Farm Bill

Over the past year and a half, NACD and our members have worked to support locally led conservation in the upcoming farm bill by developing legislative requests, testifying before Congress, working with committee leaders, and recently meeting with hundreds of lawmakers to advocate for NACD’s priorities during our D.C. Fly-In. With recent developments and more…… Continue reading →

By Coleman Garrison On May 12, 2021, the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing on climate-smart practices in agriculture. Entitled “Exploring Climate Smart Practices,” this hearing was the first hearing of the current Congress for the Subcommittee and the second hearing of the House Agriculture Committee to focus on the…… Continue reading →

By Eric Hansen The 2018 Farm Bill was passed nearly two years ago, and efforts to implement this piece of legislation still continue today. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been working hard to write the regulations necessary to update its programs and incorporate new provisions from the farm bill ever since it was signed…… Continue reading →

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently awarded more than $200 million to groups through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), including at least nine conservation districts. The Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) in Pennsylvania will match its $2.23 million RCPP funding with about $2.3 million in partner contributions to implement agricultural best management practices…… Continue reading →

By Eric Hansen The 2018 Farm Bill required the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. In authorizing the Office, Congress recognized that farmers in urban communities may not fully take advantage of USDA’s resources and may need extra focus. USDA recently created this Office within…… Continue reading →

By Lea Mayer On Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held a hearing on agriculture’s ability to positively impact and mitigate the effects of climate change. Entitled, "Solving the Climate Crisis: Opportunities in Agriculture," the hearing introduced key components in Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) that would help reduce greenhouse gas…… Continue reading →

By Eric Hansen The Regional Conservation Partnership Program application period is now open! Earlier this month, USDA launched the 2019 application period for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP matches Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding with non-federal funding and in-kind support to implement targeted conservation projects using farm bill conservation programs. Projects have…… Continue reading →

By Coleman Garrison On Wednesday, May 15, 2019, the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee held its first hearing of the new Congress, welcoming Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Matt Lohr and Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Richard Fordyce to review the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm bill conservation programs. Each…… Continue reading →

Urban agriculture is a small but growing sector of the agriculture industry. Urban producers face both challenges familiar to any farmer, like accessing land and credit, as well as challenges unique to the urban setting – like soil contamination. The 2018 Farm Bill included several provisions designed to increase urban agricultural production and tackle challenges…… Continue reading →

Now that President Donald Trump has signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law, NACD’s Government Affairs Team will be releasing a series of blog posts to break down the bill in more detail with the expected changes folks can expect on the ground as USDA works to implement the new law.  The Conservation Reserve Program…… Continue reading →