When Congress goes on recess each spring, legislators tend to leave Washington, D.C. and head back to their home districts for District Work Periods, or “in-districts.” In April, thirty-nine farmers held thirty-two in-district meetings with legislators across the country to
Kelly Wilson got the confidence to start her own small, diversified vegetable farm after taking a training program at Michigan State University. Her farm, Simple Gifts Farm, is outside Oxford, Michigan, where she grows vegetables that she sells wholesale to
Senate introduces farm bill draft with the Young Farmer Agenda in mind On Friday afternoon, the Senate Agriculture Committee released its long-awaited draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. In stark contrast to the hyper-partisan approach of their House counterparts, Senate Committee
Partisan markup yields heated debate, few amendments; NYFC calls on U.S. House to make improvements as farm bill goes to the floor WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 18, 2018) – The House Agriculture Committee completed its markup of the House farm bill today
findingfarmland.youngfarmers.org Fall is when farm work, done under the glow of the sun, gives way to farm planning under the glow of a computer screen. If your farm planning includes a search for—or even just a dream of—land of your
This past week, USDA announced two big changes coming to your local county office. First, USDA will be hiring five new staff members at the state level to coordinate new farmer programs for the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The National
One of the most significant challenges facing young farmers today is access to—and retention of—quality farmland. Innovative land tenure models are the focus of many advocacy and research organizations. The role of public lands in farmland retention is less clear—but
Farming is a tough business, and beginning farmers need hands-on experience and mentoring before they can successfully take on a commercial operation. Finding that experience and mentoring can be a significant challenge, and it’s at the heart of why Rogue
Beginning farmers are finding a new way to get on the land in South Carolina with the help of a local non-profit called Lowcountry Local First (LLF). In 2012, LLF welcomed farmers to South Carolina’s first incubator farm – Dirt Works Incubator, which is located just outside
Every five years, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) takes a hard look at the state of US agriculture by conducting a Census of Agriculture. In a very real way, the census is one of the few opportunities farmers