Essential Steps in Family Farming
Agric4profits
SEPTEMBER 28, 2024
Family farming is a vital part of agriculture, providing food security and sustaining rural communities. This guide will cover essential aspects of family farmi
Agriculture Family Farming Farming 
Are American Family Farms Disappearing?
Trimble Agriculture
JULY 3, 2024
The American family farm is the cornerstone of our nation—but is its existence in jeopardy? As the land of the free and home of the brave, the American family farm has been a foundational part of this nation and the meaning of independence. According to the 2022 ag census, family farms still dominate U.S.
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Future of Family Farms in the San Joaquin Valley
Caff
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Earlier this year, CAFF kicked off a massive project in the San Joaquin Valley to help support family farms there and strengthen the local food economy, in partnership with UC Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR) and the Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF), among others. Why take on such a big project?
Basketball Legend Seeks USDA's Help to Transform Family Farm Into a Sustainable Agricultural Enterprise
USDA Blog
MAY 31, 2024
For basketball great Ralph Sampson, farming is his new game of choice. The new and beginning farmer is looking to resurrect his family’s farm and spur new economic growth on the ancestral land.
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Sustainability Means ‘Freedom to Really Farm How We Should Be Farming’
Food Tank
NOVEMBER 1, 2024
Trisha and Nolan Zachman farm in a small town two hours west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a fourth-generation farmer, Trisha says that her farm today looks a lot different from her childhood. Trisha grew up farming with her family, and she knew she would one day raise her own family on a farm.
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Revitalizing Rural Communities Means Supporting Small Farms
Food Tank
JUNE 28, 2024
In the United States, consolidation throughout the agricultural sector makes it difficult for smaller, independent farms to survive. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture , large farms comprise only 4 percent of the total number of farms in the U.S. but control two-thirds of agricultural land.
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Rodale Institute, KWU and Quail Creek Family Farms Partner to Expand Access to Regenerative Organic Agriculture Education in the Sunflower State
Rodale Institute
APRIL 5, 2023
Rodale Institute, a global research and education nonprofit, is joining forces with Kansas Wesleyan University and Quail Creek Family Farms (QCFF) to grow education programming in Kansas focused on regenerative […] The post Rodale Institute, KWU and Quail Creek Family Farms Partner to Expand Access to Regenerative Organic Agriculture Education (..)
Marin County farmers market leader honored by family-farming group
Caff
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
Naja-Riese, executive director of the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) , has been named the 2023 Farmers Market Champion of the Year, an annual recognition awarded by Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF).
Farm Bill Coalition Letter
NASDA
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
Given the enormous challenges facing production agriculture – including a farm economy that has taken a downward spiral – it is imperative Congress act before year’s end to strengthen farm policy for America’s farmers. Farmers are struggling, and the decline in the farm economy is real. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Sarah Vogel: Midwestern Attorney Supporting Family, Women, and Native American Farms
USDA Blog
SEPTEMBER 20, 2024
Known as the Farmer’s Lawyer, Equity Commission Agriculture Subcommittee member Sarah Vogel has been vocal on issues impacting rural and Tribal communities; farmers who are young, new, and beginning; women; and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and farmworkers.
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Easy and ‘Modern’ Isn’t Always the Best Way: The Promise of Sustainable, Humane Pig Farming
Food Tank
OCTOBER 4, 2024
Kody McCleary wants more consumers to understand the work that goes into sustainable and humane pig farming. Pig farmers, they’re there 365 days a year taking care of those animals,” says McCleary, a fourth-generation farmer at McCleary Farms in West-Central Illinois. As a small family farmer, it’s heartbreaking.
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Family Farms React to Governor’s Proposed Budget, Major Cuts
Caff
JANUARY 10, 2023
We particularly appreciate the $25 million allocation to the California Underserved Producer Program (CUSP) and $75 million to the Small Agricultural Business Drought Relief Grant Program for drought assistance as farmers have suffered large losses over the past three years.
Harvest time: Combine cab is where I want to be
Western FarmPress
NOVEMBER 4, 2024
Young farmer enjoys learning about agriculture and participating in family farm business.
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One & a half million dollars for family farms in need
Caff
DECEMBER 22, 2022
To help small farmers struggling through an epic drought, wildfire devastation, and the pandemic… CAFF AWARDED GRANTS TO 240 FARMS IN NEED TOTALING OVER $1.5 Translation: “Thank you for awarding me these funds, it’s going to be so helpful for my farm, especially in these difficult times.
The Truth about Industrial Agriculture
Trimble Agriculture
JULY 17, 2024
Industrial agriculture is a term often used negatively, but is it the villain it’s made out to be? The debate surrounding industrial agriculture and farm consolidation is complex and multifaceted. The topic of farm consolidation is closely tied to this term, as one typically leads to more of the other.
