This Earth Day, the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is launching our Young Farmer Voices campaign, cosponsored by our partners MegaFood, which aims to amplify the stories of young and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) farmers across our network who are building a brighter and more just future for agriculture in the U.S. These are farmers working hard to address the issues of land access, climate change, USDA accountability, immigration and labor justice, and farmer mental health.
Tessa Parks and her partner Wyatt raise Holstein calves in the southern Minnesota town of Northfield, about an hour north of Rochester. This year Tessa and Wyatt are expanding their operation at W.T. Farms and raising 15 calves, the most they’ve ever raised in a season. They’re also leasing 100 additional acres of land for organic hay production which Tessa says is to “bolster food security for our herd so that we can bolster food security for our community. But also for other small operations in our area whose pastures aren’t as productive because of drought conditions… we’re working towards being an organic hay option for our area.”
This is one of the reasons Tessa aims to be such a strong advocate for regenerative agriculture in Minnesota. “As a queer, BIPOC, female farmer, there’s an absence of the advocacy that I have needed as a farmer.” Speaking about her region of the state she added, “There are not necessarily farmers who are using their voice to better the difficult system that we’re trying to start our farm in… I would have loved someone to bounce ideas off of and have my fears and worries validated, but there really isn’t someone with the shared experiences… I’m trying to be that champion that I never had for someone else.”
As Tessa has emerged as a well-respected leader in her community and she and Wyatt expand their business, they are simultaneously living with the reality that they still don’t have secure access to land. They’ve been searching for a permanent home for W.T. Farms since 2018 to no avail. This has made Tessa keenly aware of the intersections of land access and the climate crisis that farmers like her struggle with. As she and Wyatt invest in building the soil on their leased land and rehabilitating fields that have experienced erosion, they know that they could lose the land as soon as their three-year lease ends.
This hasn’t stopped Tessa from farming or advocating for the more just future she knows farmers like her deserve. When she’s challenged by other farmers who do things differently than she does during industry meetings, she reminds herself that just because her farm looks different from others doesn’t make her any less of a farmer. “The last couple of years have been changing my own mind that I am a farmer,” Tessa said. “ At the root of the advocacy is making space for myself, advocating for myself, and then wanting to make sure that space doesn’t diminish and actually keeps growing and recognizes all the other farmers who haven’t had the same opportunities I’ve been afforded.”
This Earth Day, take action with farmers like Tessa by going to youngfarmers.org/advocate to ask your members of Congress to prioritize secure land access, funding for conservation efforts, and farmer-to-farmer support networks in the upcoming Farm Bill.
About MegaFood®
MegaFood, a Certified B Corporation and 1% for the Planet Partner, leverages its 50+ years of scientific know-how to expertly craft the most efficacious, planet-first supplements powered by plants. Driven by the belief in the power of plants to nurture the health of people and planet, MegaFood works with trusted farm partners who share its commitment to organic and regenerative agriculture. MegaFood’s products are tested for 150+ pesticides and carry third-party certifications, such as Non-GMO Project Verified & Certified Glyphosate Residue Free. The brand is also Certified Plastic Neutral through its partnership with rePurpose and has enabled the recovery of over 350,000 pounds of nature-bound plastic to date, equivalent to nearly 9 million plastic bottles.