Important Agricultural Research News – USDA Reorganization

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The latest news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) featuring Agricultural Research News, Local Food News, Conservation News, and NSAC News…

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH NEWS  

USDA Planning to Move NIFA and ERS out of Washington, DC  – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it will move the Department’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) out of Washington, D.C, and that oversight of ERS would move from the research and economics arm of USDA to the Office of the Chief Economist. The news has raised alarm bells throughout research and economics communities, among NIFA and ERS staff, and with organizations like NSAC. Among the chief concerns are that NIFA and ERS staff will leave USDA rather than move their families to a yet-to-be-determined location, and that USDA’s economic research and analysis may become politicized. With details still developing on this important story, NSAC will publish an in-depth blog post about this disturbing agricultural research news next week, so stay tuned. In the interim, please see this recent article in the Daily Yonder, which includes a statement from NSAC’s Juli Obudzinski.  

Message to Policy Makers: Massive Increase in Agricultural Research Funding Required  – The United States’ total federal investment in agricultural research has been flat for a long time, a fact that does not bode well for the future of our farm and food system. The Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation (RMF) is working to change this by organizing researchers, educators, and extension experts to urge policymakers to recommit the U.S. to a world leadership role in agricultural research. NSAC is an official sponsor of the eight-part RMF Unifying Message series that describes what this leadership would look like.   

LOCAL FOOD NEWS  

$21 Million to Increase Healthy Food Access In Low-Income Communities – The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Program provides grants to projects that help low-income consumers participating in SNAP purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables through cash incentives that increase their purchasing power while also enhancing markets for local farmers. On August 2, USDA announced 24 FINI grants totaling $21 million. We congratulate the NSAC member organizations which received grants for pilot and multi-year projects. 

Celebrating Local Food by Taking Action for Family Farmers – Local food advocates are fighting to ensure that the 2018 Farm Bill supports family farmers and healthy food access. The Senate bill makes significant long term investments in local/regional food economies through a new program called the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), which combines all the great things about the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) and the Value-added Producer Grants Program (VAPG) and ensures mandatory farm bill funding for the work. Find out how can you engage in the policy process to support farmers markets and local food systems in this article!  

CONSERVATION NEWS

Time Running Out to Sign Up for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Farmers and landowners have until Friday, August 17, 2018 to sign-up for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP), a federal conservation program that pays farmers to install partial field conservation practices, primarily conservation buffers or wildlife habitat. Earlier this summer, conservation and farm groups nationwide, including NSAC, celebrated the reopening of the program after a nearly one-year program freeze and welcomed the expansion of conservation opportunities for producers and landowners nationwide.  

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. 

 

Learn more about farm policy and agricultural politics from beginningfarmers.org at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/farm-policy-agricultural-politics/