This Young Farmer Went to Washington: Justin D. Doerr of Nebraska

Thanks to the Center for Rural Affairs and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Nebraska farmer Justin D. Doerr represented young farmers at the House Committee on Agriculture’s credit hearing last week. Justin gave moving testimony on the importance of federal programs for new farmers, as well as opportunities to help beginning farmers in the next Farm Bill. 

Between now and May 19th, you too can submit testimony to the House Committee on Agriculture online. 

Statement of Justin D. Doerr, Farmer, Plainview, NE

Hearing on Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Credit Programs Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit House Committee on Agriculture

May 10, 2012

Good morning Chairman Fortenberry, Ranking Member Fudge, and members of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations,Oversight, and Credit. Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the value of federal credit programs that are absolutely critical in helping  beginning farmers get started in agriculture. I believe these credit programs and other programs targeted specifically at new farmers are very important investments the farm bill can make in ensuring that young farmers like myself have the tools and resources they need so we can successfully contribute to our local farm economies, spur rural economic development, preserve our natural resource base, and do our part in ensuring our nation’s food security.

My name is Justin Doerr, and I am a beginning farmer from Nebraska and an Iraq War Veteran. I grew up on a small farm in Plainview where we raised hogs, cattle, and some hay. After high school I joined the Army and moved to Texas. During this time, things got tough on the farm so Dad sold the livestock and rented out the farm ground. When I got back from the service I wanted to move home and farm. What I found later was I had the desire to farm but did not have the means, as I lacked the capital and resources to begin farming after the folks sold their operation.

Instead of immediately pursuing my plan of farming, I went to college and began working for a hospital as a CAD Designer. During this time I began laying the foundation for my future farming operation. My farm got its start after I found 40 acres of hay ground to rent from a neighbor. I borrowed equipment from Dad to harvest the hay; then sold it to a local cattle feeder. With the
money I made from the sale, I was able to rent an additional 10 acres from my parents and sow it to alfalfa hay. With the revenue I made from the new alfalfa field, I was able to purchase 30 sheep and feed them through the winter. This spring, I was able to rent an additional 80 acres of farm ground that I will be planting to corn and soybeans.

Conservation Reserve Program Transition Incentives Program

When I finally decided I wanted to make a career out of farming over 6 years ago, I ran into several obstacles as a beginning farmer, despite the fact that I came from a farm background. Accessibility to land is likely the first obstacle that many who wish to farm will face. With current land prices skyrocketing in my area, and in most farming regions across the country, it is often extremely difficult to find affordable farmable ground that you can rent at a price that will cash flow. When I was looking for ground to add to my operation, one farm bill program I was interested in using was the Conservation Reserve Program Transition Incentives Program. The aim of this federal program is to connect beginning farmers with retiring farmers who own farmland
that is coming out of the Conservation Reserve Program. The program also requires good conservation on the part of the new farmer or rancher. 

Since starting in 2010, demand for this program has grown tremendously and over 1,600 beginning farmers have used this program to access over 260,000 acres of farmland to begin or expand their farming operation, including 145 farmers on over 15,000 acres in my own state of Nebraska. Unfortunately, as of early this spring, all of the funding provided by the 2008 Farm Bill for this program has been obligated, so even if I was able to find acres to rent, I would be unable to encourage that landowner to work with me through this incentive. Demand for this program will only continue to increase in the coming years, as more land begins to come out of the CRP and back into production. In order to make sure funds for this program continue to be available for any beginner that wants to take advantage of this program to access land to start their farming operation, Congress needs to ensure adequate funding is secured in the upcoming farm bill so that FSA does not run out of funding midway through the next five-year farm bill cycle.

I also found that it was hard to find ground that was eligible for the program. Although there are some federal efforts to provide searchable databases to connect retiring landowners with beginning farmers, there isn’t an efficient way to find the CRP land that is under a contract about to expire. While you can look at a plat map to determine who owns the land, there is no way of knowing when the CRP contract expires. The FSA needs to improve outreach in this regard and find a localized and direct way to bring beginning farmers and CRP landowners together.

Down Payment Loans

As a beginning farmer, access to capital is also very important and crucial to the success of almost any farming operation, and oftentimes access to farm land hinges on whether or not a new farmer is able to get a loan to buy land if and when farm land comes up for sale. After speaking with my local commercial banker, I was told if I was interested in purchasing land I would need to put have at least a 30 percent down payment on the purchase price of the land. The down payment, by itself, immediately prices me out of almost every farm land real estate market. This will prove true for most young farmers who are just starting out and lack the accrued savings necessary to be able to put money down towards a down payment.

