Young Farmers Fellowships Train Water Leaders in the West
My name is Megan Davey and I am the Water Fellowship Coordinator with the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers). Young Farmers believes that farmers are leaders and change-makers. Through programs like the land fellowship, our newly launched Power in Land, Agriculture, Climate and Equity (PLACE) Fellowship, the California fellowship, and our water fellowships, we […]
“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 […]
New report: Innovation & stewardship in the arid West
Here’s a story you probably haven’t heard in the news: Family farmers are leading water conservation efforts in the West. Here are two examples. By building up the level of organic matter in the soil of their California farm, Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser (pictured above with their crew) have drastically cut their irrigation use while […]
The West, water and you: Take our new survey
This year drought has gripped the West to a new extreme. But both young and seasoned farmers are forging new and innovative solutions, growing more food with less water while enhancing biodiversity, soil health, and their local communities. Yet despite this, too often young farmers are not engaged in shaping water policy. This means their […]
March Update: Leanna Says Goodbye to Student Debt
This week, we learned that our Operations Manager, Leanna Mulvihill, was selected to receive student loan forgiveness by New York State. Leanna is starting her own livestock operation this year and will now be able to invest her savings in lambs and pigs instead of student loan payments. This is exactly the kind of impact […]
NYFC Presents at Western Governors Association Drought Forum
National Young Farmers Coalition was invited to present during the Western Governors Association forum on “Drought Impacts and Solutions in the Agricultural Sector”. Many academics and water resource managers from California were in attendance along with several ranchers and farmers. Jerry Brown, Governor of California and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval made an appearance for opening […]
Sustaining Farming in the Arid West: Stories of young farmers, water and resilience
FARMERS ADAPT TO DROUGHT AND INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY New Report Highlights Innovative Drought Mitigation & Water Savings by Six Farmers in Four Colorado River Basin States August 14th, 2014 Download report (PDF) DURANGO, CO – The National Young Farmers Coalition released a report today highlighting innovative farmers who are adapting to record drought in the arid Southwest. “Sustaining Farming […]
Water stewardship takes center stage on Colorado River Day
As news of the Wests’ staggering drought makes headlines nationwide, it can be difficult to look past the waves of dark red on the drought monitor. Reports are rolling in on California farmers fallowing land due to lack of water, tumbleweed take-over, and western reservoirs dropping to their lowest levels in history.
Tillage, drought and their child: disaster
Across the arid West, farmers and ranchers are sharing tools and stories of resilience. Farmer Paul Kaiser discusses how he and his family are preparing for drought on their farm, Singing Frogs Farm, in Sonoma County, CA. On January 17th, 2014 California Governor Jerry Brown announced a statewide drought emergency. Despite recent March rains, seven of the last eight years […]
Protecting farms, ecosystems and rural economies priority in a changing West
In a piece released yesterday in the UT San Diego titled “Busting myths about water shortage,” Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle emphasizes there is no single solution to bridging the water supply-demand gap we face in the west, but that we must take an integrated approach that does not […]