Sustainable Agriculture News: Organic, Resources, Conservation

Tweet

Sustainable Agriculture News: Organic News, New Resources, Conservation, and More

ORGANIC NEWS

New Guidebook Will Help Organic Farmers Access Conservation Programs On November 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service published a new handbook to help NRCS field staff work more effectively with organic and transitioning-to-organic producers.

New Resources for Transitioning to Organic Production This fall, U.S. Department of Agriculture released two resources aimed at helping producers transition to organic production, with one more expected soon.

NEW RESOURCES

New Study Finds Investment in Agroecology Falls Short On November 10, the Journal of Environmental Science & Policy published an article that provides an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists and partners to identify how much U.S. Department of Agriculture 2014 competitive grant funding for research and education incorporated agroecology.

New Scorecard Reveals Legislators’ Stance on Good Food Policy Issues The National Food Policy Score Scorecard: 2015 Progress Report was released this week and scores federal legislators on food policy issues. It was compiled by Food Policy Action, a D.C.-based non-profit organization.

FARM TO SCHOOL NEWS

Farm to School Awards Made Just as Congress Faces Last Chance to Pass a New Child Nutrition Bill On Tuesday, November 17, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $4.8 million in grants for 74 projects in 39 states through the USDA Farm to School Grant Program for fiscal year 2016.

CONSERVATION NEWS

What’s the Conservation Stewardship Program “Makeover” All About? The Conservation Stewardship Program, the largest conservation program in the United States, is undergoing a major overhaul, or “makeover” for the 2016 sign-up period.

CAFOS and Cover Crops: A Closer Look at 2015 EQIP Dollars This post digs into EQIP data from Fiscal Year 2015 to highlight major conservation wins, as well as identify critical opportunities for improvements in this working lands conservation program.

$350 Million to Protect Wetlands, Grasslands, and Farmlands On November 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the availability of $350 million in fiscal year 2016 for long-term easements to protect wetlands, grasslands, and farm and ranch land.