For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
press@sustainableagriculture.net / Tel: 347.563.6408
Release: Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2023 Agriculture Spending Bill
Washington, DC, July 28, 2022 – Today, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee publicly released the text of their Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Appropriations bill which provides significant increases in several critical priority areas that will strengthen the resilience of rural communities and bolster sustainable food systems.
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) thanks Senate appropriators for advancing spending that increases investments in many priorities of the sustainable agriculture community, notably to the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) and Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA), both of which saw proposed increases from current funding,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Interim Policy Director.
Specifically, funding for SARE has increased to $50 million up from $45 million. SARE is the nation’s only farmer-driven research program and has been a center of innovation in research and agriculture for over thirty years. The Conservation Technical Assistance Program (CTA) is funded at $807 million, up from $759 million. CTA supports NRCS staff as they conduct on-the-ground conservation work. This is a crucial investment in NRCS’ capacity to work directly with farmers on adopting conservation practices.
While NSAC is generally pleased by the distribution of funding, we are disappointed that funding for the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative (GLCI) remains flat at $14 million. GLCI provides local and regional resources for farmers and ranchers, established and beginning, who are interested in understanding and utilizing grazing management practices. These resources include technical support, education, rancher-to-rancher learning, and funding for partnerships between NRCS and grazing-focused organizations.
“Agriculture is on the front lines of a changing climate. Farmers and ranchers are accustomed to adapting to change, but the greater extremes they are experiencing today are unprecedented. Rural communities lack the resources and infrastructure, making them especially vulnerable to climate change impacts. As attention soon turns to the full Senate and ultimately conference with the House, we encourage Appropriations and Congressional leaders to strive toward investments which prioritize farmers and rural communities as they confront climate change and consolidation head on,” Lavender noted.
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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/
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