One federal program that can be extremely helpful to young farmers like myself who are unable to make a substantial down payment is the Down Payment Loan Program, which is a joint-financing direct farm ownership loan program administered by the Farm Service Agency. This federal program makes loans specifically to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and requires a lower down payment than most commercial farm ownership loans.

Under this program, a beginning farmer provides a 5 percent (rather than the more typical 30 percent) down payment, and the rest of the loan principal is split between the Farm Service Agency and a private lender. This excellent farm bill program helps beginning farmers enter the real estate market that otherwise is more often than not beyond their reach.

Since 1994, the Down Payment Loan Program has helped over 5,000 new farmers across the country purchase farms. Given scarce federal resources, it would be extremely helpful if priority be given to these and other joint financing loans, thereby allowing the Farm Service Agency to provide the greatest amount of financial assistance to beginning farmers for a given amount of federal
funding. By leveraging commercial loans with federal dollars, the taxpayer would get the most 3“bang for the buck” by helping the most number of farmers access credit needed to purchase farm land.

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act includes such a priority for participation loans and it would be very helpful for this Committee to include that provision in the new farm bill. The Opportunity Act also increases the value of farmland that may be financed through Down Payment loans, another provision that should be incorporated into the new farm bill.

Individual Development Accounts

In addition to the rising value of farm land across the country, the current rise in the cost of livestock and farm equipment can also become cost prohibitive to new farmers looking to purchase additional breeding stock or crucial pieces of equipment for their farming operations. Often times the same or very similar inputs and equipment are needed by a beginning farmer as are needed by a more established operation. The beginning farmer, however, often purchases the inputs and equipment at a higher price than a larger established operation that can buy in larger quantities.

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Accounts program is another farm bill credit program that can offer a solution to these types of financial obstacles. This innovative matched savings program has been around since the 2008 Farm Bill, but despite annual funding requests by USDA, it unfortunately has yet to receive an appropriation and thus has not been available as a potential resource for young farmers who lack the capital to purchase inputs or save up for a down payment for their first farm.

This matched savings account, modeled after a similar program that has been successful in helping urban and rural residents save up for a down payment on their first home, would help beginning farmers save and accrue capital needed to purchase additional livestock, farm inputs or that crucial piece of equipment when their operations need it. I would urge this Committee to include farm bill funding for this innovative IDA program.

Farm Service Agency Microloans

When I needed an operating loan to cover some of the daily expenses associated with operating a farm, I first applied for a loan through the Farm Service Agency. The paperwork during the application process was almost overbearing, but the biggest thing that was keeping me from getting a loan through FSA was the uncertainty of whether federal financing would even be available. Even if my application had been approved as a beginning farmer loan applicant, federal appropriations had not yet been passed and the amount and timing of funds available for federal loan programs were unclear.

If I had been working with a landlord and negotiated a fair rental payment, the last thing I want to tell them is to wait additional months for their first rent check because my operating loan hadn’t been funded yet. The landlord already assumes risk when they choose to rent to a beginning farmer and are doing a great service to the next generation of farmers. It would most certainly be easier and involve less risk for landowners to simply rent to a larger, well-capitalized operation that can spread its expenses over many acres.

While there may not be an easy cure for appropriations bills being passed well after the start of the fiscal year, one important item in the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act that could help people in my position is the proposed new microloan program. Under this provision, smaller loans could be made, with less delay and less paperwork, to assist young and beginning farmers whose credit needs may often be more urgent but also considerably more modest than other borrowers. Authorizing microloans within the direct operating loan program is a simple but important step this Committee could take to improve credit availability for new farmers.

Another obstacle I have run into with my operation is the availability of crop insurance for beginners and particularly for beginners with diversified operations. One way I’ve found I can keep my operation financially viable in these crucial first few years is to participate in niche markets that command a higher price premium, such as sheep and forage production. I would like to expand my alfalfa hay acres but I am unable to cover my risk with the current array of crop insurance policies available in my area.

Producers of diversified, non-commodity crops and livestock need to be able to manage their risks just the same as commodity producers do under the current suite of farm safety net programs. A crop insurance policy that offers a whole farm revenue protection plan to protect against low revenue due to unavoidable natural disasters and market fluctuations would allow me to insure all the crops I grow on my farm, including my alfalfa for which I’m currently not able to buy coverage. Although there are some products that are currently available for diversified operations, they are not available nationwide. A whole farm revenue insurance policy that is available universally across the country would allow me to cover my risk in the event of loss. Adequate risk management strategies are especially critical for beginning farmers, as they have limited equity to back them up when they
suffer a loss. I understand there is a proposal for Whole Farm Risk Management Insurance in the Senate Committee-passed farm bill, which I would urge you to support.

