate this week, we will see a $5 million increase for SARE, and a more than $40 million increase for CTA, while GLCI would receive flat funding at $14 million. As of this writing, the omnibus FY23 bill is awaiting final passage before the end of 2022.

6. Celebrating Crop Insurance, Competition, and Credit Reforms 

Throughout the year, both crop insurance and credit programs have seen huge improvements that NSAC has been advocating for. 

In July 2022, NSAC released a report on the benefits of crop insurance payment caps entitled “An Economic Analysis of Payment Caps on Crop Insurance Subsidies,” which calculated the potential savings of taxpayer dollars that would result from the implementation of modest payment caps on crop insurance subsidies. This policy would address both the outsized capacity for larger-scale producers to continually receive subsidies on crop insurance while also allowing for greater investments in conservation and other programs that provide farmers with the capacity to manage disasters that might affect crops in other ways. The report was updated in October 2022 to further demonstrate the minimal negative impacts of crop insurance payment caps. 

NSAC also supported a number of updated rules to the Packers and Stockyards Act, which advanced the Biden Administration’s commitment to giving extra teeth to the enforcement of antitrust law and giving livestock producers a fair shake. The first of the rules that NSAC supported included provisions to reform the Poultry Tournament Payment System, which will allow for smaller family farms to receive greater transparency from poultry production companies regarding their contracts. The second rule contained provisions to prevent prejudice against market-vulnerable individuals and to prohibit the use of false or misleading statements regarding contract formation, performance, and termination, among other protections. These two new rules offered significant advancement to ensure a fairer livestock system for producers and keeps in check the antitrust and otherwise unfair practices of powerful livestock and poultry companies. 

In late August, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced several changes to improve the effectiveness of the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program, the only insurance product designed to protect a farmer’s entire operation. RMA also announced a Road Show that offered two virtual workshops in October 2022 which developed into a series of virtual and in-person events this fall to educate producers and crop insurance agents about WFRP. NSAC supports a number of the new provisions that RMA has announced, including increasing maximum revenue limits, adjusting yield reporting requirements, and increasing maximum insurable revenue limits. NSAC looks forward to continuing to work with RMA to continue these positive changes, as well as prohibit negative provisions, such as the ability to adjust price and production expectations at the time of a loss claim, which causes significant discouragement from enrolling in WFRP. By advocating for good WFRP policies, NSAC hopes that more farmers will be able to protect their sustainable, diversified operations. 

7. Making Investments in Local Agriculture Programs

In September 2022, USDA announced its intention to establish Regional Food Business Centers, designed to provide technical assistance and capacity building for local and regional supply chain rebuilding from the impacts of COVID-19. NSAC celebrates this distribution of funds to strengthen local food systems to increase their resilience, and the particular focus on overcoming market barriers for underserved farmers, ranchers, and food businesses. 

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Grant Program (LFPA) also saw massive infusions of funds this year, with over $900 million dedicated to state, tribal, and local governments to facilitate local food purchasing to expand economic opportunities for local and underserved producers. This large investment in local food economies shows great potential for supporting smaller food producers, and also offers state and other regional government entities the flexibility to meet local needs. This program further expands on the extensive support that local food systems received through the American Rescue Plan and other supports throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. NSAC will be working to ensure that these and similar programs find a more permanent home in the 2023 Farm Bill to bolster local food systems in the long-term. 

COVID-19 relief also included more capacity for the Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG), which as part of the LAMP program, offers resources to create or expand local value-added producer-owned businesses. Through COVID-19 relief funding, VAPG grants saw reductions in matching requirements and overall increases in funding available, enhancing access to this valuable business assistance program and contributing to local economic development.

8. Expanding Food Safety and Inspection Opportunities for Smaller Operations

NSAC’s Food Systems Integrity portfolio has also seen an exciting year with a number of key programs receiving both fiscal and programmatic support, leading to better conditions for smaller producers and processors. 

The Strengthening Local Processing Act (SLPA), initially introduced in 2020, supports small meat processors dealing with supply chain challenges. Changes made to the legislation in reintroduction will expand access to workforce development funds for a wider variety of groups. NSAC supports this expansion and is advocating for SLPA’s inclusion in the 2023 Farm Bill. 

2022 saw other administrative efforts to support small meat processors. In November 2022, it was announced that USDA would invest over $70 million in 21 grant funded projects in the initial round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) – a program which aims to increase options for livestock producers, promote competition across the economy, and lower costs for American families. NSAC was very supportive of these grants, recognizing that their implementation allows for more proactive steps from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to anticipate the unique capacity and personnel challenges that smaller processors face and support them in building their resilience.

