Farmers Need Action on Climate and Land in the Next Farm Bill
By Lotanna Obodozie 2023 was one of the hottest years on record. As spring approaches across the U.S., scientists say 2024 may be even hotter! Young farmers are leaders on the frontlines of this climate crisis and are driving attention to the need for climate action globally as well as in the U.S. Unpredictable weather […]
Making Conservation Programs Accessible to Young and BIPOC Farmers: Joseluis Ortiz y Muniz
This morning, April 20th, New Mexico Water Fellow Joseluis Ortiz y Muniz travelled to Washington, D.C. to testify at the Senate Agriculture Committee’s hearing on farm bill conservation programs. He spoke to Congress about how to make these programs that can be instrumental in combatting climate change more accessible to young and BIPOC farmers. Below […]
RELEASE: The National Young Farmers Coalition endorses the Agriculture Resilience Act and its farmer-focused path to a climate resilient future for agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jessica Manly, National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org , 518-643-3564 ext. 722 Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2023) Today, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) in Congress, which outlines a farmer-focused, research-driven path to net-zero agriculture. The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is […]
The Largest Young Farmer Fly-In in History Calls for a 2023 Farm Bill that Equitably Invests in the Next Generation in Agriculture
Young and BIPOC farmers need land access NOW. Across the country, land prices are soaring, putting land access out of reach for many young farmers. As a result, many young and BIPOC farmers are leaving agriculture. That is why we launched our One Million Acres for the Future campaign and brought over 100 farmer leaders […]
Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing on 2023 Farm Bill Conservation and Forestry Programs
In early March, we submitted a letter for the record for a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on 2023 Farm Bill conservation and forestry programs. As climate change continues to be an increasing and persistent threat to agriculture, farm bill conservation programs are tools that can assist farmers in conservation and building climate resiliency. According to […]
The role of climate research in supporting agricultural resiliency
On June 15th, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on the role of climate research in supporting agricultural resiliency. In a letter we sent to the Committee, we affirmed the importance of climate action being science-based and data-driven while prioritizing the experiences of Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems. We urged the […]
Young Farmer Climate Perspectives: Kellee Matsushita-Tseng, UCSC Farm, Santa Cruz, CA
The compounding issues of dangerous farming conditions, changes in weather patterns, and a lack of access to water are felt more strongly by small, diversified, and BIPOC farmers, and lawmakers must find pathways to support these farmers. Young Farmers Board Member Kellee Matsushita-Tseng is the assistant farm garden manager and instructor at the University of […]
Young Farmer Climate Perspectives: Scott Chang-Fleeman, Shao Shan Farm, Bolinas, CA
Living and farming in Northern California, Scott Chang-Fleeman of Shao Shan Farm is no stranger to the ways in which climate change is affecting farmers like him. Shao Shan Farm is a five-acre certified organic farm specializing in East and Southeast Asian vegetables. They sell their products through direct marketing — at farmers markets, through […]
Young Farmer Climate Perspectives: Bari Zeiger, Healing Poem Farm, Java, NY
USDA must focus on expanding and supporting the young and BIPOC farmers who are already working to fight the climate crisis through farming. My name is Bari Zeiger and I am the owner and operator of Healing Poem Farm, an ecological farm in the start-up phase, located 35 minutes from the city of Buffalo in […]
Climate-smart commodities recommendations from Young Farmers
On Tuesday, February 8, USDA announced its new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot program. This program will aid in the fight against climate change by investing $1 billion, via USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, to provide incentives to agricultural producers and landowners to: Implement climate-smart production practices, activities, and systems on working lands (such as low- […]