Another Round of Pandemic Aid and Much More
Farmer’s Guide to the Value-Added Producer Grant Published, Farm to School Act of 2021, Another Round of Pandemic Aid, The Climate Crisis Needs More Than A Silver Bullet, and Contract Farmers Now Eligible for CFAP AID in this Week’s News Update from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
Congress Clears Another Round of Pandemic Aid with Historic Support for BIPOC Farmers
This week, Congress took steps to move forward additional COVID relief by passing another round of pandemic aid through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Bouncing back and forth in the Capitol building over the past month, the ARP was first drafted and passed in the House, modified and passed in the Senate, and finally passed in the modified form by the House and now heads to the President’s desk.
ARP includes historic funding to provide relief for BIPOC farmers, provide direct payments to farmers, purchase farm commodities for distribution to families in need, and strengthen food supply chains and processing capacity disrupted by the pandemic. You can read a breakdown of these provisions here:
Release: New Farmer’s Guide to the Value-Added Producer Grant Published
In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent announcement of at least $76 million in available grant support via the Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program, NSAC has released a newly updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Applying for the Value Added Producer Grant Program.
For farmers and ranchers, NSAC’s guide includes everything interested producers need to know about VAPG to determine if the program is a good fit for their operation, including program changes made due to the COVID-19 pandemic and helpful tips to improve a producer’s chances of obtaining funding from this highly competitive program.
Reminder: The deadline to submit paper applications for VAPG grants in-person or via mail is May 4, 2021; the deadline to submit electronic applications is April 29, 2021.
Farm to School Act of 2021 Would Strengthen Support For Local Food Systems And Child Nutrition Programs As Communities Rebuild From Pandemic
National Farm to School Network and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urge support for the Act, emphasizing farm to school’s proven impacts for children, farmers, and local economies.
Yesterday, a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders introduced the Farm to School Act of 2021 (H.R. 1768) which will support our nation’s schools, farmers and communities in building back equitably from the Covid-19 pandemic. The bill will expand funding for and programmatic scope of the highly successful USDA Farm to School Grant Program, while also ensuring that more communities – specifically those serving racially diverse and high-need student populations, as well as engaging with beginning, veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers – have a competitive opportunity to benefit from this valuable program. Read more at our blog:
The Climate Crisis Needs More Than A Silver Bullet
Energy and momentum to address the climate crisis is building under the Biden-Harris Administration. Many parts of the agriculture sector, previously opposed to climate action, have shifted their stance as agricultural soils come into focus as potentially powerful carbon sinks – and source of profit.
However, the rush to carbon markets may be premature as carbon sequestration is complex and actions taken now could have far-reaching impacts on how we support farmers already working to improve the sustainability of their operations and address the climate crisis.
Updated: Contract Farmers Now Eligible for CFAP AID
Update 3/1/21: USDA has announced that the application deadline listed previously of February 26 has been eliminated and USDA’s Farm Service Agency will continue to accept applications while the agency undergoes a review of the CFAP program. Interested applicants will have at least an additional 30 days to sign up after any decision is announced. Refer to USDA’s CFAP information page for the most up to date application and deadline information.
While the main deadlines for both versions of CFAP have passed, USDA’s recent changes to CFAP will impact some farmers, especially contract producers. In particular, contract producers of hogs and poultry are now eligible for CFAP 2. Visit our blog for more information:
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