NSAC News: Research Grants, Crop Insurance Reform, SARE

Tweet

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Weekly News Roundup April 5-April 9, 2010

This was another slow week in the capitol, with Congress out in the second week of recess. Despite the relative quiet in the neighborhood, the NSAC office continued to buzz with projects and campaign work, including updates to the online version of NSAC’s Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill. Look out in the next month for information on ordering hard copies from our website.

USDA News

4/6/10 –Research Grants Drilldown: Small and Medium Farms and Rural Communities

This RFA acknowledges the diverse challenges confronting small and medium-sized farms, which make up 92% of U.S. farms and are critical to the overall prosperity of rural America.

4/6/10 – Research Grants Drilldown: Integrated projects on Sustainable Food Systems

The program, called “Improved Sustainable Food Systems to Reduce Hunger and Food Insecurity Domestically and Globally,” seeks to improve food security in vulnerable US communities and create viable local economies by developing research, education, and extension programs on local and regional food systems.

4/9/10 –  Study Supports Crop Insurance Reform

A study by Milliman Inc., released by the USDA last Friday April 2, determined that the return on equity for crop insurers in the Federal Crop Insurance Program was 26.4 percent in 2009, well above the reasonable rate of return for 2009, 10.7 percent.

Other News and Resources

4/7/10 – New SARE Handbook on Multifarm CSAs

This Monday, April 5, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) released a handbook on cooperative marketing for community supported agriculture farms (CSAs). The 130-page manual gives concrete details on strategies for forming and maintaining a multifarm CSA, including advice on staffing, volunteer boards, distribution, and legal topics.