FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrew Bahrenburg | View full release and contacts
National Young Farmers Coalition Rejects Threat to Rural America in President’s Budget; Calls on Congress to Protect the Future of Agriculture
“We all have a stake in our nation’s food system.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 16, 2017) — In response to President’s Trump’s proposal to slash the Department of Agriculture’s budget by 21 percent, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) which represents America’s next generation of farmers, called on Congress to protect rural Americans and the dedicated farmers and ranchers who feed us all.
“This budget proposal dramatically underestimates the economic urgency facing rural America,” said Andrew Bahrenburg, NYFC’s national policy director. “If we don’t recruit a new generation of farmers to take over for America’s aging farm population, rural economies will continue to unravel. Instead, this proposal would take us backward, and make rural life a less viable option for entrepreneurial young Americans. It’s a strange message for President Trump to send to the rural voters that helped elect him.”
Bahrenburg noted that U.S. rural communities need help rebuilding their crumbling economies and infrastructure, but President Trump proposes to dismantle Rural Business Development programs at USDA. Additionally, his budget proposes a shift toward privatizing land conservation and would gut investments in rural water infrastructure, two proposals that further threaten rural economies over the long-term.
“As the organization representing a new generation of farmers and ranchers already facing unprecedented challenges, the National Young Farmers Coalition calls on every Member of Congress to reject this shortsighted proposal,” said Bahrenburg. “With a rapidly aging farm population and most farmland on the cusp of transition, this is a critical time for U.S. agriculture. Though they still do not have a Secretary in the President’s Cabinet, farmers and ranchers need champions in Washington. We all have a stake in our nation’s food system.”
Committed to building a viable future for American agriculture, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) is an advocacy network of farmers, ranchers, and consumers working to ensure that all young farmers have the chance to succeed. Visit NYFC on the web at www.youngfarmers.org, and on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
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