Federal Fiasco for Farmers
Since the new administration took office, programs benefitting farmers have been slashed, frozen, paused, and canceled –– and the effect is leaving them in a tough position. Carolina Mueller, Associate Coalition Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, and Leah Ricci, interim executive director of Quivira Coalition join us on this podcast to talk about what they’re hearing from folks on the ground, what resources are available to help people navigate, and what ordinary citizens can do to make their voices heard.
Please see the timeline, below, for farmer resources.
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TIMELINE
3’36 what’s happening in DC
4’40 uncertainty with executive orders and pausing funding
7’04 NYFC was fostering awareness of USDA programs, which are now being cut
8’46 freezing of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC)
9’29 circular economies
12’01 lawsuits against USDA
16’27 NYFC’s work and strategy
20’17 taking the long view, whether it’s politics or range management
21’30 once land is lost from agriculture it rarely goes back
23’25 NYFC has many accomplishments but many are now on the chopping block
27’36 providing a sense of community for people in agriculture and land stewardship
29’51 New Agrarian Program apprenticeships and mentorships
33’00 REGENERATE Conference
34’18 resources for agrarians
34’32 “Things that you can do today” on NYFC blog
35’39 Farm Commons
36’05 NMCEWL
36’42 AgWell, a project of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
37’19 reach out to these orgs if you don’t find what you need on their website
38’22 Farm Aid crisis hotline
38’49 members of congress who are helping farmers
41’17 most of the young farmers are already doing regenerative ag
42’10 reconnecting both to agriculture and to civic engagement
45’52 the importance of community
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