Veterans

I mentioned earlier, when I finished my time with the Army I wanted to come home and farm, and what I found was I did not have the means. To find resources, government programs, and organizations that were available to help me get started I relied heavily on Google. Having a dedicated staff within the Department of Agriculture – such as the Veterans Agricultural Liason proposal in the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act – would have helped someone in my position to access the tools and resources necessary to begin my farm business plan. I would have had someone who could have helped me navigate the web of federal programs that might assist military veterans who are interested in farming, and who would advocate for programs and policies that serve the interests of our nation’s veterans. The Senate Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill wisely includes a position charged with educating returning veterans about new farmer training and education programs and how they interface with veterans programs.

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is the centerpiece of farm bill support for the next generation of farmers. BFRDP provides grants to institutions and 5 organizations that provide training, education, and outreach programs to beginning farmers across the country. Projects can include financial and business training programs, risk management education, marketing strategies, mentoring and apprenticeship programs, and “land link” programs that connect beginning farmers with retiring landowners. To date, the program has enabled 105 educational institutions and organizations to assist new
farmers in 48 states across the country, and has been incredibly successful in ensuring that the next generation of farmers is armed with the knowledge, training, and resources they need to establish financial viable farming operations.

I am pleased to hear that the farm bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee includes a new priority on veteran farmers to ensure training and agricultural rehabilitation programs are targeted to our specific needs as veterans. This is a welcome addition.
Funding for the program needs to keep pace with demand. The Senate Committee-passed farm bill would unfortunately cut funding in half from current levels. There could be no higher priority in my opinion than for this Committee to increase rather than decrease funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.

The good news is more young people are interested in farming careers now than in quite some time, and I am pleased to say that number includes quite a few returning veterans. Now is not the time to close the door on the training and linking programs these young farmers need. I urge you to grasp the opportunity to not only continue the BFRDP, but to modestly increase its funding per year so that more young farmers can be served and we can begin to reverse the ongoing aging of American agriculture before it is too late.

Conclusion

When I decided I wanted to farm, the prospects looked rather dire. When I looked across the landscape all I saw was large equipment and even larger farms. I wasn’t sure if there would be room in the farm environment for me. How was I going to be able to compete? I have found through hard work, determination, and creativity there is still some room for a beginner. It isn’t easy. I am working three jobs to help get my operation going. I am slowly building capital, paying off expenses and investing sweat equity into my farm. At the moment my farm is fragile. If land values continue to climb and if commodity prices begin to slip, things will get real hard for me. And it will not matter how many jobs I am working to get my farm a start.
That is why it is important to include the provisions of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act in the next Farm Bill. I congratulate Representative Walz and Chairman Fortenberry for introducing this important legislation, and for so many other Members of the Committee for co-sponsoring it. As beginning farmers, our needs are great and the competition is stiff and heavily subsidized. The provisions in the bill are cross-cutting and address access to credit, land, conservation programs, training programs and more. Together, these provisions will provide many of the necessary tools to strengthen my farm and make it more viable during my early years.

Submit your testimony to the House Committee here. 

 

Introducing Brooke Shepherd of Yonder Holler Family Farm

Hey there! I’d like to introduce myself… my name is Brooke Shepherd and as of about, say, one month ago I have had the good fortune of being able to call myself a farmer. I am 33 years old, a mother of two kiddos (two and eight), a wife, historian, musician, and all-around nature nerd.  I farm two lovely leased acres in the green, luscious, and often soggy Pacific Wonderland.  My family and I have lived in Portland, Oregon for about 10 years and have been seriously looking for a farm to call our own for the past three.  

The farm bug began for me long long ago,  when I first left home at the ripe age of 16 and had come across a copy of  both “Foxfire 2″ and “Country Comforts” in a used book shop in Berkeley.  Growing up in San Francisco, I had given very little thought to farming or rural life, but–after voraciously reading the dog-eared pages about folks living in Appalachia and giggling at drawings of a naked hippie couple enjoying their homemade cabin sauna–my curiosity was peaked. I began to read up on organic gardening, natural foods, the back-to-the-land movement of the 60′s and 70′s, the history of rural family life in America, and the environmental impact of the factory farming.  Something about that way of life struck a chord in me, and the wild thing is, in all of the years between then and now, I have never once stopped reading books on these subjects and dreaming of life one day on my own little farm.

 In Oregon, we are lucky to have an organization called “Friends of Family Farmers”  (http://www.friendsoffamilyfarmers.org/). Not only do they do great advocacy work in support of small and family-owned farms, but they also have this really neat service called “iFarm”.  iFarm matches folks who own land they are willing to rent/lease/barter with greenhorns looking for land to farm.  That is how we were introduced to the Malinowski’s, a family of three brothers living and farming on land that has been in their family for over 80 years.  Friends of Family Farmers also holds a regular get together in town called InFarmation(AND BEER!) where there is usually food, beer, hob-knobbing, and, of course, a super informational panel discussion.  So, it was through Friends of Family Farmers and iFarm that I was connected to the Malinowski’s, and a few weeks ago signed our first lease.  It takes a village, right?  That’s right, in the middle of the wettest spring since 1940, I signed a lease for the 2012 growing season. 

