Other Ag News:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Release: Senate Bill Aims to Strengthen USDA Support for Urban and Innovative FarmersWashington, DC, May 4, 2026 – Late last week, Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act S.4470. This bill provides programmatic improvements and resources for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to address the growing program demand and equip the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Centers with tools to support the unique needs of urban and innovative operations. Specifically, it would promote the delivery of conservation planning and business technical assistance, enable subawards in existing grants to deliver more resources to farmers, and direct a national data collection initiative to accurately quantify the prevalence of innovative production.
“In just a few years, the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has proven the effectiveness of pairing grants with hands-on technical assistance from trusted regional partners. We’ve seen new partnerships form and hundreds of projects launched that support incubator farms, training, and youth development initiatives nationwide. The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act would provide a permanent pathway to replicate this approach while providing the necessary funding to fully implement it,” commented Hannah Quigley, NSAC Policy Specialist.
“Investing in cooperative agreements between USDA and community technical assistance providers is not only effective for amplifying USDA resources; it is critical in a time where USDA staffing levels are at their lowest and needs among farmers are still high,” added Quigley.
The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act would enable the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to:
- Address the unique conservation and business-planning needs of urban and small-scale farmers;
- Enter into formal partnerships with community organizations and technical assistance providers that can more readily reach farmers;
- Enable subawards so that farmer training and education can be paired with a modest influx of capital to have a great on-farm impact; and
- Secure reliable, mandatory funding to continue its essential operations.
The bill will also ensure sufficient research and evaluation so that farmers continue to have access to innovative and efficient production techniques that protect natural resources and are represented in the agricultural census.
“For decades, CAFF has stood alongside family farmers wherever they grow — including in California’s cities. The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2025 gives urban and innovative producers the institutional support they deserve: help navigating regulations, access to competitive grants, and recognition within federal agriculture programs. This is the kind of investment that keeps farming alive and thriving while decreasing food miles for consumers,” stated Keely Cervantes, Policy & Organizing Manager, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), an NSAC Member.
“Through the production of fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate food, urban farms are actively fighting against food apartheid in their communities. But growing food is just one component of their significance; urban farms serve as important job training sites for the next generation of growers, provide stormwater infiltration, cool entire neighborhoods from the urban heat island effect, sequester carbon, divert waste from landfills, create spaces where kids can breathe easier, and where the supply chain is a walk around the block. The investment in urban agriculture proposed in the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2026 acknowledges and celebrates the critical role urban farms play in our food systems,” said Hannah Kinney Smith, Executive Director of Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, an NSAC Member.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/
The post Release: Senate Bill Aims to Strengthen USDA Support for Urban and Innovative Farmers appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
(Washington, D.C., April 30, 2026) — Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services mission area announced its intention to introduce the Food and Nutrition Administration. This shift will include a reorganization and relocation, all to move program leadership and staff from Washington, D.C. to hub and program compliance locations across the U.S. This shift in customer service will not disrupt program execution nor any endeavor to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across USDA’s 16 nutrition assistance programs.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Comment: NSAC Responds to House Farm Bill PassageWashington, DC, April 30, 2026 – Today, the US House of Representatives approved the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (HR 7567), 224-200. In response, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released the following comment, attributable to Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director.
“NSAC appreciates the House of Representatives’ persistent pursuit of a new bill; a new farm bill, already more than two and a half years delayed, is desperately needed. NSAC thanks Members on both sides of the aisle who fought to make this a better bill for all farmers and stakeholders, including those who supported the removal of a provision that would have limited existing state and local authority to regulate pesticides. Yet, for the countless farmers struggling to make ends meet, the House bill offers only scattered policy improvements, many without the resources to fuel them. Slashes to popular conservation funding, the absence of guaranteed investments in domestic markets for farmers, and a status quo farm safety net are shortcomings that – unless corrected by the Senate – will have a pronounced impact, particularly for small and midsized operations, and beginning, young, and other underserved farmers and ranchers. We now look forward to a robust bipartisan process in the Senate.”
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/
The post Comment: NSAC Responds to House Farm Bill Passage appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
(Washington, D.C., April 29, 2026) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a new Secretarial Memorandum (PDF, 882 KB) and letter (PDF, 932 KB) directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to heighten national wildfire readiness, accelerate community-focused risk reduction, and strengthen firefighter health and safety for the 2026 fire year.
