Organic Transitions Program and More Funding Opportunities

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Funding, Internet Resources, Organic, Policy, Politics, Research, Rural Development, Small Farms, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

New Opportunities from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition including Conservation Stewardship Program Enrollment, SARE Grants, Organic Transitions Program, Conservation Easement Funding, and Appropriations News…

USDA NEWS

RELEASE: Conservation Stewardship Program Enrollment Opens – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that farmers and ranchers have until May 10, 2019 to submit an initial FY 2019 application for the nation’s largest working lands program, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

SARE ROUNDUP: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Grant Program Opportunities – SARE is administered through four regional councils of producers, researchers, educators, and government representatives. SARE regions include: North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western. These regional councils are responsible for setting SARE policies and grant making processes. Because each of the SARE councils houses their own program information, requests for proposals, and other important information separately, NSAC provides a periodic aggregation of funding opportunities and other activities from across the regions in our “SARE Roundup”.

Organic Transitions Program Applications Now Open – On the heels of the publication of the Request for Applications (RFA) for the the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has also just released this year’s RFA for the Organic Transitions Program. Like they did with OREI, NIFA has opted to release the fiscal year (FY) 2019 and 2020 RFAs concurrently. The deadline to apply for the FY 2019 Organic Transitions Program is May 16, 2019. Organic Transitions Program Applicants are also encouraged to begin their applications for FY 2020 early, however the deadline for FY 2020 is not until February 27, 2020.

$450 Million for Conservation Easement Funding Announced – Last week, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the availability of $450 million through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) to restore critical wetlands and protect agricultural lands and grasslands. ACEP can help land owners improve environmental quality and wildlife habitat, as well as protect open spaces and/or historic spaces.

APPROPRIATIONS NEWS

RELEASE: Leading Farm, Conservation, and Wildlife Groups Unite to Protect Conservation Funding – In a letter delivered this week, the groups, which include the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), National Farmers Union (NFU), National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and American Farmland Trust (AFT), called upon appropriators to respect the funding decisions made in the 2018 Farm Bill and reject any cuts to farm bill conservation funding through the appropriations process.

NSAC JOBS

NSAC is seeking a Coalition Director! – Are you deeply committed to public service and are experienced in administration in the field of sustainable agriculture? Would you enjoy leading a passionate, high-performing, member-engaged, and collaborative organization that is dedicated to working for racial equity? NSAC is looking for a new Coalition Director. NSAC offers competitive non-profit salary and benefits and is an equal opportunity employer.