So here we are, April 2012. I have been a farmer for just under one month, and yet I have a huge bucket of about 60-plus different types of organic seeds and 250 pounds of tater seed in my basement.  Underneath an old cherry tree in the backyard of our 940 square foot house (which we almost lost to foreclosure last year) is our newly 30-foot hoop house–having a finish carpenter for a husband has it’s rewards.  As I write this, my father-in-law down in California is refurbishing a Gravely walk behind tractor for us, and we are now the proud owners of a gas-guzzling beauty: 1979 one-ton flat bed truck with a crane that was used for moving beehives from farm to farm.  My coffee table is somewhere underneath the 30-plus farming books I’ve recently checked out of the library, which is on top of my own giant collection of gardening and homesteading titles.   I have been posting religiously on Facebook about the goings-on at our new farm and have been planning on getting the word out about our CSA.  I’ve applied to four different farmers’ markets here in town: My husband and I can scarcely talk about anything else.  Farming has taken over our lives! And yet, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

House Committee on Agriculture Needs to Hear from You

The Farm Bill fight continues! While we wait for more action on the Senate floor, we’ve got a task for you:

Tell the House Committee on Agriculture and your members of Congress what you want to see in the next Farm Bill. 

Believe us, they need to know. In all of the House Committee on Agriculture’s Farm Bill hearings, only one beginning farmer was invited to testify on the challenges and needs of the next generation. That’s bad news for the programs that are making a big difference to new farmers.

Between now and May 19th, we have an opportunity to speak up and let committee members know what farmers and citizens need in the next Farm Bill by submitting testimony online. This is a critical moment, as the House committee will begin drafting their version of the Farm Bill next month. 

We know you’re super busy right now, so we’ve made it easy with a form at youngfarmers.org that will share your testimony with the House Committee on Agriculture and carbon copy your Representative.  There is even sample testimony to work from. 

Don’t wait! In these early months, there are bound to be hungry chickens, needy seedlings and broken tractors that will keep you from your computer, so please take a minute for this very important action right now. 

Introducing Full Belly Farm of San Juan Island, WA

We are Full Belly Farm of San Juan Island, Washington! We are a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to increasing access to organically raised vegetables, fruits, and flowers; providing educational outreach to inform our community about its food consumption decisions and the effects that they can have on the local and regional ecosystems and economies; and we intend to research alternative methods of organic agriculture, including edible forest gardening, raw milk application as a soil amendment in organic vegetable crop production, etc.

Our organization has an amazing and dedicated Board of Directors helping us to make the best decisions that we can as our farm grows. Lance Long, Vatnak Vat-Ho, Leigh Trucks, and Mark Lutenski all have a diverse skill set and have already contributed greatly in many ways.

The farm is currently managed and operated by Jamie Grifo, his wife Christina, and Jamie’s brother Chris. Jamie and Christina’s 20-month-old son, Oliver, is also proving to be an expert at worm, weed, and beetle management. This tight-knit family looks forward to working well together in order to provide other families with the highest quality produce and flowers possible.

The decision to start a farm as a non-profit was because the Grifos were convinced that there had to be another way to ensure that all people–regardless of their income or access to resources–should be able to experience and benefit from having high-quality, nutrient dense, organic vegetables and fresh cut flowers every day. High quality organic vegetables should not be prohibitively expensive and we are working hard to find a way to grow as much food as possible for as many families in our community as we can. The organization is currently leasing land from the highly-regarded Heritage Farm on San Juan Island and will be participating in the weekly Saturday Farmer’s Markets on San Juan Island in Friday Harbor from early April through the end October.

We’ll be running a CSA in 2013 and will have a lottery style drawing to determine the 10 – 12 families or individuals that will get a free year-long CSA for 2013. We are asking that only those families and individuals who have trouble meeting their food costs enter into the drawing. Our 2012 market and farm-stand sales will go directly to our non-profit, and charitable donations will help to ensure that we can provide these families with great produce and flowers for the 2013 growing season.

We have seedlings emerging in the greenhouse, 40 layer hens on the way, millions of weeds to pull, lots of grass to mow, and plenty of beds to prep for planting. But we’re getting there! We are committed to farming sustainably and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, which is why we only use hand tools for nearly all of our agricultural production. While we may not ever be able to produce tons and tons of food, we are committed to raising as much food as three and a half people with hand tools can.

