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Farm Service Agency

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

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# Urban Producers, Public Invited to Attend August Meeting of Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages urban producers, innovative producers and other stakeholders to submit comments for and virtually attend a public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Committee) on Aug. 1, 2023.   

“The Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Federal Advisory Committee continues to support urban agriculture and innovative production efforts at USDA with on the ground insight and advice,” said Terry Cosby, Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which houses USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). “I encourage members of the public to attend and submit comments for the Committee.”   

The Committee is part of USDA’s efforts to support urban and innovative agriculture, creating a network for feedback. Members include agricultural producers and representatives from the areas of higher education or extension programs, non-profits, business and economic development, supply chains and financing. The committee last met in April 2023.   

**A****bout the Meeting**    

Topics for the upcoming meeting will include addressing public comments and discussing the following recommended topics: 
                                - Food waste prevention and food recovery 
                                - Surplus food recovery 
                                - Compostable food packing standards 

The Committee will deliberate and vote on proposed recommendations and address public comments during the meeting. USDA will share the agenda between 24 to 48 hours prior to the meeting on https://www.usda.gov/partnerships/federal-advisory-committee-urban-ag.  

The virtual meeting runs from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 1, 2023.  To attend virtually, register by August 1, 2023 on the Committee’s webpage. To submit comments, send by11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 15, 2023 through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Docket NRCS-2023-0014. 

For special accommodations, contact Markus Holliday at UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov.  

Additional details are available in the Federal Register notice.

**More Information **   

The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production was established through the 2018 Farm Bill. It is led by NRCS and works in partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support urban agriculture and innovative production. The Committee is part of a broad USDA investment in urban agriculture. Other efforts include: ****   
                                - Investing up to $7.5 million for  Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production  competitive grants in fiscal year 2023.      
                                - Investing up to  $9.5 million for  Composting and Food Waste Reduction  (CFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2023.   
                                - Renewing the  People’s Garden  movement -- join the People’s Garden community with gardens across the country; grow using sustainable practices that benefit people and wildlife; and teach about gardening and resilient, local food systems.  
                                - Providing technical and financial assistance through NRCS conservation programs.      
                                - Organizing 17 Farm Service Agency urban county committees.
                                - Investing nearly $133 million in grants through the Agricultural Marketing Service’s  Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) that develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises.     
                                - Helping child nutrition program operators incorporate local foods through the Food and Nutrition Services  Farm to School Program .

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities throughout America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

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## Recent News

                        - USDA to Provide More Than $3 Billion to Commodity and Specialty Crop Producers Impacted by 2022 Natural Disasters   WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2023 - The U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. Eligible impacted producers can apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022. The program will help offset the financial impacts of crop yield and value losses from qualifying disasters occurring in 2022. 
                        - USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program Pays More Than $1.77 Billion to America’s Producers in Support of Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture   WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2023 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued more than $1.77 billion this year to agricultural producers and landowners through its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a critical piece of the Department’s efforts to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry on working lands. Right now, CRP’s more than 667,000 participants received payments from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for their voluntary conservation efforts on more than 23 million acres of private land. 
                        - USDA Extends Milk Loss Program Assistance Deadline to Oct. 30   WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2023 – The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the application deadline for the Milk Loss Program (MLP) to Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, allowing more time for eligible dairy farmers to apply for much-needed, weather-related disaster recovery assistance. 

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