Farm Bill Implementation and More News

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Taylor in Farming Resources, News, Policy, Politics, Publications, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

Check out the latest from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition featuring Farm Bill Implementation news and more…

FARM BILL IMPLEMENTATION NEWS

Congressional Hearings Kick Off Farm Bill Implementation Phase – A series of congressional hearings formally kicked off the farm bill’s implementation and administrative phase this week, with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue making a trip to Capitol Hill. This marked the first time that the Secretary has come before a congressional committee since Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections. In the following post, NSAC summarizes the key takeaways from those initial hearings, and assesses what impact Congress’ and the Secretary’s statements might have on this next stage of the 2018 Farm Bill.

USDA Listening Sessions Offer Opportunities for Stakeholder Engagement in Farm Bill Implementation – On Tuesday, USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area held a formal listening session at the USDA headquarters in Washington DC, where they accepted public comments from stakeholders across the agriculture community. FPAC’s session focused specifically on the implementation of programs within the jurisdiction of FPAC’s Mission Area: the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) policy team presented formal oral comments pertaining to all three agencies, and will be following up with additional, detailed recommendations on how USDA can best implement the many new programs and policy changes included in the new farm bill. In addition to the sessions held this week, USDA has also announced additional listening sessions that will focus on the seven other USDA Mission Areas.

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.

Apply to be NSAC’s Summer Policy or Grassroot Intern! – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is currently seeking a Policy and a Grassroots Intern for the summer term beginning in late May 2019 and lasting until mid-August 2019. Both positions are paid, full-time, and are located at NSAC’s Washington, D.C. office on Capitol Hill.