Farm Bill Coalition Letter
NASDA
JULY 25, 2024
We write to express our gratitude for your efforts to advance the 2024 farm bill within your jurisdictions and to seek your continued support for passing this critical legislation before the end of the year. We look forward to working with you to bring a bipartisan 2024 farm bill to fruition. Thank you for considering our request.
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A Young Farmer Makes the Business Case for Humane Hog Farming
Food Tank
JULY 19, 2024
When his agriculture professors taught about conventional hog production, he would ask questions like, “What about letting these animals get outside a little bit?” These big universities, the agricultural departments are pretty much paid off by Big Agriculture,” says Roberts. According to the U.S.
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Legacies are to be lived and not left — Dr. Mark Lyons, CEO of Alltech
Real Agriculture
JULY 7, 2023
Many of you run family farm businesses filled with the opportunities, challenges and satisfaction that comes with it. This is true on the farm and. Read More Many of you run family farm businesses filled with the opportunities, challenges and satisfaction that comes with it. This is true on the farm and.
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Bringing Youth Back to the Farm in Rural America
Food Tank
MAY 3, 2024
Iowa is the number-one pork producer in the United States, but it has relatively few hog farms. Large factory farm facilities have replaced smaller family farms. The state lost nearly 90 percent of its hog farms from 1982 to 2017, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census data.
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Opinion: In American Agriculture, Size Matters
Modern Farmer
SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
Recent statistics on American agriculture reveal a decline of 200,000 farms between 2007 and 2022. million farms —to 2 million from 6.8 The marginalization of smaller-scale farms has severe consequences. It’s even worse when the owners of large-scale farms don’t live in or meaningfully contribute to the community.
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Discover Farm Aid: A Vital Resource for Farmers
Farm Credit of Southern Colorado
AUGUST 29, 2024
At Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, we are committed to helping our customers find valuable resources that improve their lives and farming operations. We’re excited to share information about Farm Aid, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping family farmers thrive.
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Drought’s Toll on California Family Farms
Caff
JUNE 29, 2021
Caiti Hachmyer of Red H Farm in South Sebastopol started a CSA in 2020 which helped her farm survive the pandemic but the heavy workload took its toll. Rebecca Bozzelli of Lantern Farm in Cloverdale also was able to pivot to selling farm boxes but not without cost. “It She farms 1.5 It was non-stop.
Farm Financial Conditions are Rough
Agwired
JULY 24, 2024
The House Agriculture Committee convened a hearing Tuesday to hear from farmers and rural lenders about the state of financial conditions in farm country. We are living through the largest two-year decline in farm income in history,” said Thompson. has seen since at least 1970.
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Weekend Reading: Food Economics (also a gift!)
Food Politics
AUGUST 9, 2024
The persistence of family farming is among the most surprising facts about the economics of food. and elsewhere most farms do not sell directly to consumers but operate behind the scenes, selling their produce in bulk to specialists for transport and distribution, often for use as ingredients in packaged and processed foods.
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The Financials of Profitable Small-Scale Farming
Modern Farmer
NOVEMBER 13, 2024
Just a Few Acres Farm in Lansing, NY has nearly 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, where seventh-generation farmer Pete Larson posts videos with titles like “The basics of cutting hay” and “Playing in the Dirt with Pregnant Pigs”. Pete Larson on his farm. Photography courtesy of Pete Larson and Just a Few Acres Farms.
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RFA Roundup: Spring 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Opportunities
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
FEBRUARY 15, 2024
Photo credit: Lindsey Scalera With spring on the horizon, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a number of funding opportunities for sustainable agriculture. For more detailed information on these and other USDA grant programs, see NSAC’s Grassroots Guide to Federal Food and Farm Programs.
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Returning to My Roots
Organic Farming Research
NOVEMBER 24, 2024
From supporting cutting-edge research to presenting in webinars, his internship has been "a transformative journey, equipping me with the tools to revitalize my family farm and pursue a career advancing sustainable agriculture." The post Returning to My Roots appeared first on Organic Farming Research Foundation.
The Women and Stress Behind Rural Farming in America
Daily Yonder
NOVEMBER 25, 2024
But recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
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We Need Regenerative Agriculture, But How Can Farmers Fund the Transition?
Modern Farmer
MAY 28, 2024
“Of 400 farms in our county, only five are organic,” says Matt Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Organics in Hutchinson, Minnesota. His 2,500-acre family farm is patchwork across 40 miles of land the family owns and leases, and grows organic corn, soy, wheat and specialty crops such as beans and peas. We understand the risk.
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Heaven’s Hollow Farm: A Soil for Water Case Study
ATTRA
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
Heaven’s Hollow Farm: A Soil for Water Case Study Jacob Gilley Madison County, Virginia Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a fourth-generation family farm that has been in operation since 1951. Jacob, his wife Jennifer, and their children operate the farm in Orange, Virginia. Department of Agriculture.
