Senate Committee Holds Hearing to Discuss Western Water Crisis
With western water reserves at historic lows, farmers in Arizona and other western states are facing mandatory water restrictions. And more cuts are coming: the federal government has tasked the seven Colorado River Basin states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and tribal leaders with reducing usage of Colorado River water by two […]
Young Farmer Climate Perspectives: Kellee Matsushita-Tseng, UCSC Farm, Santa Cruz, CA
The compounding issues of dangerous farming conditions, changes in weather patterns, and a lack of access to water are felt more strongly by small, diversified, and BIPOC farmers, and lawmakers must find pathways to support these farmers. Young Farmers Board Member Kellee Matsushita-Tseng is the assistant farm garden manager and instructor at the University of […]
Young Farmer Climate Perspectives: Scott Chang-Fleeman, Shao Shan Farm, Bolinas, CA
Living and farming in Northern California, Scott Chang-Fleeman of Shao Shan Farm is no stranger to the ways in which climate change is affecting farmers like him. Shao Shan Farm is a five-acre certified organic farm specializing in East and Southeast Asian vegetables. They sell their products through direct marketing — at farmers markets, through […]
Young Farmer Climate Perspectives: Bari Zeiger, Healing Poem Farm, Java, NY
USDA must focus on expanding and supporting the young and BIPOC farmers who are already working to fight the climate crisis through farming. My name is Bari Zeiger and I am the owner and operator of Healing Poem Farm, an ecological farm in the start-up phase, located 35 minutes from the city of Buffalo in […]
Release: President’s Budget Demonstrates Commitment to a more just and resilient Future for U.S. Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Screen-Shot-2021-08-17-at-2.19.49-PM-2-1.png, Communications Director, National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 ext. 722 Washington, D.C. (March 29, 2022) Staff from the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) released the following statements in response to President Biden’s proposed FY2023 budget, shared yesterday, and its potential impacts on the future of U.S. agriculture: “The President’s […]
RELEASE: Young Farmer member testifies on USDA’s role in addressing climate change before House Committee on Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Screen-Shot-2021-08-17-at-2.19.49-PM-2-1.png, National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 ext. 722 Washington, D.C. (March 16, 2022 ) This morning, National Young Farmers Coalition member Shakera Raygoza shared a testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. Raygoza is a Young Farmers Technical Assistant for USDA Farm Service Agency loans, and […]
The Role of USDA Programs in Addressing Climate Change: Shakera Raygoza Testifies in House Committee on Agriculture Hearing
On March 16th, Shakera Raygoza, owner of Terra Preta Farm and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Technical Assistant at the National Young Farmers Coalition, testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture on the role that USDA programs can play in addressing climate change and the need for making these programs […]
Federal policy must support young and BIPOC farmers and ranchers leading the future of sustainable livestock management
On February 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on sustainability in the livestock sector. In a letter we sent to the Committee, we discussed the role the livestock industry can play in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Practices that sequester carbon in the soil and provide other ecosystem […]
Farm bill conservation programs need to be more accessible to young and BIPOC farmers
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture held a hearing to review current farm bill conservation programs in anticipation of the 2023 Farm Bill. We sent a letter to the Committee emphasizing the critical role conservation programs can play in addressing climate change and improving land access. Young and BIPOC farmers and ranchers […]
Acting Locally, Thinking Globally: Young Farmers Updates from COP26
Greetings from Scotland! This is Vanessa Garcia Polanco, Federal Policy Director at Young Farmers. I am currently attending COP26, or the Conference of the Parties, in Glasgow. Since 1992, all countries have met under the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to respond to the climate crisis. This year is the 26th iteration, […]