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

This is the fifth 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. — Last year, the Hudson Valley Young Farmers Chapter received the Chapter Capacity Grant to support the work of Choy Commons, a coalition of Asian American farmers and community organizers seeking to build food sovereignty in Asian communities in New York City and the Hudson Valley. The chapter received the grant again this ..read more

This is the fourth 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. — Young and BIPOC farmers are dealing with the impacts of climate change every day. Across the country, farmers are facing unpredictable weather, severe storms, historic floods and droughts, and increased pest and disease pressure. 73.3% of young farmers who took the 2022 National Young Farmer Survey said they have experie ..read more

Every February, the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference is held near the beautiful Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Driftless region of the Midwest, encompassing corners of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, holds rolling hills and fertile farming communities. The conference (formerly known as MOSES) brings together farming communities across differences in acreage and access to land; urban and rural producers; and commodity, livestock, and mixed vegetable farmers. One thing that unites each of these different communities is a commitment to organic principles. This year the confer ..read more

By Alex Ball When I first started farming at 18 with no previous agricultural experience, I jumped right into the food system with both feet, hoping to find either a clear path to economic success, or a hard path that would provide moderate stability and at least a profitable business. Reality quickly set in as I realized that, as a child of a working class family who grew up in the heart of the recession, I couldn’t access what I needed to operate a successful small farm business: financial support from my family, pre-existing capital, or accessible farmland.  The first five of my twelve ..read more

Request for Proposals Released: March 18, 2024 Due: April 5, 2024 The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers/the Coalition) is in search of a website consultant to assist in the update and redesign of Young Farmers’ main website (www.youngfarmers.org), and land microsite (www.youngfarmers.org/land) in partnership with the Young Farmers Communications Team. Our websites are some of the main tools that we use as an organization to share farmers’ stories, updates and news, opportunities to engage in federal policy advocacy, and to share out the important progress that our organization is ..read more