Help for New Farmers from USDA and More

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Taylor in Beginning Farmers, Farming Resources, Food Systems, News, Policy, Politics, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

Help for New Farmers from USDA, A New Hub for Good Food Policy, NSAC Member Solidarity, and more news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).

Help for New Farmers from USDA

Earlier this spring, USDA announced the appointment of Sarah Campbell as the USDA National Beginning Farmer Coordinator, as well as a new team of State Beginning Farmer Coordinators, to help ensure there is a dedicated advocate for beginning farmers in every part of the country. Now that USDA has finally appointed new farmer coordinators in each state, the important work of shifting USDA resources to where new farmers need it most can begin.

The state coordinators were selected from current USDA field staff and include staff from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Rural Development (RD). Read more about how coordinators will provide help for new farmers below:

New Hub for Good Food Policy

In May, as the country grappled with an emerging global pandemic and unprecedented demand for food assistance, a national collaboration of organizations working on food systems and healthy food access officially launched the Nutrition Incentive Hub.

Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Nutrition Incentive Hub will serve as a new national resource for training, technical assistance, reporting, and evaluation for those working to launch or expand nutrition incentive programs. This includes SNAP incentive programs as well as produce prescription programs that help participating families purchase more fruits and vegetables. Read up on the Nutrition Incentive Hub below:

NSAC Members Stand in Solidarity

This week, NSAC has been highlighting the voices of our coalition members and partners speaking up in solidarity with calls for justice for Black lives and committing to the work of dismantling structural racism, including in the farm and food system. Find highlights on our Twitter feed as we continue to share them over the weekend. We stand with you, and we look forward to sharing more as a coalition around our own commitment Monday.