Further, the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program prioritized smaller plants looking to become USDA-inspected, which further supported smaller processors in meeting the need for more independent, regional meat processing capacity.

9. Introducing the SARE Marker Bill and Other Research Advancements 

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, or SARE, is a keystone program that supports and funds critical research to advance sustainable agriculture practices across the United States. NSAC strongly supports the SARE Program and is keen on supporting new marker bill legislation that will ensure that SARE receives adequate funding and support to continue to inform our agricultural system’s advancement towards a more sustainable landscape. NSAC hopes to set the stage for increased SARE and other research investments in the 2023 Farm Bill. 

Organic programs at USDA also saw significant investments this year, including $300 million dollars invested in the Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) which will help build new income streams for organic producers. Increased funding to OTI, and other similar programs, such as the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), are already facilitating stronger organic producer networks to help organic farmers gain the top dollar for their products. NSAC is proud that many of its coalition members are strong partners within TOPP, and hope that their influence will continue to strengthen the transition of many producers to more sustainable organic systems.

10. Coming in 2023: The NSAC Climate Rally for Resilience!

The Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience was announced this year at the 38th annual FarmAid Concert, held in September 2022. Led by NSAC and supported by a number of other farm and food organizations from around the country, the Rally for Resilience, scheduled for March 2023, will be a mass mobilization of farmers and producers from across the United States demanding meaningful climate resilience action from the federal government. The entire slate of programming will include a march, rally and concert, and a fully lobby day dedicated to bringing attention to the critical role that farmers play on the frontlines of climate change. To be involved with NSAC’s efforts for the Rally for Resilience, click here. 

While successes have been plenty, there will certainly be tough battles ahead. As the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization process gets underway, NSAC will be spending dedicated time and energy to ensure that the successes seen in 2022 continue to grow in the Farm Bill and beyond, all in line with the important proposals put forward in NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform. As we pause before the New Year, we want to take a moment to celebrate the monumental victories that our coalition has accomplished this year. We cannot do our work without the support and engagement of our members, allies, champions, and supporters. Thank you for a highly impactful year, and we look forward to creating more sustainable, equitable food systems change in 2023. 

The post NSAC’s Top 10 of 2022: A Year in Review appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Email: lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net  

Tel: 347.563.6408

Comment: NSAC Lauds USDA Framework to Transform the Food System 

Announced Today by Secretary Vilsack 

Washington, DC, June 1, 2022 – Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack gave an address at Georgetown University announcing the USDA Framework to Transform the Food System. In response, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Eric Deeble, NSAC Policy Director:

“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds Secretary Vilsack’s announcement of a framework to transform the food system to support consumers, producers, and rural communities by providing more options, increasing access, and creating and improving markets for diverse producers. Today’s announcement is another meaningful step toward creating a more fair, equitable, and sustainable farm and food system. When taken together with USDAs recent actions to fight concentration and consolidation and support climate focused conservation programs, these new investments will help farmers grow healthy, affordable foods for families in their own communities.”

“NASC commends USDA for committing $2.095 billion in new funding to strengthen critical parts of the food system, to promote greater competition and fairness, build resiliency, and generate greater economic opportunity for small and medium scale producers. For far too long we have seen how inadequate competition stifles growth and innovation throughout the agricultural supply chain and makes the food system susceptible to significant shocks such as pandemics and war.”

“NSAC believes these increased investments are critical to addressing longstanding structural challenges related to production systems, anti-competition and anti-consolidation, farmer incomes, rising food prices, and addressing equity and food access. We are particularly pleased to see:  

-$200 million for the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program to expand pathways to existing markets;  

-An addition of $50 million for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program; $40 million in the GusNIP Produce Prescriptions Program; and $60 million to leverage increased commodity purchases through Farm-to-School, to help consumers and institutions purchase more healthy foods from farmers in their own communities; and

-$300 million for Organic Transition and $75 million to support urban agriculture to help farmers seeking to engage in more sustainable practices.” 

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) 

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. 

Learn more: http://sustainableagriculture.net

The post COMMENT: NSAC Lauds USDA Framework to Transform the Food System Announced Today by Secretary Vilsack  appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

As this unpredictable year comes to a close and we look to the future, here at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) we’re taking a look back at our coalition’s hard-fought wins towards building a more sustainable, equitable food and farm system in 2021.

