Climate Change and the Agriculture Sector and More

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Funding, News, Policy, Politics, Research, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s weekly news features information about Climate Change and the Agriculture Sector, Congressional Appropriations News, Conservation News, and Ag. Research News…

APPROPRIATIONS NEWS

House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2020 Funding Bill

The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed its fiscal year (FY) 2020 bill just ahead of Congress’ Memorial Day recess, bringing them one step closer to providing funding for food and agriculture programs for FY 2020. The agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for a wide range of farm and food programs, including conservation initiatives, beginning farmer and rancher training, and agricultural research. It is expected that the full House Appropriations Committee will take up the draft bill when Congress returns from recess, likely the first week of June.

RELEASE: FY 2020 House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Proposes to Block ERS NIFA Relocation

This morning the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee released their fiscal year (FY) 2020 Agriculture Appropriations Bill in advance of tomorrow’s Subcommittee markup. Overall the bill provides $24.3 billion for food and agricultural programs, $1 billion above the FY 2019 enacted level. The House bill provides important investments in several of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) appropriations priorities, while also rejecting the Administration’s proposal to relocate USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) outside of the National Capital Region and move ERS out of the Department’s research mission area.

CONSERVATION NEWS

Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment Window Opens Next Month

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that they would begin accepting applications on June 3, 2019 for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP). CCRP pays farmers to install partial field conservation practices, primarily conservation buffers or wildlife habitat. The continuous sign up period (“signup 52”) will open on June 3, 2019. Participants with current CCRP contracts that are coming due this year have until August 23, 2019 to re-enroll. Participants seeking to enroll new land can do so at any time, unless and until FSA announces that it is not accepting more applications..

RESEARCH NEWS

AFRI’s Foundational RFA Open to Research on Sustainable Agriculture

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the largest federal agricultural research competitive grant program, released its Request for Applications (RFA) for its Foundational and Applied Science Program for the fiscal years 2019 and 2020. The purpose of AFRI’s “Foundational” program is to invest in research, education, and extension projects that support more sustainable, productive, and economically viable agricultural systems. Specifically, the program’s focus is to drive innovation to improve farm efficiency, sustainability, rural communities, human nutrition, as well as mitigating food waste and advancing classical breeding.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR NEWS

COMMENT: Renewed Focus on Climate Change and the Agriculture Sector Presents Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture

This week, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry held a hearing regarding “Climate Change and the Agriculture Sector” to explore the role America’s farmers and ranchers play in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation. In response, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) delivered a formal statement to the Committee, as well as the following remarks.