We think that non-profit farms might be a short-term solution to a larger political question that constantly is avoided every time that the farm bill is re-written. Instead of relying on our government and its agricultural subsidies, we are hopeful that we can run an organization that generates enough capital to pay its workers a living wage, feeds at least 10 – 12 families for free in 2013, and can expand as the years pass by. Thanks to those individuals in our community who are dedicated to increasing access to high-quality produce and flowers, Full Belly Farm hopes to become a meaningful part of this island community that we’ve already grown to love.

 

Happy planting!

Jamie, Christina, Chris, and Oliver

Full Belly Farm

www.FullBellyFarm.org

Third and Final EQIP Organic Initiative Application Deadline is Approaching!

The last chance to apply for assistance through the EQIP Organic Initiative for 2012 is June 1, so if you’re interested read on and apply!

EQIP, a voluntary soil, air, and water conservation program of the USDA, provides technical and financial assistance for farmers looking to implement conservation programs on their farms.  The program, administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (an agency within the USDA), includes an Organic Initiative program – a sub-set of the overall program that is specifically targeted to supporting organic farms and farms transitioning to organic.  In 2012, the USDA allocated $50 million for EQIP OI funding, with three separate application periods – the third and final one being Friday, June 1.

Through EQIP, NRCS works with agricultural producers to implement conservation practices that address environmental problems. Payments – up to $20,000 per year – are made to producers once conservation practices are completed according to NRCS requirements.  Beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as historically under-served farmers and ranchers, may be eligible for increased cost reimbursements.  More on the EQIP program can be found here.

Some of the possible areas of funding through the EQIP Organic Initiative include:

• Developing a conservation plan
• Developing a transition to organic production plan
• Establishing boundaries and buffer zones
• Improving soil quality and organic matter while minimizing erosion
• Improving pest management
• Developing a grazing plan and improving grazing resources
• Improving waste utilization and composting
• Improving irrigation efficiency
• Enhancing cropping systems and nutrient management

Find out more information about the program and whether you might qualify by visiting the NRCS website, and then go ahead with the application process.  Good luck!

 

Checking in with the Southeastern Young and Beginning Farmers’ Coalition

Farmers of the Southeast have found the time in between a whirlwind of sowing and harvesting in the past few months to come together into the Southeast Young and Beginning Farmers Coalition! After a fantastic inaugural meeting earlier this Spring, NYFC spoke with Olivia Sargeant of Farm 255 and Moonshine Meats – and an integral organizer of the nascent group – about this new project and what’s in store for the future.

NYFC: Tell us about the initial meeting that you all had in Georgia – what was the energy like, and what are people excited about for the future of the group?

OS: Our initial meet-up in Georgia was extremely well-received – it seems as though folks are eager to gather and share experiences. We had around 200 RSVPs and over 150 people show up, which for farmers at the onset of the season is no small feat. Food was donated by Farm 255 (a co-sponsor for the event), The National restaurant, and beer provided by Terrapin Brewery, our local brewmasters in Athens. A number of folk came from Atlanta and the Darnell Boys set the tone with their rootsy Americana and blues-inspired music. It was an extremely festive, fun, loud event that lasted late and ended with an impromptu work songs session let by Max Godfrey who spent last summer interning with Creek and Bennett at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island. Pretty great. We will be hosting similar events in various locations in the southeast with the next ones to be most likely in Montgomery, AL and Atlanta, GA.

 

NYFC: What was the impetus for wanting to organize? Why do you feel a young/beginning farmers’ group will help?

OS: The impetus has been to mimic the energy and spirit of groups such as the Greenhorns to begin to develop a voice for the young farmers of our region. The south has little to offer in the way of collective organizing, and so there is a great need to be filled. The future will be dictated by the stakeholders that step forth to help shape it. We hope to work closely with the NYFC so as to not just be spirit captains for beginning farmers, but to be able to prove real resources and education as well. We’d like to build the minds of this group — in addition to their capacities in the field, we must be savvy and educated and active and civic-minded as well. Farming is, quite simply, not enough.

NYFC: A lot of other farmers out there are thinking about organizing in their areas. Could you explain what work went into organizing for that initial meeting?

OS: Organizing works best when it’s done on gut: using resources that seem obvious and easy, i.e. personal contacts. Not being afraid to ask for participation from a large group of people. Understanding people’s limitations and capacities and natural skills and profiting from what they do best, not just what tasks need to be done or what elements secured. Our route will be one of partnerships, as we believe that collaborations between organizations and groups that are already working in the sector is more important for effectuating policy change and providing resources rather than clinging to an individual identity of our nascent association – i.e. building on the strength and hard work of others that come before you.