Build Back Better through Budget Reconciliation

NSAC spent much of 2021 organizing to ensure Congress made once-in-a-generation investments to tackle the climate crisis through budget reconciliation. Thanks to our advocacy, the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) includes approximately $90 billion in critical food and farm system investments, many with a strong climate change focus.  Unfortunately, Congressional efforts to pass BBBA – the budget reconciliation package – before the end of the year have stalled. While the fate of the BBBA is uncertain, NSAC remains cautiously optimistic and will continue to advocate for the important investments included in the bill.  A more comprehensive look at how the food and agriculture portions of the Build Back Better Act have evolved can be found here.

Conservation and Energy Wins in BBBA

• $9 billion in new funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This would represent roughly a 50% increase in program funding. 
• $4.1 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). This would represent roughly a 55% increase in program funding. 
• $7.5 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a roughly 250% increase in program funding.
• $2.0 billion in new funding for Rural Energy for America (REAP), that would amount to a 300% increase relative to the 2018 Farm Bill. 

Sustainable Agriculture Research Wins in BBBA

• $120 million for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE).
• $60 million for the Organic Research and Education Initiative ((OREI). 
• $285 million for the Agriculture Food and Research Initiative (AFRI). 
• $60 million for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to carry out education, extension, and research relating to climate change.

Pandemic Response

• The Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, signed into law December 28th, 2020, contained a number of major investments for food & agriculture, including program improvements compared to the previous coronavirus package, many of which reflected major NSAC priorities and programs that could support more sustainable, equitable, and just food systems. Specifically, the bill contained nearly $26 billion in support for agriculture to be split equally between anti-hunger and nutrition programs and farm and food programs. NSAC has been working throughout 2021 to help ensure program spending from this bill is distributed promptly and equitably, including through direct farmer payments and through one-time funding increases to programs like the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) and Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Program (FOTO).
• The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law March 11, 2021, provided significant funding and additional resources to help farmers mitigate the prolonged impacts of this pandemic, including marginalized communities who were impacted the most. This included critical debt relief resources for farmers of color and new investments in supply chain safety and resilience for workers and farmers. NSAC members and staff worked to ensure that the USDA programs developed from this bill, including grant and loan programs to support small and mid-sized processors and enhancements to local and regional food procurement programs, build towards a more resilient, regional food system.
• The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program, announced in October, will make more than $650 million in aid to food processors, distributors, farmers markets, and producers available to those who have been impacted by the pandemic. NSAC engaged with USDA to ensure that there was certainty around the types of the expenses that were eligible for reimbursement, that paperwork required was appropriate for even the smallest producers, and that farmers markets could participate fully.
• Significant Investment in Training Next-Generation Farmers and Ranchers, announced in October 2021, USDA is providing funding for 140 organizations and institutions that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers. This investment was a result of new funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021. Several NSAC members were among the grantees including Kansas Rural Center, National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Land for Good, Georgia Organics, and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.

Competition and Consolidation

• Livestock Consolidation and Concentration have been issues of concern for NSAC members for decades, but they are resurgent in Washington, D.C this year as President Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, signaling a whole of government effort to address concentration and consolidation in US markets, including in agriculture. NSAC staff and members have worked with allied groups and USDA political and professional staff to inform the much-anticipated Packers and Stockyards Act rule expected early in 2022.
• An Opportunity to Reform Crop Insurance began when USDA announced the new Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP) in June 2021. The program offered a $5 per acre premium discount to producers who planted qualifying cover crops during the 2021 crop year and enrolled in eligible federal crop insurance policies. The PCCP was administered by the Risk Management Agency (RMA) and used funds from the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers (PAP) program. NSAC has long advocated for aligning crop insurance with conservation practices. While imperfect, the PCCP was a welcome support for farmers and may represent an important next step toward aligning crop insurance with soil and water conservation programs in the future, a key element of NSAC proposals to reform crop insurance.

Grassroots Organizing

• The Appropriations Virtual Farmer Fly-In, hosted in April 2021, brought together farmers, ranchers, and researchers from ten states to discuss agriculture appropriations for the 2022 fiscal year (FY22) with their Congressional delegations. The primary focus was the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension (SARE) program, a long-standing priority program of NSAC members, which is slated to receive increased funding for FY22 thanks to this advocacy. The pandemic continues to reshape how grassroots work is accomplished and virtual fly-ins offer the opportunity for farmer advocates, who might not have time during their growing season to travel to DC in person, to participate in advocacy opportunities and make their voices heard by policy makers.

