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Young Farmers Appropriations Priorities for the Fiscal Year of 2025
Each year, the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) participates in submitting appropriations letters to members of Congress. The appropriations process refers to how Congress allocates funding each year to different federal agencies and programs. By submitting appropriations letters to members of Congress, stakeholders in the agriculture industry (including farmers, ranchers, and food policy advocates)…
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Op-Ed: Keeping our Eyes on the Farm Bill
A Farm Bill Opinion Piece by Christopher Bosso, Northeastern University In a recent New York Review of Books essay, I argued that few non-farmers – which is most of the U.S. population – know about or pay attention to the Farm Bill, the legislative vehicle for much of the nation’s agricultural and food policies. (Agriculture…
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Young Farmer Voices: Tessa Parks, W.T. Farm in Northfield, MN
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…
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The National Young Farmers Coalition voluntarily recognizes Young Farmers United
On April 17, 2023, the National Young Farmers Coalition voluntarily recognized Young Farmers United, a union represented by The National Organization of Legal Services Workers (UAW2320). The leadership of Young Farmers is enthusiastically supportive of unionization. We believe that unionization is an act of deep care for the National Young Farmers Coalition as an organization.…
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Young Farmer Leaders in D.C. to Advocate for Top Farm Bill Priorities
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…
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An Update on Young Farmers’ One Million Acres for the Future Campaign
We are at a critical moment in our One Million Acres for the Future campaign for equitable land access. It has been more than two years since we launched in November 2021, but Congress has yet to pass the next farm bill and the need for federal action on the land access crisis has only…
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Chapter Capacity Grant Feature: West Michigan Young Farmers Chapter
This is the sixth installment in a blog series featuring the ten recipients of our 2023 Muck Boot Chapter Capacity Grant program. Through this year’s grant program, the chapters received fundraising training and support to help them build long-term financial sustainability. — In 2022 and in 2023, the West Michigan Young Farmers Chapter received the…
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Chapter Capacity Grant Feature: Hudson Valley Young Farmers Chapter
This is the fifth installment in a blog series featuring the ten recipients of our 2023 Muck Boot Chapter Capacity Grant program. Through this year’s grant program, the chapters received fundraising training and support to help them build long-term financial sustainability. — Last year, the Hudson Valley Young Farmers Chapter received the Chapter Capacity Grant…
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Young Farmers at the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference
Every February, the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference is held near the beautiful Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Driftless region of the Midwest, encompassing corners of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, holds rolling hills and fertile farming communities. The conference (formerly known as MOSES) brings together farming communities across differences in acreage and access to…
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The Swamp of Land Ownership
By Alex Ball When I first started farming at 18 with no previous agricultural experience, I jumped right into the food system with both feet, hoping to find either a clear path to economic success, or a hard path that would provide moderate stability and at least a profitable business. Reality quickly set in as…