Also I would advise to almost always preference fun over seriousness, especially at beginning phases. Lure folks with food and drink and sick’em with farm bill facts once they’re in the door. And as far as work goes, it’s always good to work in a team, clearly divide labor, stay organized. Find a location to host you that is minimal in terms of infrastructure – the more they have ready to go the better, for your first run. Find restaurants that love farmers and ask them to donate. Ask many instead of one or two so that each one is only required to provide a small amount. Create social media immediately but not if you don’t have someone willing to manage it well. Collect contacts and use excel. Be savvy and serious.

 

NYFC: What are some of the goals you would like to see the group accomplish in the future?

OS: I’d like to see us create and express a good balance between community camaraderie and action-based organizing. Connecting farmers to each other I think is the most important first step to encourage new folk to join the ranks, and bolstering those currently farming. I’d like to help farmers feel as though they are a part of something much bigger than just themselves, their fields, their hoop houses, their seed catalogues, etc.

NYFC: The entire southeast is a lot of territory! Did you feel that it is important for farmers in the southeast to be one unified entity? Does that group as a whole face certain issues?

OS: Southern prides stretches long and deep and I wanted to profit from the cultural reality of the region. There are not numerous resources or organizations working in the southeast on these issues, and very very few working regionally and so unifying the area, (which yes, sees similar agricultural issues despite a variety of terrains and climates) feels important. But really I’m banking on the cultural connection between beginning southern farmers as the tie between participants.

 

NYFC: What is the plan for how the organization will grow? You’ve got a couple more meetings planned for other parts of the Southeast, right?s

OS: Yes – mixers across the southeast, partnerships with other orgs already working in the sector, and letting these partnerships help guide where we go next. We’re not at practical concrete projects yet besides building a voice and momentum and offering a group of fellow farmers for folks to feel a part of. We’d rather let ideas come forth when serious stakeholders have put their hands in to help formulate. But we’d like to work closely with the NYFC to represent the south in their work and act as a connector to our region, as policy reform is definitely one of the few spoken goals we do have.

Introducing Darby Springs Farm of Ceresco, NE

Darby Springs Farm is a small, 40-acre farm located in the saline wetlands of the tall grass prairie of Nebraska. William and Crystal Powers discovered their dream farm in the early summer of 2009. After a long process of getting financing they moved in 6 months later. That fall and winter they began the process of getting their farm ready for livestock and their farm plan.

 William and Crystal completed the Farm Beginnings Nebraska program which is put on by the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society-NSAS. FBN allowed them to develop a business plan, as well as holistic goal and vision setting. The program also allowed them to visit and network with various farmers already using sustainable and organic principles. William and Crystal are proud members of NSAS and of NYFC!

 William grew up near Plain City, Ohio on a small dairy farm. At an early age William was fascinated with farming. Growing up William was influenced by a number of individuals that lead to his passion for farming and the land. His grandfather had been a farmer all of his life and William was able to glean work ethic and drive. This was reinforced through his parents and specifically his mother. William gets his passion for animals and the Guernsey cow from his mother as well as his Uncle Errol.

William was also influenced by his work and participation in the FFA and 4-H. In the winter of 2008 William became the executive director of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society. William enjoys taking Aiden out to do the pasture rotations and collection of the eggs!

Crystal grew up near Edgar, Nebraska on a small diversified livestock farm. Crystal is Aiden’s mommy and an aspiring farmer. She graduated from the University of Nebraska and then Cornell University with a Master’s in Agricultural & Environmental Engineering. Crystal is passionate about raising good food for their local community, learning how to better steward their little place on Earth, and teaching others about what she has learned along the way. Specifically she is interested in learning and practicing: Holistic Management, permaculture, homeopathy, and attachment parenting.

William and Crystal are still in the initial phases of their farm. The have grown their flock of laying hens (bugeaters!) to 50 and are into their 3rd year of rotationally grazing using a mini-mob grazing strategy while also using multi-species pasture stacking principles. This has allowed them to do some pasture and prairie restoration as well as to reinvigorate the natural seed bank. This has forced some invasive species from the farm, and allowed native grasses and flowers to flourish.

First in the fields are the Guernsey cows. They need the highest quality grasses available to produce the rich and golden colored milk. Following in the rotation are the horses. These are working horses and will allow Darby Springs Farm to have access across the wetlands, as well as do various tasks around the farm that otherwise would need a tractor. They believe the natural impact of the horses will provide a greater ecological benefit then the time they would save using a tractor. Finally, the “bugeaters” follow on the third day in the rotation.