• The Agriculture Resilience Act Virtual Farmer Fly-In, hosted in June 2021 after the reintroduction of the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), built on the success of the earlier Appropriations fly in. The virtual farmer “fly-in” on climate and agriculture brought together farmers and advocates from 12 states who held 17 meetings with lawmakers to ask them to support the ARA and its bold vision of a climate-friendly future for agriculture. NSAC continues to work to make certain that farmers are at the center of our national response to climate change and took this opportunity to share stories around farmers’ role in tackling the climate crisis.

Organics and Research

• Significant Funding for Organic Cost-share and Transition was announced in November 2021, when USDA created the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and pledged $20 million in pandemic assistance to cover certification, education, and other expenses for agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic. NSAC members continue to urge the USDA to provide greater support for organic farmers and ranchers and are working to ensure that USDA’s broader plan to support producers transitioning to organic facilitate is comprehensive and accessible to everyone, especially BIPOC growers who have described difficulties accessing certification services.

• First Ever SARE Briefing was co-sponsored by NSAC and SARE and the briefing showcased the impact SARE has had on supporting farmers as they overcame production challenges and worked to educate the next generation farmers. NSAC has been advocating for SARE to receive the full funding of $60 million authorized by Congress over 30 years ago. The SARE virtual briefing underscored just how important the program has been, and how much more it can do to help farmers and ranchers seeking to build the resilience of their operations and adapt to, and ultimately mitigate, the impacts of climate change.

As we put this tumultuous and unpredictable year behind us, we recognize there are more challenges ahead. But those challenges can also be opportunities and so we take this time to celebrate the hard-fought victories of this coalition as we prepare to build on them in 2022. We can’t do our work without the support and engagement of our members, allies, champions, and supporters – without you. 

The post A Year in Review: Wins and Reflections for Sustainable Agriculture in 2021 appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net 

Tel. 347.563.6408

Comment: NSAC Responds to USDA’s Pandemic Support for Certified Organic and Transitioning Operations

Washington, November 4, 2021 – In response to today’s announcement by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it will provide pandemic assistance to cover certification, education, and other expenses for agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following statement, attributable to Eric Deeble, NSAC Policy Director:

“NSAC is glad to see that USDA has committed $20 million to the new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) as part of the agency’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Organic farmers and ranchers faced numerous supply chain and economic challenges throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This investment to support organic producers will help them achieve and maintain their certification, implement organic practices, expand market opportunities, and demonstrates the USDA’s continued commitment to helping farmers who are central to meeting the challenges of the climate crisis.”  

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

The post COMMENT: NSAC Responds to USDA’s Pandemic Support for Certified Organic and Transitioning Operations appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

With farmers pulling long hours at the height of harvest season, and cases of the coronavirus skyrocketing across the country, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now providing additional funding to help many in our food and farm supply chains who were left out of previous aid programs.

As of October 6, USDA is now accepting applications for its Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program and will be doling out more than $650 million in aid to food processors, distributors, farmers markets, and producers who have been impacted by the pandemic. The deadline for submitting applications is by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, November 22, 2021.

Read on to see if this program is right for you or those in your community. More details can be found at the USDA’s PRS portal. 

Who is eligible?

PRS funding is available for food processors, distributors, farmers markets, food hubs, and producers that meet the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) “small business” size standards, as well as non-profit organizations, both those with 501(c)3 status and non-profits with other IRS designations. This includes small-scale diversified and specialty crop producers, produce distribution companies, meat processors and distributors, food hubs, and farmers markets.

All farmers markets are considered “small”. For all other businesses, check to see if you meet the Small Business criteria here. (Note: you will need to know your 6 digit NAICS code. If you don’t know which NAICS code to select, visit census.gov). Food hubs that sell into multiple market channels (i.e.- wholesale and direct to consumer,) should use the “Merchant Wholesaler, Nondurable Goods” NAICS set of codes. If the food hub is marketing a mix of items (fresh produce, manufactured goods, animal products, etc.), in other words, not just fresh produce, they can either choose the predominant merchant category (e.g., mostly fresh fruit and vegetables,) or apply under “Other grocery and related products”. 

More details on eligibility can be found on AMS’s eligibility portal. AMS has also developed an online video discussing program eligibility that can be viewed here.

