Inside the House's FY27 Agriculture Spending Bill: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Report

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (“NSAC”) issued a May 15th report titled:

Inside the House’s FY27 Agriculture Spending Bill (“Report”).

NSAC describes itself as:

… an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities.

The Report discusses aspects of the United States House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approval of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (HR 7567).

The primary focus of the Report is in the area of “Conservation, Energy, and Environment.”

Key points in the Report include:

• Conservation Operations (“Con Ops”) is funded at $800 million, which is roughly $50 million below its current funding level.
• Included in the $800 million for Con Ops is $636.243 million for Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA),
  • $61.38 million cut for CTA.
  • Zero dollars for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, an $8 million cut.
• Producers across the country are stated to depend heavily on the availability of on-the-ground technical assistance to implement effective conservation practices which CTA facilitates through the United States Department of Agriculture conservation programs.
• Con Ops is also stated to:
  • Protect agricultural land and wetlands.
  • Support Natural Resources Conservation Service (“NRCS”) soil surveys, snow surveys, water supply forecasting, and plant materials centers. 
• Cuts to CTA are stated to be especially notable as the NRCS, delivers on-the-ground conservation assistance to farmers, ranchers, and landowners, and is facing record-low staffing levels.

An additional topic addressed is “Sustainable and Organic Research.”

Key points in this section of the Report include:

• The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (“SARE”) received $40 million in the House proposal, which is stated to be $8 million below its current funding level.
• SARE provides farmers and researchers with vital opportunities to better understand agricultural systems, increase profitability, and build on farm resilience. 
• Less than half of eligible Farmer Rancher Grant proposals were able to receive funding from 2024-2025.
• The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative did not receive any discretionary funding on top of its mandatory authorization level of $50 million.
• The Organic Transitions Program received level funding of $7.5 million, which is described as a “disappointment” because of repeated calls for increased funding to keep pace with organic market demand.
• The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative received a level funding of $435 million.
• Committee Language in the Report (offering guidance to USDA but not constituting a requirement) includes language highlighting the need for organic research across USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area.
• Committee language specifically addresses:
  • Organic Agriculture Impact Study.
  • Organic Agriculture Research.
• No additional funding is provided for the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Grant Program.
• Report language on Regional Cultivar Development Research, the Long Term Agroecosystem Research Network, and ARS staffing is included as follows:
  • “The Committee recognizes that matching crop varieties with weather zones increases production and reduces costs and recognizes that farmers need access to seeds and animal breeds adapted to their farming systems, soils and weather.”
  • “Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network.—The Committee is aware of the LTAR network’s work to support sustainable intensification of agricultural production but is concerned about the lack of geographic diversity and the absence of specialty crop work in the program. The Committee provides an increase of $500,000 to include more geographic and crop diversification in the selection of LTAR sites.”
  • “The Committee directs USDA to work expeditiously to fill vacancies for ARS scientists and support staff and to brief the Committee on these efforts within 90 days of enactment of this Act.”

Finally, the Report addresses “Local and Regional Food Systems,” listing funding for:

• The Local Agriculture Market Program.
• Value-Added Producer Grant Program.
• Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program.
• Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.

The United States Senate Agricultural Appropriations Committee is noted to, at the time of the Report, not yet have released an FY27 USDA funding proposal.

A copy of the Report can be found here.