Sustainable Agriculture Coalition News Aug 2012

Posted on August 29, 2012 by in Funding // 0 Comments

News from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition for Mid August, 2012:

Conservation Stewardship Program – First Farm Bill Cycle Acreage and Dollar Totals: This post includes a first glance look at enrollment data for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for the four enrollment years during the 2008 Farm Bill cycle (2009-2012). Read more…

USDA Announces Awards Targeted at Socially Disadvantaged Producers: On Wednesday, August 8th, USDA announced $19 million in grants that will support outreach and technical assistance projects aimed at socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including Hispanic, tribal, African-American, and women producers. These grants were awarded through USDA’s Outreach and Technical Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program, also known as the 2501 Outreach Program. Read more…

Rural Business Enterprise Grant Awards Include Food and Agriculture Development: USDA announced two rounds of funding for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program this summer. On June 26, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced funding for seven projects in two states. The second round of RBEG awards was announced August 21 for 16 grant recipients from 17 states. Read more…

Mandatory Price Reporting Final Rule for Wholesale Pork Transactions: This week, USDA issued a Final Rule that requires meatpackers to report information on wholesale pork transactions under the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act. The rule is set to take effect on January 7, 2013, but USDA will have an additional four months to train meatpackers in meeting the requirements of the reporting program. Read more…