How to apply

1. If you think you might be eligible for funding, and are interested in applying, first verify your eligibility here. 
2. If you are eligible, then register for your DUNS number here (if you don’t already have one), you must have a DUNS number in order to submit an application. While it should only take less than 5 minutes to complete your DUN application, it can take up to 5 business days to receive your DUNS number, so do not wait until the last minute! An AMS video tutorial on applying for a DUNS number is available here.
3. Finally, once you have verified that you are eligible and received a DUNS number, click here to complete USDA’s online PRS application by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, November 22, 2021.

A video tutorial providing an overview of the application process can be found here.

What costs are covered?

Costs incurred between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021 to respond to and protect workers against the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are eligible for reimbursement. These include costs to:

• Implement workplace safety measures to protect workers against COVID-19 (such as personal protective equipment, thermometers, cleaning supplies, sanitizer, hand washing stations)
• Pivot markets to protect workers against COVID–19 (such as developing online platforms)
• Retrofit facilities for worker and consumer safety (such as installing protective barriers, heat lamps, fans, tents, etc.)
• Provide additional transportation options to maintain social distancing for workers and consumers
• Provide housing that protects workers against COVID-19
• Provide health services to protect workers against COVID-19

Funding requests may range from $1,500 to $20,000. Funding requests can also include staff time associated with keeping workers safe such as, but not limited to, planning and execution of market pivots, like drive through farmers markets, pre-order systems, and online platforms; as well as added staffing for security and crowd management necessary to comply with mask mandates and capacity limits. 

Receipts are not required at the time of application however you should maintain sufficient documentation and records, such as receipts, to demonstrate costs were incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the eligible expense category, as USDA will be conducting spot checks of the program.

For a more detailed list of eligible costs, refer to the Program Information included on AMS’s PRS portal.

Deadline to apply

USDA began accepting applications on October 6, 2021. Applicants have 45 days to apply. All applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, November 22, 2021. Funding will not be awarded on a “first come, first served” basis so applicants need not rush to submit their applications. However, USDA will not accept late applications under any circumstances, so it is advisable that applicants submit their applications early if possible.

Additional Resources

Stay tuned for additional resources from NSAC and our partners on this new funding opportunity! In the meantime, check out these helpful resources from USDA:

• AMS Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program (PRS) portal
• AMS Eligible Industry Table
• SBA Small Business Classification Table

If you have questions about applying or obtaining a DUNS number, contact USDA’s Application Help Desk by phone at (301) 238-5550 or by emailing usda.ams.prs@grantsolutions.gov. The Help Desk hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET.

Si tiene preguntas sobre cómo solicitar u obtener un número DUNS, comuníquese con el Servicio de asistencia de solicitudes del USDA por teléfono al (301) 238-5550 o envíe un correo electrónico a usda.ams.prs@grantsolutions.gov. El horario de atención de la mesa de ayuda es de lunes a viernes, de 9:00 a. M. A 9:00 p. M., Hora del Este.

Recursos Adicionales (Recursos en Español) 

El programa de subvencion para respuestas y seguridad ante pandemias (PRS por sus siglas en inlgés) proporciona fondos para procesadores de alimentos, distribuidores, mercados agrícolas y productores para responder al Coronavirus, incluidas medida para proteger a los trabajadores contra el nuevo Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

AMS ha preparado recursos en español para solicitantes de habla hispana.  

• Documentos requeridos para aplicar – Spanish (pdf) 
• Cómo solicitar un número DUNS? – Spanish (pdf) 
• Cómo hacer una búsqueda de DUNS? – Spanish (pdf) 
• Cómo actualizar un número DUNS existente? – Spanish (pdf) 
• Hoja informativa del Programa de Subsidios de Seguridad y Respuesta a la Pandemia (pdf)

The post COVID Relief Funding NOW Available for Farmers Markets, Processors and Underserved Farmers appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

With the cooler fall weather, farmers all across the country are finally beginning to slow down and prepare for the end of this year’s farming season. With the second harvest amidst a global pandemic shortly coming to a close, many farmers will be taking stock over the next few months of how their operations and sales fared in the wake of so much uncertainty over the past year and a half. 

NSAC and our allies have been working to ensure that farmers receive support during this difficult time, and that no farmer is left out of any COVID-19 relief funding. 

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) is one of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) cornerstone COVID-19 relief programs, and to date has provided $18 billion in direct support to farmers impacted by the pandemic.

With less than a week to go before the CFAP-2 application period closes for good on October 12th, we’re sharing a few helpful reminders and resources for farmers and service providers to ensure no farmer is left out from receiving this critical aid. 

