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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.
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.
When farms are continually consolidated—when there is one 5,000-acre farm in a community, for example, instead of 50 100-acre farms—fewer people remain in rural areas. It’s even worse when the owners of large-scale farms don’t live in or meaningfully contribute to the community. million acres.
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? It’s honest.
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? This poses a serious threat to the future of American familyfarms and ultimately compromises our domestic food security. Over the last 75 years, 28 percent of agricultural land has been lost.
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
farmland that is rented or leased. At the same time, the number of farms and farmland in the U.S. lost nearly 142,000 farms from 2017 to 2022. During that same period, an estimated 20 million acres of farmland went out of production. Since 2002, there has been a steady increase in U.S. has been in decline.
In addition, over the last decade, farmland prices have doubled nationwide and risen far higher in areas with pressure due to real estate development or commodity prices. Every piece of land purchased as a result of this project will be ushered through a three-pronged approach to increase farmland ownership by underserved farmers.
Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. 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. Brooks Lamb: I grew up on a small farm in rural Tennessee.
Between the years 2017 and 2022, America lost almost 20 million acres of farmland. Despite this rapid decline, the average farm size increased five percent to 463 acres. This ag census data highlights the trend toward farm consolidation as more and more familyfarm operations are feeling the pressure to go big or get out.
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.
A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that the cost for rural Iowa residents—who often live in areas with smaller, more expensive water systems—could be as much as $4,960 more per person per year to filter out nitrates from their water than their counterparts in cities like Des Moines. Tesdell’s is 80.
The hearing covered various topics, including the lack of data on farmland tenure, foreign ownership of farmland, and rising land values driven by non-farming buyers. The Issue of corporate ownership of farmland and farm consolidation is very, very important. The Farmland for Farmers Act (S.
Finding adequate, affordable health insurance can be a huge challenge for people who run small, familyfarms or ranches, said Alana Knudson, director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. The rural areas they live in suffer from shortages of doctors and hospitals. The quality of rural care can be low.
Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to increase transparency and oversight of foreign ownership in the American agricultural industry. Youth members of Farmers Union from around the country participated in the 85th National Farmers Union (NFU) All-States Leadership Retreat.
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.
International Trade Commission to consider the impacts that tariffs on Moroccan shipments of fertilizers are having on familyfarms. I am grateful to my medical team, my family, everyone I work with and represent in Congress. They will each serve a two-year term at the helm of the organization.
This direct feedback–from farmers urban and rural, small and mid-sized, and with a diversity of racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds–will now serve as the foundation of CAFF’s advocacy in 2022, guiding our priorities, policy stances, and our conversations with state leaders in the year ahead. farmland owners identify as white.
As a kid from rural Iowa, I have joked about growing up with herbicide for breakfast, pesticide for lunch, and fertilizer for supper. But farm-chemical exposure is no laughing matter. In fact, farm chemicals have created a multi-generational and slow-motion health epidemic across rural America and its diaspora.
I lived around farmland and was surrounded by farmers,” says Tim. “I I was really in tune with the movement of the seasons and the farm cycle—and I enjoyed that.” The dugouts remained low throughout most of the summer, not only on their familyfarm, but on the majority of farms in southern and central Alberta.
Now many are calling for solutions to help support beginning farmers and revitalize rural communities. It changes what your vision of a familyfarm is and how you have to go about getting there.” David Peters, Professor of Agricultural and Rural Policy at Iowa State University. “A Meanwhile, the average age of U.S.
40 Acres & A Mule Project , United States 40 Acres & A Mule seeks to acquire Black-owned farmland to be used to celebrate and preserve the history, food, and stories of Black culture in food and farming. promoting environmentally sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on their land.
We have been concerned with the increasing use of the H-2A guestworker program in agriculture, which is expensive and requires the provision of housing, something few familyfarms in California will be able to afford.
On May 1, 2024 – after months of stalled farm bill negotiations on both sides of Capitol Hill – Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a detailed section-by-section summary of her farm bill proposal. Conservation and Climate The benefits of on-farm conservation programs are widespread.
Not only is 2024 an election year, but after a farm bill extension was passed in 2023, it also became a big year for farm policy as well. In this article, we explain upcoming farm policy updates, what farmers are saying about it, and how the presidential election could shape its future.
Despite the beauty of the surrounding farmland, food was often scarce. Appalachia , a mountainous region spanning 13 states in the eastern United States, stretches from southern New York to northern Mississippi and is often associated with rural poverty, rugged landscapes, and rich cultural traditions.
The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024 was recently introduced by U.S. This marks the latest step in the ongoing process of shaping the next Farm Bill. This bill builds on the framework she shared earlier this year, with even more concrete proposals aimed at boosting rural communities and supporting farmers.
Kids are leaving the familyfarm to pursue careers outside of agriculture, and they’re not coming back. Unless we can find a way to preserve Rural America and revitalize this essential industry, the stability of the economy and our food security remains in question. When am I going to start running the farm?”
As it reads now, the bill fails to prioritize equitable farmland access, divests from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and strikes climate provisions that would assist farmers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for extreme weather events. The Farmland Access Act (S.2507)
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an array of programs aimed at farmers growing food that supports rural communities and the environment, but its own purchasing has long revolved around sourcing the cheapest foods available. What Role Does Farmland Play? The storms can also destroy crops and harm livestock.
Agriculture was the first industry mentioned, and the ways in which consolidation was driving the loss of small familyfarms became one of Vilsacks most-cited talking points throughout the administration. According to the USDA, more than 21,000 farms and 5.2 million acres of farmland are involved as of January 2025.
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