Tillage, drought and their child: disaster
Across the arid West, farmers and ranchers are sharing tools and stories of resilience. Farmer Paul Kaiser discusses how he and his family are preparing for drought on their farm, Singing Frogs Farm, in Sonoma County, CA. On January 17th, 2014 California Governor Jerry Brown announced a statewide drought emergency. Despite recent March rains, seven of the last eight years […]
NYFC March 2014 Newsletter
We’ve kicked off the spring with an exciting win at the USDA! Thanks to feedback from our coalition, the Farm Service Agency is making key changes to its facilities loan program that will increase access to diversified farmers. Want to be involved in NYFC’s next policy win? Now’s your chance – we’re calling for applications […]
NYFC February Newsletter: Beyond the Farm Bill, Western Water, Draft Power and more
As we reported last week, the new five-year farm bill has passed – so where do we go from here? We keep organizing! In this newsletter we’ll fill you in on what’s next in policy; introduce two new western initiatives (and our new staff members making it happen); and get you linked up with our […]
Farmers & Consumers join together to support healthy water resources
Last month NYFC launched the Colorado River & Western Water Pledge, an opportunity for farmers and consumers to join together to help ensure healthy water resources now and into the future. It is no question that we face significant threats to our fresh water in the west. Dwindling surface water supply matched with increasing demand, […]
Mayors, farmers across the west stand together for Colorado River Day
“Essentially if we didn’t have this river and this water, we wouldn’t have agriculture in this state [of Colorado],” says Brad Webb, a local farmer and business owner of Mesa Park Vineyards in western Colorado. Brad spoke on behalf of beginning farmers for Colorado River Day in Grand Junction, one of five events held yesterday […]
When policy puts water back into streams & farms, the benefits are tangible
Farming is one of the most tangible professions there is. The product of a farmer’s labor is apparent at the end of every work day, with ripening tomatoes on the vine or gallons of milk in the fridge. Policy, on the other hand, is often the opposite: a handful of law makers gathering in an […]
Farming and water in the West: An Intro
You may be noticing our posts on water issues, or our recent Op-Ed on Colorado farmers and water conservation, and perhaps are wondering why NYFC is diving into western water. As the first of many blog posts on this topic, the following paragraphs offer some background. In most of the U.S., water is relatively abundant. […]
Colorado's young farmers ready to join Governor in conservation
Friends, please take a minute to check out my recent Op-Ed published in the Grand Junction Sentinel on Colorado River water conservation. Young farmers need to be at the forefront of the discussion of how to build a smart water future for Colorado and the Colorado River Basin! Please also note the action at the […]