Program Overview

The broad purpose of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program is to compensate farmers who faced market disruptions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. USDA initially announced the creation of CFAP in the spring of 2020, but earlier funding rounds proved unworkable for most small-scale, diverse, and value-added producers (e.g. organic, local, grass-fed) and did not fully reach farmers of color and other underserved farmer communities. In the waning days of the previous Administration, sorely needed changes were made with the launch of CFAP-2 in September 2020 to address access issues. The Biden Administration reopened CFAP-2 in April 2021, made modifications to some elements of the program, and extended the deadline for applications to Tuesday October 12, 2021. 

Key Changes to Expand Program Eligibility

In an effort to make the program more accessible to more farmers, USDA solicited input from farmers and stakeholders that were underserved by previous aid programs, and integrated important changes into existing USDA relief programs. 

Key CFAP-2 changes include: 

• Expanded eligibility for contract producers (hogs, poultry, duck, geese, pheasant, quail, breeding stock and eggs)
• Pullets, turfgrass sod, and grass seed are newly eligible sales commodities 
• Enhanced payment rates for cattle producers

• Additional fixed, $20 per acre payments to row crop producers
• Adjustments to program formulas, farmer revenue calculations, and additional payments to swine producers
• Farmers can now use either 2018 or 2019 sales to calculate payments for Sale Commodities
• Farmers without a 2020 APH-approved yield can now use 100 percent of ARC-CO benchmark yield

Applications that were previously submitted can be revised and resubmitted by the October 12 deadline. To revise a previous application, farmers should contact your local FSA office.

How to Apply

Farmers who are interested in applying for CFAP-2 should first review the eligibility criteria to determine if you can and should apply. If you have questions or would like to talk your application over before submitting it, either: call the producer hotline at (877) 508-8364 or your local FSA office for an appointment (even if you are not 100% sure you will apply). 

Next, make sure to complete all forms and begin compiling necessary records for your application. Supporting documentation is not required to apply, but may be requested by FSA later as part of a spot check verification. 

Finally, farmers can submit your application through your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) at your USDA Service Center or online. FSA staff at your local USDA Service Center will work with producers to file applications. If you have an existing application, you can modify it by contacting your local USDA Service Center. 

For more information on the application process, please visit the CFAP 2 FAQ page.

Additional Resources

Last week, Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG) — a nonprofit law center that provides legal services to family farmers — published an updated resource focused on changes in eligibility around the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2. FLAG’s most recent guide — a Farmers’ Guide to Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP), 3rd edition — focuses on recent changes to CFAP 2 introduced by the 2021 Appropriations Act. Additional guides related to COVID-19 relief for farmers are available at this link.

NSAC and FLAG also hosted a webinar recap for service providers and organizations who serve farmers on COVID-19 aid programs, including CFAP-2, which is available online.

For a higher level glance at COVID-19 resources, see the recently published 6-page COVID-19 aid overview published by NSAC in partnership with Farm Aid, FLAG, Intertribal Agriculture Council, and RAFI-USA.

Refer to USDA’s CFAP information page for the most up to date application and deadline information.

The post Farmers, Get Your Applications in! COVID-19 Aid Program Closes Next Week appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Contact: Laura Zaks, Associate Director of Communications and Development

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net 

Tel. 347.563.6408

Release Cross-Post: Organizations Deplore Temporary Restraining Order Stopping Relief for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Farmers and Ranchers

On June 12, 2021, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) became a signatory and supporter of a joint press release issued by the Rural Coalition, Intertribal Agriculture Council, and other strategic partners in reaction to a Temporary Restraining Order issued last week to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act, to assist BIPOC farmers in paying off their Farm Service Agency direct or guaranteed loans. The full release can be found here and is republished below.

“We, the undersigned, are organizations whose service constituency is composed of Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian, and Pacific Islander family farmers. With our allied farm and environmental organizational signatories, we jointly deplore the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act, to assist BIPOC farmers in paying off their Farm Service Agency direct or guaranteed loans.

The underlying case, and related cases, reflect a flagrant attempt to overturn an act of Congress and the over 30 years of history of a definition that acknowledges and enables USDA to meet the urgent and particular needs of socially disadvantaged producers. During this pandemic, our producers have been unable to access the level of support and service provided to other groups of farmers and ranchers and will be further harmed by this relief being delayed.

We see these lawsuits as undemocratic actions designed only to frustrate and defeat the justice long denied to BIPOC farmers and ranchers and their communities. Many of the undersigned have worked for decades to assist tens of thousands of producers who have endured decades of disparate and discriminatory treatment by the USDA with huge barriers to relief–situations that continue today. This includes establishing a definition and provisions providing targeted USDA program resources in credit, conservation, marketing, cooperative development and other services for these socially disadvantaged farmer applicants–all which have been included, without legal challenge, in Farm Bills over the past 30 plus years.

