Young Farmers Appropriations Priorities for the 2024 Fiscal Year
By Yahaira Cáceres Each year, the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) participates in the appropriations process by submitting letters to Members of Congress. The appropriations process refers to how Congress allocates funding each year to different federal agencies and programs. By submitting letters to Members of Congress, stakeholders in the agriculture industry (including farmers, […]
Immigration and Labor Glossary
Here is a working glossary of definitions, policies and regulations that are pertinent to immigration and labor issues. Immigration Asylum Seeker/Asylee An individual who comes to the United States seeking protection due to persecution or fear of persecution in their home country on account of: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group […]
2022 Young Farmers USDA Policy Recommendations
Federal programs are failing to reach and support the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Young farmers are unfamiliar with federal programs, overwhelmed with the cumbersome application processes, lack the land tenure required to make use of conservation programs, and/or are not successful in making their diversified, direct-market operations fit the mold of loan applications […]
2022 Young Farmers Labor and Immigration Policy Recommendations
Challenging capitalism is one of the National Young Farmers Coalition’s Guiding Principles. Capitalism favors profit and wealth accumulation over community needs and the social good, perpetuating consolidation, wealth inequality, and labor exploitation in food and agriculture. Despite contributing to our society in such a tremendous and essential way—a fact made obvious to everyone living through […]
2022 Young Farmers Climate and Water Policy Recommendations
Young farmers are working hard to build solutions to the climate crisis and climate resilient communities. Agriculture does not need to exist in opposition to climate action; in fact, agriculture can be at the heart of policy change in support of climate resiliency. Eighty-eight percent of young farmers under 40 who responded to our 2022 […]
Young Farmers Appropriations Priorities for Fiscal Year 2023
Each year, Congress has the opportunity to make critical investments in the needs of young farmers and farmers of color through the appropriations process. After two years of the Coronavirus pandemic, with inflation rates soaring and a myriad of global uncertainties unfolding, we need a strong investment in the future of agriculture through FY23 Appropriations […]
Release: President’s Budget Demonstrates Commitment to a more just and resilient Future for U.S. Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Screen-Shot-2021-08-17-at-2.19.49-PM-2-1.png, Communications Director, National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 ext. 722 Washington, D.C. (March 29, 2022) Staff from the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) released the following statements in response to President Biden’s proposed FY2023 budget, shared yesterday, and its potential impacts on the future of U.S. agriculture: “The President’s […]
Federal policy must support young and BIPOC farmers and ranchers leading the future of sustainable livestock management
On February 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on sustainability in the livestock sector. In a letter we sent to the Committee, we discussed the role the livestock industry can play in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Practices that sequester carbon in the soil and provide other ecosystem […]
Farm bill conservation programs need to be more accessible to young and BIPOC farmers
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture held a hearing to review current farm bill conservation programs in anticipation of the 2023 Farm Bill. We sent a letter to the Committee emphasizing the critical role conservation programs can play in addressing climate change and improving land access. Young and BIPOC farmers and ranchers […]
USDA’s 2501 program provides critical support for Black farmers in Georgia: farm bill negotiations threaten the program’s future
Before my great grandmother, Mrs. Maggie Johnson, made her transition when I was 5 years old, she told me I was the one who would take over our family’s 100-year old farm. Fifty years later, I am struggling to see that dream through. The leaders and farmers in the SAAFON network have become my […]