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Digging into the House Farm Bill: Part 4
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
AUGUST 28, 2024
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the Farm Food and National Security Act of 2024 (FFNSA), which was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on Friday, May 24. public, across party lines, is concerned about the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food production.
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Holsinger Homeplace Farms: A Soil for Water Case Study
ATTRA
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
Holsinger Homeplace Farms: A Soil for Water Case Study Buck and AJ Holsinger Rockingham County, Virginia Holsinger Homeplace Farms is a family farm in Rockingham County in the central Shenandoah Valley. Buck and Amanda (AJ) Holsinger and their children are the tenth and eleventh generations to live on the farm.
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Small-Scale Farming Shouldn’t Just Be a Hobby. So Why Is It So Hard to Make a Living?
Modern Farmer
OCTOBER 3, 2023
I noticed it when first learning farming 14 years ago, traveling around small diverse vegetable farms in the US and Ecuador. Small farms that made all their household income from the farm struggled the most, despite selling something we all need—food. Why is running a small-scale farm more like an expensive hobby?
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European Research Highlights Importance of Farm Transition
ATTRA
APRIL 29, 2024
Researchers from France wrote in The Conversation about challenges to family farm success that often go unrecognized in the policy realm.
Make Food Not Waste: Strategies to Reduce Loss and Grow Profits on the Farm
Trimble Agriculture
APRIL 23, 2024
Agriculture is a low margin, high operating leverage business, where being just a little bit more efficient in all areas can have an outsized effect on profits. While only 16 percent of food waste occurs on the farm level, farmers are perpetual innovators and strive to close this gap even further.
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Exiting the Factory Farm
Modern Farmer
MAY 7, 2024
Murphy Family Farms (later bought by Smithfield Foods) helped out with the loan needed to get started. The Faaborgs farmed hogs for 30 years. When Tanner Faaborg came back to the farm as an adult, the family began thinking about ways to transition out of hog farming. “We
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Opinion: Farm Forward’s Investigation Into Alexandre Farms and the Greenwashing of Large-scale Dairy
Modern Farmer
AUGUST 16, 2024
Many labels that guarantee humane treatment of farm animals (e.g., Yet that’s exactly what Farm Forward’s investigation found. On an ultra-small scale, a sincere commitment to regenerative agriculture is compatible with reducing many of the harms of industrial animal agriculture, including harms to the climate.
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Four Barriers of Farm Succession (and How to Overcome Them)
Trimble Agriculture
AUGUST 2, 2023
Farmland is disappearing and the average age of the farmer is on the rise—do you have a farm succession plan in place? Over the last 75 years, 28 percent of agricultural land has been lost. This poses a serious threat to the future of American family farms and ultimately compromises our domestic food security.
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Catastrophic Floods Cause Major Disruptions to Brazil’s Agricultural Sector
Food Tank
MAY 29, 2024
Record rainfall in May 2024 in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, has caused destructive flooding that is wreaking havoc on the country’s agricultural and livestock sectors. Destroyed or obstructed infrastructure is also limiting food transportation and farm operations. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports.
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Three Key Farm Trends from the 2022 Ag Census
Trimble Agriculture
FEBRUARY 28, 2024
Farm income was at an all-time high in 2022 but not without challenges, according to the latest ag census. With multiple records broken, 2022 was a historic year for agriculture. Keep reading to learn more about the top three farm trends the 2022 ag census revealed and why it should matter to all of us. Farms are consolidating.
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The 2024 Farm Champions!
Caff
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Every year, our community recognizes amazing farms, individuals and local businesses making a difference in our food system. Join us for the awards ceremony on Feb 28 as part of this year’s California Small Farm Conference. Janet ran the farm for 24 years until her recent retirement. Learn more here.
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Young People Need to Find Farming. 4H is the Answer
Modern Farmer
JUNE 28, 2024
I named my business Diamond B Show Stock, a nod to my family farm, Diamond B farms. The family business started in the 1970s and is still running strong today. I’m proud to be the next link in the chain for my family’s agricultural business, and I hope to keep it going for the generations that come after me.
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The Fight for Fair Markets: The Imperative of Antitrust Enforcement in Agriculture
Wisconsin Farmers Union
AUGUST 10, 2023
by Tommy Enright, WFU Communications & Special Projects Coordinator In recent years, concerns about the lack of competition in the agriculture and food industries have been growing. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on July 19th launched the Agricultural Competition partnership, aiming to tackle anticompetitive practices and price gouging.
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Guide to Farm Equipment Care and Maintenance
Farmbrite
NOVEMBER 14, 2024
Whether you have a tractor, farm truck, or combine, you know that efficiently maintaining your farm equipment is crucial for maximizing productivity, prolonging machinery life, and ensuring a safe working environment. Here’s a comprehensive guide to farm equipment care and maintenance to help you maintain your farm equipment properly.
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