FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:​ Jessica Manly, Communications and Digital Advocacy Director National Young Farmers Coalition press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 ext. 722 Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2024) Yesterday, U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) published a detailed preview of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, laying out a path forward in the extended process to secure a new Farm Bill. A product of years of dialogue, and reflecting aspects of over 100 bipartisan marker bills, this proposal is a step forward, and is ..read more

By Kelsey Zaavedra, Land Advocacy Fellow and vegetable farmer from Minnesota For the last two years, I’ve been in constant wonder of why my farm, despite being in an agricultural zone, doesn’t get agricultural taxation. I pay 14 times the amount of my farming neighbors, who have a parcel the exact same size as mine. I went to the county assessor to change my tax status, but I was told that my farmland was classified as residential and that there was no way to change it due to a state statute. I was being taxed through the roof simply because of the size of my farm. I have 5 acres surrounded by ..read more

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) can make their case for why specific programs or initiatives should receive support. Participating in appropriations means advocating for funding specific programs or initiatives ..read more

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 and food are not synonymous, but that’s for another day.) I also argued that non-farmers should pay more attention if they want to counter the long-time dominance of Big Agriculture in decisions shaping which basic commodities get produced, how, how much, by who, and wit ..read more

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 U.S. These are farmers working hard to address the issues of land access, climate change, USDA accountability, immigration and labor justice, and farmer mental health. Tessa Parks and her partner Wyatt raise Holstein calves in the southern Minne ..read more

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. It is an expression of belief in our values as an organization and consistent with our mission of care for the farmers, ranchers, growers, supporters, and members we represent.  “We’re excited to recognize You ..read more

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 bill priorities with Congressional offices and House and Senate Agriculture Committee staff. The current farm bill expired on October 1, 2023, and Congress passed an extension through September 30, 2024. While the timing of the upcoming farm bill reauthorizati ..read more

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 grown. Here’s an update on all we have accomplished, where we are now, and what is on the horizon for equitable land access. We hope that you will be inspired by the thousands of farmers and supporters who have built this campaign, and that you will be galvanized to action as we continue holding Congress account ..read more

Request for Proposals Released: April 3, 2024 Due: April 18, 2024 The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers / the Coalition) is in search of a Phone Banker and Technical Assistant, to make calls to potential applicants to Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan programs. The goals of these outreach calls and accompanying technical assistance to farmers and ranchers across the country are to: Ensure increased awareness and comprehension of relevant FSA loan programs; Provide tailored support through application processes and arising concerns; Retain lessons learned throughout the process ..read more

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 Chapter Capacity Grant to support the launch of their West Michigan BIPOC Farmer Land Fund to support Black, Indigenous, and other farmers of color with securing access to land and infrastructure. In the Grand Rapids area, finding available and affo ..read more