The Importance of Farmer Training Programs
Thousands of farmers and ranchers from around the country have benefited from trainings and educational events paid for by the USDA’s funding initiative, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. However, all these trainings are at risk unless Congress backs down on its attempt to use the program as a budgetary scapegoat: in the next […]
Wednesday – Farm Bill Now Rally in Washington, DC
FARM BILL NOW RALLY Join thousands of other farmers for a rally in Washington, D.C., to tell Congress it is critical to pass a farm bill before Sept. 30. Farmers and food advocates of all stripes will be there, and it is important for beginning farmers and their supporters to show up in numbers to make […]
Hudson Valley Farmers Speak Up at the Farmers' Forum
A US Farm Bill potentially worth nearly one trillion dollars over ten years has stalled in Congress, and with it the hopes of young farmers, conservationists and agriculturalists in general have stalled as well. When Congress returns to Washington in September, they have only until the end of the month, September 30th, before the current […]
What's the Hold Up with the Farm Bill?
For those hoping to see some advancement on the US Farm Bill, this summer has so far been a disappointment. With less than two months remaining before the expiration of the current bill, the process to create the Farm Bill of 2012 continues to be a victim of election year politics. Here is a quick […]
Oklahoma Farmers Appeal to Congressman Lucas for Support
Recently, a group of Oklahoma’s finest young farmers met with Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) to discuss the US Farm Bill and the needs of Oklahoma’s next generation of food producers. The meeting was organized by Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb, a greenhorn farmer of 3 years in Hobart, Oklahoma. The proprietor of Early Bird Acres, she […]
For the Native and the New
It was less than 90 years ago when the perfect storm of environmental destruction culminated from the combination of poor farming practices and brutal drought conditions. The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s is the reminder of what consequences result from the work of over-ambitious, newly settled farmers. In return for neglecting the delicate balance of […]
Farm Bill Clears the Senate – Your Input is Needed!
Last week, the Senate voted to pass the Farm Bill by a 64-35 margin. I was footsteps away in the Congressional Visitors Center talking to other students my age about the gravity of that moment. For a bill that authorizes nearly a trillion dollars in funding (much of which impacts the 45 million who receive […]
Testimony from Michael Kilpatrick to the House Committee on Agriculture
Members of the House Agriculture Committee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony for the 2012 Agriculture Bill. I am twenty-four and a first generation farmer.
This Young Farmer Went to Washington: Justin D. Doerr of Nebraska
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.
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 […]