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Agriculture was once a cornerstone of the American way of life. Because farming is so central to our nation’s identity—and its idea of itself—this future can feel fraught. In 2012, the USDA forecast that most (70 percent) familyfarms would transfer hands over the next 20 years. But times have changed. Eagle Rock Ranch.
The American familyfarm 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 familyfarm has been a foundational part of this nation and the meaning of independence. According to the 2022 ag census, familyfarms still dominate U.S.
The Monis family, whose roots in Wisconsin date back to 1847, share on the past and future of their familyfarm. They are protecting their lands legacy for future generations with help from Tall Pines Conservancy and the Wisconsin Farmland Protection Partnership.
Selected from nominations from all over the state, these inspirational change-makers are blazing trails for regenerative agriculture, strengthening our local food systems, and working tirelessly to grow a healthier and more just future for us all.
Recent statistics on American agriculture reveal a decline of 200,000 farms between 2007 and 2022. million farms —to 2 million from 6.8 It’s even worse when the owners of large-scale farms don’t live in or meaningfully contribute to the community. Photo: Brooks Lamb) Environmental and agricultural impacts loom, too.
“Of 400 farms in our county, only five are organic,” says Matt Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Organics in Hutchinson, Minnesota. His 2,500-acre familyfarm 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.
In the face of all sorts of adversity—challenges posed by agricultural consolidation; threats from farmland conversion; injustices that farmers of color have faced for centuries and still face today—it is affection, rooted in a deep connection with the land itself, that inspires their devotion and care. Why stay instead of sell?
I’ve come to understand that despite where a farmer lives or what they grow, the lack of affordable land to farm is the number one reason farmers are leaving agriculture, the top challenge for current farmers and the primary barrier preventing aspiring farmers from getting started. The next farm bill can fix this.
The awardees – which include many National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) members – proposed national, regional, and local projects that cover 40 states and territories including Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Today, just 1% of farmers in the United States identify as Black.
In the months before Patrick Brown was born in November 1982, his father, Arthur, lay down on a road near the familysfarm to prevent a caravan of yellow dump trucks from depositing toxic soil in his community. Patrick currently operates Brown FamilyFarms on the land that Byron worked as a sharecropper once he was freed.
Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, in the picturesque marshes of the Kiawah River, sits more than 100 acres of working farmland. But unlike neighboring farms that focus on production for faraway markets or keep a single family afloat, the farm at Kiawah River is supporting 185 families who live in the surrounding homes.
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. Recently, this has become a more pressing topic of concern with the release of the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of seeds that get sown in the fall, and without rain, they’re not going to germinate,” said Amy Hepworth, owner of Hepworth Farms, a seventh-generation familyfarm located just off the Hudson River in New York state. But the impacts of climate change are making their jobs harder.
Instead, the Wall Street Farm Bill directed most of the subsidies to incentivize overproduction of a handful of key commodities, particularly corn and soy. Under the New Deal Farm Bill, a farmer faced with low corn prices could switch to another crop or even idle a portion of farmland in exchange for financial support.
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 familyfarms and ultimately compromises our domestic food security.
Steven says that this gave the Imhoffs the opportunity to invest in quality equipment that make other aspects of day-to-day farm life easier. The Imhoffs were also able to begin raising hogs for Niman Ranch using their current farmland and facilities, rather than investing in expensive conventional housing.
Land ownership is a crucial milestone for young farmers, representing stability, investment, and a future in agriculture. Rising land prices, limited availability, and financial barriers pose significant challenges to young farmers seeking to secure their place in the agricultural community. farmland that is rented or leased.
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.
Moving from daytime to overnight work is often presented as the most practical solution for agricultural laborers struggling with rising temperatures as a result of climate change. full_link LEARN MORE Opinion: As the heat rises, we must do better at protecting agricultural workers. Its a massive lose-lose situation.
Meanwhile, it may be months before lawmakers can agree on a new farm bill. And as their negotiations set the stage for the next five years of American agriculture, it can feel to farmers like our future is in their hands. Seth Watkins, a farmer from Clarinda, Iowa, was able to save his familyfarm with the help of conservation funding.
The proposed $100 million of annual funding over ten years will complement the Department’s existing farm production and conservation programs, and be available to a wide variety of entities, such as tribes, municipalities, non-profits, and cooperatives. “The Young farmers desperately need access to quality, affordable farmland.
The Almond Board of California has said the nuts use nine percent of the state’s agricultural water. They are the biggest agricultural export in the state by far. Treehouse Almonds sources nuts from roughly 50,000 acres in California’s Central Valley, and Gardiner’s familyfarm provides about 20,000 of them.
Brooks Lamb is a writer, and the land protection and access specialist at American Farmland Trust. He grew up on a small farm in Marshall County, Tennessee, and lives in Memphis now. Enjoy our conversation about Wendell Berry, the fall of tobacco, and “right-sized” farming, below. Brooks Lamb on his family’s farm.
