Farm Bill Negotiators Set AND More News

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The latest news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) featuring – House and Senate Appoint Farm Bill Negotiators, Agriculture Spending Bill May Move in September, Family Farm and Rural Community Research Grants, and NSAC is Hiring!

FARM BILL NEWS  

House and Senate Appoint Farm Bill Negotiators The 2014 Farm Bill expires in two months. Both the House and Senate have passed their respective versions of a new farm bill, and will now begin the process of formally negotiating the two bills with the goal of finalizing a 2018 farm bill before the 2014 bill expires. On Wednesday, August 1, the Senate named its farm bill “conferees,” those who will vote to adopt the final negotiated bill. The House named its conferees last month. A majority of each of the House and Senate Farm Bill Negotiators (Conferees) must vote for the final bill in order for it to go to the full Congress.   

APPROPRIATIONS NEWS  

Agriculture Spending Bill May Move in September One of the basic tasks of Congress is to pass the set of 12 annual spending bills (appropriations) that fund the government and all its many programs and services. The deadline for Congress to act on appropriations bills is September 30 each year. Despite the agreed upon timeline, Congress has not gotten the appropriations bills done on time since 1996, a drought of over 20 years! This year, however, there is a strong glimmer of hope that as many as eight of the dozen bills might be completed on time.  

USDA NEWS  

Upcoming Deadlines for Family Farm and Rural Community Research Grants Five research, education and extension grant programs relevant to small and mid-scale family farms and rural economic development have upcoming deadlines for proposals. All there are funded through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). This year’s AFRI Request for Applications allocates about $23 million for grants focusing on the social sciences and research to examine and improve agriculture, the environment, and rural communities.  

NSAC NEWS   

NSAC is hiring!  We are seeking an Operations Coordinator and two Policy Specialists to join our team. These positions are located at NSAC’s DC office on Capitol Hill and are full-time exempt positions. See the Operations Coordinator and Policy Specialist position descriptions for more information and instructions on how to apply.

 

Get more information about Farm Policy and Agricultural Politics from beginningfarmers.org at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/farm-policy-agricultural-politics/