USDA News and Farm Bill News

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USDA News and Farm Bill News from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

USDA NEWS

$15 Million Available to Protect and Enhance Agricultural Wetlands On March 9th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made up to $15 million available for conservation partnerships that provide technical and financial assistance for on-farm wetland conservation. These funds are made available through the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), a key component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Project proposals must be submitted by April 24, 2017.

The Future of Farming Depends on the Future of Research On March 2, 2017 NSAC presented our thoughts about the future of agriculture and agricultural research at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) listening session entitled, “Visioning of United States Agricultural Systems for Sustainable Production Stakeholder Listening Session Meeting.” This post digs into some of these ideas and the role of policy in achieving this sustainable vision.

FARM BILL NEWS

Release: Massachusetts Family Farmer Testifies on Importance of USDA Programs to Specialty Crop Growers

Massachusetts farmer and President of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts Chapter Laura Davis delivered testimony before the House Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research. The subcommittee hearing on Specialty Crops is part of a larger series of hearings entitled “The Next Farm Bill”, hosted by the Committee on Agriculture of the U.S. House of Representatives in advance of the drafting of a new federal farm bill in 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 the nutrition title; specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), by far the largest program in the farm bill from a funding standpoint.