These organizations are supporting local food producers and regional economies, offering educational resources and agricultural training, and working to ensure that their neighbors don’t go hungry. They also bring local government leaders together to develop plans that integrate urban agriculture into city planning processes.
As director of demonstration and on-farm education for the Savanna Institute (SI) , she knows that agroforestry can be a game-changer in fighting climate change and creating healthier food systems. Transitioning from traditional agricultural methods to agroforestry often requires a shift in mindset and education.
My answer regarding agricultural and ecological droughts is a bit more complicated, as farmers and environmentalists alike continue to advocate for more water to be allocated to their causes, making it evident that our current and projected water supply is still insufficient. Snow Water Equivalent in California Sierra Nevada.
(September 28, 2023) – Yesterday morning, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing titled “Foreign Ownership in U.S. Agriculture.” addresses the critical issue of speculative investments in agricultural land. The Farmland for Farmers Act (S. The hearing, chaired by U.S.
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.
When Jeff Broberg and his wife, Erica, moved to their 170-acre bean and grain farm in Winona, Minnesota in 1986, their well water measured at 8.6 These nitrogen-based compounds, common in agricultural runoff, are linked to multiple cancers and health issues for those exposed. ppm for nitrates. Tesdell’s is 80.
The National FFA Organization has announced the 16 finalists for its 2023 top achievement awards : American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience. Farmers National Company has released its mid-year land values report with some interesting findings.
The torrent overwhelmed dams, swelled rivers and crumbled levees, inundating entire farming communities, including Lerda-Goni and a dozen other ranches, and reawakening a long-dormant lake lying beneath the vast agricultural region. Despite the resilience of family [farms], the mega-trend is undeniable,” says Raudabaugh.
Photo courtesy of Farm Hounds As shoppers seek more wholesome foods for pets, some also try to make eco-friendly choices , which seems to contradict a diet of human-grade foods, especially meat. Agriculture contributes at least 11 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions , and meat is the biggest contributor among foods.
But there are other kinds of risks that are housed in agriculture due to the general nature of the individuals that are part of this industry. In ag, a handshake and your word are generally deemed to be worth more than a piece of paper. However, do these unwritten rules put you or your farming operations at greater risk?
CalCAN is one of hundreds of sustainable, organic, and familyfarming organizations across the country that is engaged in farm bill advocacy this year. Below is a summary of the marker bills that have been introduced to accelerate the use of on-farm practices that have climate benefits.
Prime farmland, it attracted countless farmers, including the Black farmers seeking to fulfill the promise of “40 acres and a mule” that followed the American Civil War. But Black farm ownership has dropped dramatically over the years, with just 1,500 estimated to remain in Arkansas today.
The USDA Conservation Reserve Program is essentially where farmers get rental payments for environmentally sustainable farming practices and the Emergency Conservation Program is on that provides funding and technical help for farmland affected by disasters. Soil Health : Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable agriculture.
Funding through the Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act will provide critical resources to both individual producers as well as community-led organizations to implement farmland access, retention, and transition projects.
” The proposal was seen as a blow to local agriculture: Multigenerational ranching and dairying families , who operated before the seashore’s creation in 1962 and now lease the federal land, say more free elk could close their businesses. Arthur Middleton, a U.C.
Christine Gemperle, almond farmer and CalCAN advisor recently drove to Sacramento from her orchard in Ceres to testify in support of equipment sharing and sustainable agriculture investments alongside CalCAN staff. The siblings are second-generation farmers and have been farming since 1997.
of farm household members had no health insurance, higher than the 9.1% Department of Agriculture report using 2015 data, the most recent available. million farmers and ranchers in the country, according to the USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture. Kenneth McAlister’s familyfarmland in Electra, Texas. for the U.S.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will release the 2022 Census of Agriculture data on February 13, 2024. NASS plans to release the data from the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture in summer 2024. Virgin Islands. crops in the U.S.
What’s needed in California for small farms, sustainable agriculture and local food systems to truly thrive, find equity, and remain resilient in the face of adversity? farmland owners identify as white. In the fall 2021, CAFF went to the source to find out, conducting a statewide intensive listening process.
Despite incentives to establish more sustainable – even organic – farming practices, most farmers are caught in an industrial system of chemicals, hybrid seed, and genetically modified (GMO) seed. One way to reduce agricultural chemicals is planting cover crops in the Fall after the cash crop is harvested.
In October 2020, the Bear Yuba Land Trust, Sierra Harvest, BriarPatch Food Co-op and Tahoe Food Hub bought the land through a partnership called Forever Farm. Since 1980, this organic farm located along Putah Creek in Winters, CA, has been a leader in regenerative agriculture.
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