Documentary features three dairy farmers risking land and business to confront the USDA
Christopher LaMarca and Katrina Taylor are filmmakers working on their newest project, the documentary BOONE. An experiential film about small farms, Lamarca shot 500 hours of footage over two years on at Siskiyou Crest Goat Dairy in Southern Oregon. BOONE documents the journey of three young farmers in Southern Oregon risking land, business and friendship to confront the United States Department of Agriculture. While young farmers tend to be familiar... Read More
This week the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are working on the 2013 Farm Bill!
Things are really picking up with the new Farm Bill. After the painful slowness of last year, it’s surprising to see Congress actually building real momentum into writing the new five-year bill. Here is the latest news from Washington: Last week, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees released draft farm bills. Now, members of the Committees will “mark up” each draft bill by introducing amendments that will change the content... Read More
Value-Added Producer Grants Announced for 2013
Earlier this month, the USDA announced the recipients of the 2013 Value-Added Producer Grants program. The total amount of grants dispersed, going to 110 agricultural producers, totals over $16 million. This funding is designed to stimulate the creation or development of value-added producer-owned businesses in areas that would benefits from such an institution but require assistance to get started. Often VAPG grants are used to conduct market... Read More
Act now for beginning farmers – support the Opportunity Act!
It’s not too late to speak up for beginning farmers! The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act is worth getting excited about!But first let’s make sure it gets the support it needs: Click here now! Last month, we announced that Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress introduced a new bill to give young and beginning farmers the support they deserve. Despite all the partisan bickering in Washington these days, the... Read More
Guest Post: A Statement by the Network of Black Farm Groups and Advocates
As the Pigford I settlement comes to fruition, the Network of Black Farm Groups and Advocates reflects on the efforts to address decades of discrimination against black farmers. This post was originally published by the group last week in the Nation Builders. History of the Pigford Settlement The Pigford I settlement is based on the court case Pigford v. Glickman (1999), which was a class action lawsuit against the United States Department... Read More
How can a Value-Added Producer Grant help my farm?
This is a part of a blog series on different federal programs in the USDA and how they affect the average beginning farmer. Let us know if there is a particular program that you’d like us to write about next! You read yesterday about the new Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act and the great things that will come with it if it passes. One of the big chunks of that funding is the Value-Added Producer Grant program. Here’s a quick intro to... Read More
Registration Open for Free Webinar Discussing FSA Microloan Program
FSA microloans can be used for anything from growing infrastructure to marketing equipment! You’ve heard us talk about the FSA microloan program. In fact, you probably were a part of the push over the past year to make it a reality. Well the USDA listened to us, so let’s make sure this program actually gets used! The microloan program offers low-interest loans up to $35,000 to better serve the financial operating needs of beginning, niche... Read More
Food Safety Rules – Coming to a farm near you!
It’s time to start talking about the new food safety bill and how it’s going to affect you. Food safety isn’t high on anyone’s list of exciting things to spend their free time reading about, but take a few moments, because how the law gets written this year will have a long-running impact on how small farms can operate. How often are you testing your farm’s water? The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into... Read More
Tell me more about…. GIPSA
This is part of a blog series on different federal programs in the USDA and how they affect the average beginning farmer. As we work towards improving legislation and pushing for reform in the Farm Bill, we decided to create these quick tutorial pages to act as a reference. Let us know if there is a particular program that you’d like us to write about next! heifers at sunset, photo courtesy of Jess Johnson What are the GIPSA Rules? The new... Read More
Tell me more about… the Conservation Stewardship Program
This is a part of a blog series on different federal programs in the USDA and how they affect the average beginning farmer. As we work towards improving legislation and pushing for reform in the Farm Bill, we decided to create these quick tutorial pages to act as a reference. Let us know if there is a particular program that you’d like us to write about next! Vegetated Buffer Strips – photo courtesy of NRCS The Conservation Stewardship... Read More
