2024 Election Year Guide for Young Farmer Advocates
Best practices for prioritizing young farmer issues in the 2024 elections Anyone with access to the internet well knows that the 2024 elections are quickly approaching – mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 5th! Early voting and mail in ballots are already available across the country. If we are going to bring the future we […]
Young Farmers Submits Comment for Hearing on Financial Conditions in Farm Country
The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) submitted the following public comment to the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture as part of a hearing on the financial state of farms in the country, hosted by Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA-15). The testimonies presented during the hearing underscored the profound economic pressures and mental health strains experienced […]
RELEASE: USDA Farm Service Agency Updates Loan Programs Rule and Launches New Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program
Contact: Jessica Manly, Communications and Digital Advocacy Director National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 x 722 (Washington, D.C., August 8, 2024) This week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a final rule, seeking comment on a variety of updates to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Loan Programs (FLP) regulations. These updates reflect […]
Release: USDA Announces $400 Million Investment in Western Water Conservation
Contact: Jessica Manly, Communications and Digital Advocacy Director National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 x 722 (Washington, D.C., August 7, 2024) On August 1, 2024, USDA announced a historic investment in water conservation and drought support for farmers and ranchers across the Western United States. USDA has identified 18 irrigation districts across the West that […]
RELEASE: USDA Issues Discrimination Financial Assistance Payments to more than 43,000 Applicants
Contact: Jessica Manly, Communications and Digital Advocacy Director National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 x 722 (Washington, D.C., August 2, 2024) In July 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened the claims process for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP), authorized by section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Through the IRA, […]
USDA Appoints Vanessa García Polanco to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board
Young Farmers is excited to announce that Government Relations Director, Vanessa García Polanco has been appointed to the USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The 15-member Board informs the USDA’s science and research priorities and is composed of university, non-profit, and industry representatives, and each member serves a 2-3 year […]
Young Farmers’ Analysis of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 recently passed by the House Agriculture Committee does not serve the new generation of farmers and ranchers in this country. Young Farmers opposed the bill when it was initially released and mobilized hundreds of advocates in direct and grassroots action to encourage House Agriculture Committee members […]
Young Farmers joins American Farmland Trust, Farm Aid, and Climate Mental Health Network for discussion on Farmer Mental Health in a Changing Climate
Are you a farmer looking for support for farm stress or other mental health challenges? Our partners at Farm Aid manage a 24-hour hotline. Whether you are a beginning or established farmer, you can call their Farmer Hotline at 1-800-FARM-AID. Their Farmer Services team can point you towards helpful resources that match your needs. Si […]
House Committee on Agriculture Passes a Draft Farm Bill Despite Opposition from Young Farmers and Partner Organizations
CONGRESSIONAL OVERVIEW On Friday, May 17, 2024, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, released the first draft of the House Farm Bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (HR 8467). Young Farmers opposed the bill, and mobilized hundreds of advocates in direct and grassroots action to encourage House […]
Young farmer testifying tomorrow at Senate hearing
Last Month, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), published a detailed preview of the Senate draft Farm Bill, the “Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024.” This proposal is a step forward toward a final bill, and in centering the needs of young and Black, Indigenous, and people of color […]