A Closer Look at the 2018 Farm Bill

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Policy, Politics, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

Here is this week’s news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) featuring A Closer Look at the 2018 Farm Bill, Appropriations News, and News From NSAC…

FARM BILL ANALYSIS

A Closer Look at the 2018 Farm Bill: Local Agriculture Market Program – Despite the unprecedented amount of partisanship that arose during this farm bill process, the sustainable agriculture community came away with some very significant wins – particularly when it comes to local/regional food systems. In this deep dive post, we detail what stakeholders need to know and what they can look forward to from one of the crown jewels of the 2018 Farm Bill: the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) was an early champion of LAMP, and outlines in this post how the program will improve resources for stakeholders, as well as what new opportunities might become available once it is implemented. Click Read More to take a closer look at the 2018 Farm Bill.

A Closer Look at the 2018 Farm Bill: Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program – In the eyes of healthy food system advocates, one of the 2018 Farm Bill’s biggest successes is the expansion of the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program (FINI); the SNAP incentive grant program established in the 2014 Farm Bill that has continued to garner bipartisan and bicameral support. The program was recently renamed in honor of longtime friend to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), former USDA Under Secretary, and Wholesome Wave co-founder Gus Schumacher, who was lauded in the conference committee report as “a magnificent advocate for farmers and families (who) saw the importance in building access and affordability through incentive programs.” The many NSAC member groups conducting incentive programs can attest to the truth of the statement. Click Read More to take a closer look at the 2018 Farm Bill.

APPROPRIATION NEWS

COMMENT: Latest Attempt by House to Reopen Government Includes Language to Delay Reorganization of Core USDA Research Agencies

In the midst of the largely stalemated negotiations to end the partial government shutdown, the House revived previously unpublished conference report language in an effort to move the fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations process forward. The report included language that had not been included in the 2018 Senate-passed FY 2019 agriculture appropriations bill, nor the agriculture appropriations bills put forward earlier this year by the House. The specific language expressed concern around the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to relocate and reorganize the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

NSAC NEWS

NSAC is seeking a Coalition Director! Are you deeply committed to public service and are experienced in administration in the field of sustainable agriculture? Would you enjoy leading a passionate, high-performing, member-engaged, and collaborative organization that is dedicated to working for racial equity? NSAC is looking for a new Coalition Director. NSAC offers competitive non-profit salary and benefits and is an equal opportunity employer.