 Their goal for the farm is to provide delicious, healthy food for their family and community, while building the farm ecosystems. The farm is a tallgrass prairie flowing down into a saline wetland, with at least three springs running through the farm. The farm name, Darby Springs, comes from a combination of past and present experiences, as well as hope for the future. William grew up on the Big Darby Creek in Ohio and the springs provide fresh water throughout the year. William and Crystal are excited and humbled by the opportunity to steward these two rare ecosystems. You can follow their journey of sustainability at Facebook.com/DarbySpringsFarm

Introducing Sarah Bellos of White’s Creek, TN

I am a 29 year old business owner/grower/activist/sister/artisan/friend who is building a small permaculture-based farm on four acres in White’s Creek, Tennessee, just north of Music City, USA.

In 2001–after my freshman year in Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York–I knew something wasn’t right. Yes, school was super fun. And my grades were actually good! The summer following freshman year I almost headed to an Environmental Engineering internship in New Jersey when another opportunity cropped up. I skipped a summer sitting at a desk in the armpit of America to head down South for the first time for a two month sustainable agriculture internship hosted by North Carolina State University. Part of their incredible Center For Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) program, the CEFS internship provided total immersion in both the science and academics of sustainable ag, as well as the connection to nature, people, and growing food. I would consider the CEFS model one of the best in the country, certainly the best in the South for extension/research/outreach/education in sustainable agriculture.

I returned to Cornell and transferred majors to Natural Resources Policy and Management, following my evolving set of interests around sustainable enterprise and business and their interaction with the natural resources, including agriculture and forestry. There were so many specific and general ways Cornell helped me explore my then seemingly disparate interests. As the land grant university for New York State, Cornell proved the perfect place for me to get a diverse sustainable agriculture education, although I never called it that. The summer after my Sophomore year I managed Dilmun Hill, our on-campus student run farm.

Were it not for these early educational opportunities you can be 99 percent sure I would not have discovered my love for sustainable agriculture, at least not enough to turn it into a career. I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of these opportunities in an academic setting where pioneering professors made sure they were available to students. But even with so many hands-on agricultural opportunities, I didn’t still didn’t adequately consider agriculture as a possible career field. Hell, I had no farmland to inherit and had student loans to pay back. I moved to Washington, DC to work in Corporate Social Responsibility and told myself that gardening should be a hobby.

Like most young people not brought up in a farm family, I thought of the hurdles of becoming a farmer as being too high and the career payback too low. My personality type is uber-practical and when you really look at how difficult it is for young farmers to get a start, a corporate job with four weeks paid vacation and a health care policy looks pretty good. But, when I chose to leave DC to move to Nashville and start a business with my sister, I began to rethink my conventional notions of farming. I may have another job, but can I also farm?

In my experience, the definition of “farmer” is expanding to include all people growing food, whether they are urban or rural, full time or part time, on a family homestead or rented plot. In 2007, I helped co-found Nashville Urban Harvest, an urban community farm. For us, a community farm means growing good produce in collaboration with every person who expresses interest, whether or not they know how to hoe a row or mound potatoes. We engaged volunteers, school groups and service project participants in hands-on projects and broader conversations about sustainable food production, hunger, environmental issues, self-reliance, and what we as individuals and a community can do to change the existing system.

Then, last summer, our community farm was sold. The new property owners were nice but not particularly keen on having folks coming and going, using power tools, and harvesting veggies.  We knew it was time to move on. I have been obsessed with water buffalo for about four years, just about two years shy of how long I have been obsessed with figs, and finding some land where I can plant a fig orchard I will tend until I am old. I bought a four-acre plot in White’s Creek, Tennessee last year. It is amazing. There is an almost-year round creek and about two and a half good acres of pasture. The front yard is acidic and slowly becoming a blueberry patch, while the gentle hillside is home to the chicken run and an evolving set of fruit trees. I moved my beehive to the bottom of the hill and settled into the rhythms of a new landscape.

I am developing this farm with my ex-boyfriend, a school garden / farm-to-school coordinator who also moonlights as musician/mushroom-grower/chicken-hatcher/part-time farmer, and lives in a different house on my property. My “day job” is building a Southeast US women and beginning farmer collective called the Local Color Cooperative and a line of naturally dyed fabrics through the brand Southern Hues. We are growing natural dye plants so the US can once again have a source of domestic dyes. So my day work is sometimes farming, sometimes manufacturing, always working to get USA grown dyes into the industrial textile supply chain and into the hands of designers and consumers.

My belief is that we can and should produce the necessities of life within our own country. We should work to rebuild the once rich soils of the United States and make sure those farmers taking the risk to do it right can at least take home a living wage. In my own work I have chosen to build a supply chain within the very specific field of color extracts for industrial and dyeing use. But I believe each person’s lessons, struggles, and successes can help inform other small producers and manufacturers interested in rebuilding sustainable, bio-based value-added products again in the United States.

