On March 21st, 15 farmers from our network joined Young Farmers staff and partners from the Land Stewardship Project and the Midwest Farmers of Color Collective in Washington, D.C. to advocate for our equitable land access and climate policy priorities in the upcoming farm bill. Together, we led 21 meetings, sharing our stories and farm bill priorities with Congressional offices and House and Senate Agriculture Committee staff.

The current farm bill expired on October 1, 2023, and Congress passed an extension through September 30, 2024. While the timing of the upcoming farm bill reauthorization is still uncertain, we remain unwavering in our advocacy for the next generation of farmers. At the fly-in, farmer leaders and our policy team worked hard to advance our marker bills related to land access, farmer-to-farmer education, and small farm conservation.

Despite this longer farm bill timeline, this is an important opportunity to grow our relationships with policymakers, and to ensure this upcoming farm bill centers the needs of young and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) farmers. 

Help us keep the pressure on Congress by checking out our Farm Bill Action Hub and partner action toolkit for information and resources to support our advocacy. Here’s more information about our farm bill marker bills you can support today:

The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act offers powerful solutions to the land access crisis. Contact your Members of Congress and ask them to support this critical legislation.

Help Young Farmers garner support for the Small Farm Conservation Act, which would make it easier for small farmers and ranchers to access financial support and technical assistance to improve their stewardship of land and water.

Send a letter to your Representative asking them to support the Farmer-to-Farmer Education Act to increase conservation practices and create a more resilient future for agriculture.