(Washington, D.C., April 29, 2026) – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an expanded partnership with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) to increase domestic agricultural production and exports, while reducing the agricultural trade deficit. Alongside this partnership, USDA is formally launching the Financial Assurance to Revitalize Markets, or FARM, Initiative, a comprehensive effort to strengthen and modernize its export credit guarantee program in support of U.S. agricultural competitiveness.
(Higginsville, MO, April 24, 2026) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today in Missouri announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is maximizing disaster assistance support for producers by issuing a second Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) payment to eligible producers who have approved program applications for losses due to natural disasters in calendar years 2023 and 2024. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already provided $6.7 billion in SDRP payments to eligible producers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Release: More than 300 Farm Groups Urge Congress to Reject House Farm BillWashington, DC, April 24, 2026 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), along with hundreds of farmer‑serving, farmworker, farms, and other stakeholders engaged in the future of American agriculture and food, urged House leaders to reject the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) and return to the table to craft a farm bill that truly serves all farmers and communities.
“The farm bill can and should be a vehicle for the stability and prosperity of all of American agriculture. This letter from hundreds of farmers and the organizations that serve them shows that the House farm bill has fallen well short of that mark. Amidst rising farm bankruptcies and unprecedented economic and policy instability, the House bill chooses more of the same, neglecting the kinds of investments and policies that our farmers not only deserve but desperately need. We encourage the House of Representatives to deliver a bill that brings stability and growth for all farmers by rejecting H.R. 7567 in pursuit of a better alternative,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director.
With farm bill reauthorization already more than two and a half years overdue, the letter stressed that urgency cannot be an excuse for bad policy. “Congress must reject H.R. 7567 and deliver a bipartisan farm bill that strengthens the safety net, invests in local and regional markets, protects workers, and advances a just, climate‑resilient food system for all,” the letter states.
Find the letter here.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/
The post Release: More than 300 Farm Groups Urge Congress to Reject House Farm Bill appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Release: Transparency and Oversight Needed to Ensure New USDA Reorganization Avoids Disrupted Services for Farmers, Processors, and the PublicWashington, DC, April 23, 2026 – Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the reorganization of the Research, Education, and Extension (REE) and Food Safety mission areas. This reorganization will move over 200 technical and administrative staff from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) out of the National Capital Region (NCR), relocate staff from the Economic Research Service (ERS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) staff to St. Louis or Kansas City, and close one of USDA’s historic research centers, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC).
While the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) supports USDA’s stated goals of enhancing effectiveness, accountability, and service delivery, USDA’s reorganization plans lack transparency and have disregarded input from farmers and the general public. Previous reorganizations have led to loss of staff and knowledge, and with REE and FSIS already struggling with staffing, the advancement of USDA’s reorganization plan risks undermining their core functions.
“The 2019 relocation of ERS and NIFA drained talent and crippled productivity, conditions now at risk of being repeated. The further relocation of ERS, NIFA, and NASS staff will likely bring about service disruptions and a greater loss of institutional knowledge. In addition, despite the significant public feedback to the contrary, the reorganization would close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, disrupting decades of invaluable agricultural research,” said Nick Rossi, NSAC Policy Specialist.
“The relocation of FSIS personnel was entirely absent from the USDA Reorganization plan in 2025. Without stakeholder input and proper forewarning, this abrupt relocation could lead to service disruptions for inspection personnel, undermining initiatives to support small and very small processors. We look forward to further public documentation explaining how this move will support these processors,” said Connor Kippe, NSAC Policy Specialist.
In September 2025, NSAC submitted feedback to USDA during a public comment period regarding the Reorganization Plan.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/
The post Release: Transparency and Oversight Needed to Ensure New USDA Reorganization Avoids Disrupted Services for Farmers, Processors, and the Public appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
(Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026) — Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a reorganization of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to modernize operations, streamline support functions and better align the agency with the nation’s agricultural landscape.
As part of this effort, USDA will establish a new National Food Safety Center (NFSC) in Urbandale, Iowa, which will serve as the primary hub for FSIS administrative, technical and support operations.
(Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area today announced a reorganization and leadership restructuring to better align its work with USDA priorities, improve operational efficiency, and deliver results more effectively for American farmers, ranchers, and producers.
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