Congress took into account this sad and sordid history when it consciously added Sections 1005 and 1006 of the American Rescue Plan. These sections targeted assistance to help BIPOC farmers to recover from more than a year of calamitous and disruptive conditions in producing and marketing of agricultural products.

No serious observer of USDA’s role in American agriculture can doubt that the Department has engaged in decades of intentional, and systematic, discrimination based on race and ethnicity. The results have been catastrophic and have completely reshaped farming by eliminating a wide swath of farmers. If ever there was a constitutional basis for taking race into account when making policy this is it.  In its decision the Court appears oblivious to this history, and hostile to efforts to achieve true racial justice.

We urge and support USDA to continue its vigorous defense of this critical relief and to assure the TRO does not prevent USDA from continuing to implement the eligibility and application process for this loan payment assistance, pending a favorable decision against a permanent injunction on this critically needed assistance for BIPOC farmers.

Our organizations further pledge to work to assure the intent of Congress is fulfilled and the rights of our producers are not extinguished.

We urge all other farmers and people of good will to educate themselves about this basic, fundamental, and continuing struggle for justice and equity by BIPOC farmers and their communities.”

Find the full list of signatories here.

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

The post Release Cross-Post: Organizations Deplore Temporary Restraining Order Stopping Relief for Black, Indigenous and People of Color Farmers and Ranchers appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), which will offer a $5 per acre premium discount to producers who planted qualifying cover crops during the 2021 crop year and enrolled in eligible federal crop insurance policies. The PCCP is administered by the Risk Management Agency (RMA) and funds for this program are coming from the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers (PAP) program. 

To receive this premium benefit, eligible farmers must file their acreage report with FSA by next Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

For additional details about the program and producer eligibility, click here.

PCCP Background

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many producers to lose revenue which made it financially challenging for them to maintain cover crop systems. The PCCP mirrors popular premium rebate programs in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana that support farmers who use cover crops as part of their rotations. However, unlike these programs, the PCCP is being offered retroactively as a relief program to farmers who planted cover crops this year. 

Farmers have long known the benefits of cover crops and their value is even more evident today as farmers are up against climate change driven floods, drought, and unpredictable weather. Cover crop adoption is an essential practice to build resilient systems and mitigate risk. There is a strong body of research which demonstrates the numerous benefits that planting cover crops has on crop yields, soil health, and farmers’ bottom lines. The announcement of the PCCP indicates that USDA recognizes the data presented by the agricultural research community and the wisdom of farmers who use cover crops.

Despite these benefits, many obstacles remain to broad cover crop adoption. Just over 4.5 percent of land in farms is planted with cover crops – 15 million acres out of 320 million acres of harvested cropland in 2017. As we emerge from the pandemic, it is clearer than ever that there is room for dramatic improvement in these rates and that USDA should support farmers to adopt conservation practices that increase resilience in the face of production and market risk for individual farm businesses as well as our entire food system.

NSAC has long advocated for aligning crop insurance with conservation practices. The PCCP is a welcome support to farmers who have been impacted by the pandemic, and may represent an important first step toward aligning crop insurance with soil and water conservation in the future.

Estimated Impact

The PCCP could cost up to an estimated $75 million (out of the $6.5 billion available through PAP) if all producers who planted cover crops on 15 millions acres received the PCCP premium. However, not all farmers who plant cover crops are enrolled in eligible crop insurance policies; in fact, farmers who adopt cover crops and additional practices to diversify production appear less likely than conventional farmers to enroll in crop insurance.  

For these farmers, especially small farmers, diversified and integrated production strategies are natural risk-management strategies. 

If these farmers were to enroll in crop insurance, the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program is a natural choice tailored to sustainable producers. WFRP is the only crop-neutral revenue insurance policy available nationwide designed to protect a farmer’s entire operation – insuring all crops and livestock under one policy, not just one crop. NSAC is thus disappointed that WFRP is explicitly excluded from the list of eligible federal crop insurance policies under PCCP. 

“Encouraging cover crops is a good thing,” said Scott Marlow, Long Rows Consulting, in response to the program’s announcement and its exclusion of WFRP. “But we have to be careful that rewarding the adoption of one facet of resilience (cover crops) in one sector of agriculture (crops eligible for standard crop insurance) isn’t reinforcing the drive toward industrialization that got us here in the first place. Are we creating an economic disadvantage against more fundamental elements of systemic resilience like crop diversity, integration of crops and livestock, higher-value and more diverse markets, and diverse farm scales?”

