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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement (SARA) supports rural communities through strategies that address environmental, economic and social aspects of agricultural sustainability. Additionally, SARA encourages its university faculty and students to engage in research, education and hands-on learning experiences in these communities.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: To Meet Farmers’ Diverse Recovery Needs, Disaster Relief Must Include Revenue-Based Assistance From drought and wildfire to hurricanes, an array of natural disasters throughout 2024 highlight the need for disaster assistance to reach all farmersWashington, DC, October 8, 2024 – As the second major hurricane in as many weeks approaches the Southeast United States, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has maintained close contact with member organizations from western North Carolina to the Florida peninsula. Initial reports of total loss from farmers in the region are sobering and still emerging. As the Administration and Congress chart a path toward disaster relief, NSAC strongly believes that any approach must include a revenue-based disaster assistance option.
“Natural disasters indiscriminately and increasingly impact countless farmers and ranchers every year, regardless of farm size, production, location, or their familiarity with the Department of Agriculture and its programs. It’s therefore essential for policymakers to respond with an accessible model of revenue-based relief, which reflects a farmers’ actual market price and expenses, not their prior capacity to enroll in federal programs,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC policy director. “The revenue-based assistance model is a streamlined and responsive option that can meet the diverse recovery needs of all farmers.”
To respond to losses from 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2, which included a novel option that allowed farmers to submit tax records to prove revenue loss associated with a qualifying disaster rather than requiring previous enrollment in a federal crop insurance or permanent disaster program, which includes the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). This was the first time that congressionally authorized supplemental disaster assistance was accessible to the small to mid-sized and diversified farmers who are often unable to access farm safety net programs.
“Our staff have spent the past week on the phone with impacted farmers,” said RAFI Executive Director Edna Rodriguez. “In addition to taking care of their own—and often their neighbors’—immediate needs, farmers are dealing with flooded fields and crops, damaged infrastructure, destroyed feed, soil loss, and livestock that were killed or who no longer have access to water. So far, none of the farmers we have spoken with have crop insurance or NAP policies. The scale of this disaster is huge, and we need a response from Congress that meets the need for everyone, regardless of farm size.”
“The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene is only the latest in a string of more frequent disasters, from wildfires to hail storms. It’s sufficient cause to pause and re-evaluate our approach to agricultural risk management with a holistic eye toward a stronger future,” said Billy Hackett, NSAC Policy Specialist. “Yes, responsive farm policy must always support farmers in crisis. Proactive risk management policy must also center investments that help farmers adopt diversified business models and soil health practices that build resilience, which can in turn mitigate and even prevent future losses. That both-and approach is the only sustainable path to keep farmers on the land and preserve rural communities.”
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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 and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
The post Release: To Meet Farmers’ Diverse Recovery Needs, Disaster Relief Must Include Revenue-Based Assistance appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
This week, we celebrate National 4-H Week and the incredible impact the organization offers young people around the country. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we pay special tribute to this observance as the 4-H Youth Development program is headquartered in USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This unique partnership with NIFA, the Cooperative Extension System through land-grant universities and the National 4-H Council empowers young people to lead for a lifetime.
WASHINGTON, October 08, 2024 — Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced multiple steps to deliver on the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy to promote fair and competitive markets for American farmers and ranchers, and lower food prices for American families.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2024 – In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated communities, homes, farms and businesses across parts of the Southeast, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has deployed staff to assist with response and recovery efforts. USDA is also putting in place contingency plans and program flexibilities to ensure farmers, and foresters and communities are able to get the support they need. USDA is sharing information today to help impacted people learn about resources that may be available to them.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today a $19.2 million investment in 1890 Land-grant Universities to provide undergraduate scholarships for students to stimulate interest in food and agricultural careers.
More than 41 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home, and Spanish is the most spoken language after English in the country. Cooperative Extension across the nation recognizes the importance of providing resources in Spanish to better serve Hispanic communities and people.
MADISON, Wis., Oct. 4, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced $11.04 million in funding to support dairy businesses and producers under the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBI) grant program, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The initiatives support small and mid-sized dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products.
Somerset, Pa., Oct. 3, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced today that USDA is partnering with farmers and small businesses to expand access to clean energy and lower energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, is a time to celebrate the rich history, cultural diversity, and contributions from Hispanic communities. USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area is home to over 8,000 of the world’s best and brightest minds in agricultural science, data, and innovation. This month, REE is spotlighting several brilliant colleagues who are pioneering change at USDA and within their communities.
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