I love and admire my friends who work as full-time farmers; I know farming for me cannot be done in isolation. Our greatest value on this four acre farm is interdependence: reminding ourselves that we don’t have to have all the answers ourselves, that there is a happy medium between complete self-reliance and an over-reliance on goods and services extracted from distant countries at an incredible (and externalized) cost to communities and the earth. So interdependence becomes not just a moniker but a necessity to our survival as a farm. And it is with this goal each day I continue to work, whether pruning the blueberry patch, building a water catchment system, planting indigo, organizing farmers, or sourcing USA-grown cotton.

USDA grants available for farm marketing projects

Seeking opportunities to expand your marketing efforts and increase access to local foods? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting grant applicants for the 2012 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), according to a recent announcement by USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.  The agency is offering a total of $10 million in grant money for marketing operations such as farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture, and roadside stands.  The grants are intended to help make local agricultural products more widely available throughout the country.

The USDA, working with the Departments of the Treasury and Health and Human Services, aims to increase access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food for all Americans, while expanding markets for farmers and ranchers.  Projects that expand healthy food choices in food deserts or low-income areas will also receive consideration for grants.

“These grants will put resources into rural and urban economies, and help strengthen efforts to provide access to nutritious and affordable foods,” said Merrigan.  “This program not only supports the health and well-being of local communities but also the economic health of their farms and businesses.”

The grants are available through a competitive application process on Grants.gov.  Information on applying for an FMPP grant can be found on the FMPP’s web page.  Applications must be submitted by May 21, 2012.

The FMPP is part of the USDA’s commitment to supporting local communities.  These practices are highlighted in the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass, a digital guide to USDA support for local food systems.  The Compass includes an interactive map of the United States, along with a narrative about the Compass.

Filmmaker Dan Susman on Filming the Urban Agriculture Revolution

I’m from farm country. Well, sort of. I grew up outside of Omaha, Nebraska in a little town called Elkhorn. We had a big yellow house with two towering maples out front, an old barn, and a couple acres of land. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t farmers—although my parents showed me at a very early age the importance of growing my own food. Every year I planted pumpkins with names like “Big Max,” “Atlantic Giant,” and “King Jack,” and always hoped come fall I might end up like James and the Giant Peach. Like pretty much any kid who is exposed to the idea that you can transform garbage into food or a tiny seed into an enormous and delicious object I understood that growing food is essential.

What’s startling is that most kids never have the opportunity to grow something of their own. And it wasn’t until I traveled nearly 12,000 miles across the country and visited more than eighty urban farmers for my film Growing Cities that I realized this. The film follows my friend Andrew and me as we visit the folks who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food one vacant city lot and backyard chicken coop at a time. The film focuses on what we can all do to engage more deeply with growing food in our communities—whether that means planting your first seed or starting a flock of urban chickens, these agricultural acts are all of vital importance and the first step in rethinking the role of city dwellers in our society. Traditionally, we think of urban people as consumers and rural folks as producers. Given that we’re running out of land to ‘go back to’ we need to turn that notion on its head. And we want our film to do just that.

On our journey we found that whether it’s due to lack of access to green space or parents who just aren’t gardeners, more and more kids are growing up never having picked an apple fresh from a tree or plucked a carrot from the dirt.

Since nearly 80% of our population is urban, it’s vitally important that we involve city kids in growing food and show them it is a meaningful, enjoyable, and delicious endeavor. Not only that, but think of the vast untapped potential urban youth represent in terms of potential farmers. Has anyone ever heard about a dearth of Wall Street bankers? Or the lack of insurance salesmen? No, I didn’t think so. It’s farmers. We need farmers. And millions of them. However, if a kid isn’t exposed to growing food at early age, they are a lot less likely to be invested in local food systems, much less think of farming as a career.

What I’m getting at is that we have a real opportunity right now. The economy is in the pits. People need jobs. Demand for local and sustainable foods is at an all-time high. The time is right for an urban farming revolution. I’m not suggesting we can train the whole next generation of farmers in the city, but we can certainly plant a seed. And at the very least we can educate a generation of eaters to understand how food gets to the table. I’m encouraged by all the young urban farmers we’ve met in our travels. From Detroit to NYC to Omaha, these young people aren’t going back to the land, but instead bringing the land to them. It’s critical we engage more of these youth. And the best way to reach them is early, where most of them live, in cities.

Dan & his filmmaking partner Andrew are currently knee-deep in running a Kickstarter campaign and need to raise $20,000 in the next 17 days to finish their film. Watch their trailer below (and you can make a pledge here). You can also join them on their website, facebook, or by signing-up for their mailing list.

Editorial note: parts of this post originally appeared in Civil Eats.