#NYFCconvergence 2018: Olivia Watkins
Olivia Watkins of Holly Springs, NC shares why she is joining the 100 young farmers heading to DC for our 4th Annual National Leadership Convergence this November 12th-15th. “Next week I will be going to the Capitol with 100 other young farmers with NYFC to talk with Members of Congress, learn key organizing and advocacy skills, […]
Release: After a month with no farm bill, one hundred young farmers fly to DC to demand swift passage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kate Bittman | View full release and contacts After a month with no farm bill, one hundred young farmers fly to DC to demand swift passage After a month with no farm bill, one hundred young farmers fly to Washington DC to demand swift passage WASHINGTON, DC (November 5, 2018) –Young farmers from across […]
Farm Bill Politics 5: #farmbillnow
The 2014 Farm Bill has been expired since October 1st. What does this mean for young farmers and ranchers and the USDA programs they rely on? This week, we catch up with Andrew Bahrenburg, our National Policy Director and guy on the ground in DC, about the effects of the expiration and fate of these […]
Farm bill expires, stranding young farmers
At midnight on October 1, the 2014 Farm Bill expired. Not only did it expire, but Congress has left D.C. without passing a temporary extension to fund key programs while the final bill is being negotiated. Without a farm bill or an extension in place, many federal farm programs now simply cease to exist until […]
Last Chance in this Farm Bill for Beginning Farmers and Our Farmland
Our farm bill has expired, and with it the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) has too. BFRDP is a critical program providing new farmers with skill-based training and business planning opportunities, and its defunding, even temporarily, is a significant blow. The immediate and technical challenges BFRDP is designed to address, however, […]
2018 National Leadership Convergence
NYFC hosted our 4th Annual National Leadership Convergence this November 12th-15th at the National 4H Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with a full Lobby Day at the D.C. Capitol on November 15th. Convergence brings together young farmer leaders from across the country to share best practices, learn key organizing and advocacy skills, and make their […]
Share your story to help pass a farm bill for young farmers!
We are really down to the wire. September 30th is the farm bill expiration date, and unless Congress passes a final version of the bill, many of the programs young farmers rely on may lose funding. Stories break through the noise. That’s why we’re asking you to shareyour stories with Members of Congress to help illustrate how important local […]
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 […]
2018 Farm Bill Luján-Bishop Letter Signed by 53 Members of Congress
NYFC is excited to share a bipartisan letter in support of programs young and socially disadvantaged farmers rely on in the 2018 Farm Bill. The letter, led by Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Sanford Bishop’s (D-GA), was delivered to House Agriculture Committee leadership, with support from 53 Members of Congress. In the letter, the Members requests […]
“Water is Scarce, Water is Rare”
“If we don’t start doing things differently, there won’t be agriculture to pass down.” Climate change is a hot-button political issue, but in the Western U.S., no one can deny that the drought and above average temperatures are real. Mike Nolan, a young farmer in Mancos, Colorado, gives an insider perspective on farming in extreme […]