The PCCP was announced on June 1, 2021, giving farmers just two weeks until the June 15 deadline to adjust course at one of the busiest times of the growing season. The accelerated acreage reporting deadline will be a challenge for many farmers who were not already planning to submit their forms early, especially considering FSA County Offices are not yet open to the public without appointments per COVID-19 safety protocol. 

NSAC understands that this is a new program and that an early deadline for farmers to submit acreage reports will enable RMA to process payments before the August 15, 2021 premium billing date, but insufficient notice will hamper the reach and effectiveness of this program. While PCCP is looking at planting decisions made in the past, NSAC hopes that USDA will use this as a first step and extend the program to incentivize cover crop adoption into future planting years.

Improvements Needed

The PCCP will be a welcome support for eligible farmers who have been impacted by the pandemic as they work to maintain their cover crop systems. But this model is not perfect and it is important to recognize its limited ability to bolster food system resilience. 

In the short-term, NSAC urges USDA to implement comparable support for farmers enrolled in crop insurance policies that are excluded from the PCCP, including WFRP, that better serve small, mid-size, diversified, and organic producers. In addition, we recommend that RMA consider extending the June 15 acreage reporting deadline given insufficient notice at the height of the growing season for farmers and reduced accessibility of FSA County Offices. 

Looking ahead, there is a distinct possibility that levels of PCCP participation may be used as a proxy for producer interest or as a test run before USDA introduces a permanent iteration of this program. If true, NSAC recommends that any future program in this mold include WFRP as an eligible crop insurance policy. In addition, we feel that advance acreage reporting submission will only curtail participation, particularly among small or low resource farmers for whom the administrative burden is considerable, and should be extended to match the normal acreage reporting deadline. 

Fundamentally, the PCCP is a relief program designed to retroactively reward farmers who planted cover crops during a financially difficult year. NSAC strongly recommends that any future program created in the mold of PCCP be designed as a proactive initiative to encourage more farmers to adopt cover crops, as well as continue to reward farmers who maintain cover crop systems. 

While a $5 per acre premium is a relatively small reward that will not meaningfully offset the significant upfront costs that farmers face when adopting cover crops for the first time, especially for low-resource farmers, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program survey suggests that a discount through crop insurance would be one of farmers’ preferred types of conservation payment.

These recommendations to improve PCCP, or shape a future iteration of the program, should be undertaken as a suite of additional actions which USDA could use to more effectively incentivize conservation practices as risk management tools. NSAC and our member organizations look forward to continuing to work with USDA to implement meaningful reforms that align conservation programs with crop insurance to actively bolster the long-term resilience and competitiveness of our country’s farmers.

The post New Pandemic Cover Crop Program is a First Step appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Contact: Laura Zaks, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net

COMMENT: USDA Announces More Than $4 Billion to Strengthen Food System

Washington, DC, June 8, 2021 – In response to today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment:

“NSAC applauds the USDA’s commitment to investing more than $4 billion to strengthen our food system, improve access to local processing, invest in regional distribution and aggregation, and support for new market opportunities that will help producers earn a fairer price for what they grow. The pandemic laid bare the significant challenges facing small- and medium-sized producers and processors up and down the supply chain. This significant funding should be used to address the fundamental causes so that the Administration can follow through on their promise to ‘build back better’ and create a more resilient, just, and equitable food system. NSAC members look forward to working with USDA to ensure that they  do,” said Eric Deeble, Policy Director at NSAC.

“The priorities in today’s announcement are a step in the right direction to bolster the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic while also helping to create a more resilient and inclusive food system. NSAC believes that USDA’s commitment to a holistic, Build Back Better initiative will ensure a more robust food supply is accessible to consumers. NSAC is pleased to see that the initiative’s funding will include a mix of grants, loans, and financing mechanisms for a range of priorities including food production, processing, food distribution and aggregation, as well as for markets and consumers. 

NSAC looks forward to learning more details on the proposed program, along with the $1 billion announced last week to purchase healthy food for food insecure Americans and to strengthen food bank capacity. The commitment of more than $5 billion is testament to the Biden-Harris Administration’s stated commitment to transforming the food system by focusing on local and regional production, fairer markets, and improved access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities.”

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

The post COMMENT: USDA Announces More Than $4 Billion to Strengthen Food System appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.