RELEASE: National Young Farmers Coalition goes to Washington, D.C. to urge legislators to support a Farm Bill for the future
Millennial farmers from IA, MN, CO, NM, AZ, GA, NC, DC, MD, MT, TX, and the Navajo Nation come to nation’s capital to engage their elected officials
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 6, 2017) – Fresh on the heels of a legislative victory in Minnesota, where passage of a tax credit bill gives young farmers better access to land, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) converges in Washington, D.C. today to advocate for a 2018 Farm Bill that renews rural economies and enables a new generation of farmers to grow the nation’s food supply.
RELEASE: Momentum builds for Young Farmer Success Act (H.R. 1060)
Bipartisan effort attracts support of over one hundred national groups seeking to address the shortfall of young farmers in the U.S.
HUDSON, NY (April 6, 2017) — Over 100 agricultural, business, and nonprofit organizations have signed a letter urging Congress to support the Young Farmer Success Act (H.R.1060), a bipartisan measure that would address the growing issue of student debt among America’s young farmers. The mounting support was announced by Andrew Bahrenburg, National Policy Director for the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC).
RELEASE: National Young Farmers Coalition Rejects Threat to Rural America in President’s Budget; Calls on Congress to Protect the Future of Agriculture
“We all have a stake in our nation’s food system.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 16, 2017) — In response to President’s Trump’s proposal to slash the Department of Agriculture’s budget by 21 percent, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) which represents America’s next generation of farmers, called on Congress to protect rural Americans and the dedicated farmers and ranchers who feed us all.
Young Farmer Success Act Reintroduced in Congress
A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives took action to address our urgent national need for more young farmers by reintroducing the Young Farmer Success Act (H.R. 1060). The National Young Farmers Coalition first worked with members of Congress in 2015 to tackle one of the greatest barriers to young farmer success: student loan debt. The Young […]
2016 Agriculture Appropriations: An Update
By Eric Hansen, NYFC Policy Analyst Earlier this month, Congress reached a major milestone in its annual appropriations process, which funds the federal government. Both the relevant committees in the House and the Senate passed funding bills for the Department of Agriculture. These bills set spending levels for conservation programs and farm loans and include […]
RELEASE: NEW SURVEY FINDS STUDENT LOAN DEBT IS EXACERBATING THE NATION’S FARMER SHORTAGE
Recently Introduced Bi-Partisan Federal Legislation Would Classify Farming As Public Service – Providing Student Loan Relief If Passed
HUDSON, NY — Results from a new survey conducted by the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) show that student loan debt is one of the key barriers preventing more would-be farmers and ranchers from entering agriculture. The report, Farming Is Public Service: A Case for Adding Farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, finds that 30% of survey respondents delayed or declined to enter agriculture because of their student loans, while an additional 48% said student loans prevented them from growing their business or obtaining credit to invest in their farm. To address these barriers, a bi-partisan group of House lawmakers recently introduced legislation to add farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
Young Farmer Success Act introduced in Congress
University of Maryland agriculture instructor Meredith Epstein loves teaching, but it isn’t the career she imagined for herself. Epstein doesn’t lack the skills, training, or talent for her chosen profession—farming—she simply can’t afford to invest in a farm of her own because she has student loan debt. The Young Farmer Success Act of 2015 would […]
Guest Post: Uncapped Entitlement is Bad for Agriculture and Holding up the New Farm Bill
We’ve talked in the past about the need for Congress to reform its payment limit systems (ie, the way farms receive crop subsidies). It’s not one of the most exciting policy areas that we focus on, but it’s more important than you might think! Right now, payments are structured to favor the very largest farms […]
Farm Bill Update – US House moves a step toward the finish line
A quick farm bill 2013 update, for all you policy wonks out there (and busy farmers too!): We broke the news last week that the House had passed a nutrition-title-only bill last week (here’s a good article summarizing how each representative voted), finally following up after passing an everything-but-nutrition farm bill a couple months ago. […]
Another step toward a farm bill as the clock ticks down
Well, we’ve been focusing the past couple weeks on the proposed food safety regulations that are turning a lot of heads in the farming communities, but let’s take a quick moment to check out what Congress is up to on the Farm Bill. Congress has only a couple weeks left before the September 30th expiration […]