Conservation Reserve Program Changes Rules to Make More Land Available
The USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program has made a major rule change to make land more readily available to the next generation of farmers. For the least environmentally sensitive of the land’s included in the program, an early termination option will now be available for aging farm operators looking to pass on their land. The average […]
Take the National Young Farmers Survey!
Every 5 years, the National Young Farmers Coalition puts together a survey to give them better data on the needs, demographics, and policy inclinations of young farmers across the country. They use this data to inform their positions and proposals for the upcoming Farm Bill. With the next Farm Bill coming into play in 2018, […]
A Year in Review: The 16 Top wins for Sustainable Farming in 2016
2016 was a landmark year for many reasons, not all of them good. Though the election cast a dark shadow on the future of many public programs promoting sustainable agriculture, there have been some major wins for beginning farmers in our country. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has put together a list of the best […]
Natural Resources Conservation Service Accepting Applications for Conservation Easements
NRCS is now accepting applications for conservation easements for agricultural and wildlife lands through its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. The focus of the program is to preserve critical water resources and wildlife habitat through biodynamic farmland and wildland conservation. Native American Tribes, state and local governments across the country are eligible to participate in this program. […]
Unbroken Ground: A Patagonia Provisions Film
Patagonia Provisions, Patagonia’s newest project, is focused on challenging our current food system through providing an alternative model to the conventional way that we grow and consume food. Unbroken Ground, a short film directed by Chris Malloy, provides insight into four sectors of restorative agricultural practices including regenerative agriculture, regenerative grazing, diversified crop production and restorative fishing in […]
Rosalinda Guillen: A Future of Food Sovereignty through Farm Workers Rights
Born in Texas, and after spending her first ten years in Mexico with her family, Rosalinda Guillen entered the ranks of American farm workers at the age of 10. After growing up molded by that experience, Guillen was politicized during the 1988 Jesse Jackson presidential campaign. From that moment forth, she has served as a […]
Kenai Homestead Families Face New Development Threats
The Kenai Peninsula in Alaska is home to many homesteaders who’s families moved to the area in the middle of the 20th century. For decades, these families have lived close to the land with a finger on the pulse of the ecosystem they participate in. But now, as the Alaskan population is expanding, the Soldotna […]
Multiple Agencies Dispute Appraisals of Agricultural Land in KY
When purchasing conservation easements on agricultural land, it is not uncommon for local, state, and federal agencies to share the cost burden. In a recent set of conservation easement purchases outside Lexington, KY, these partner agencies disagreed over appraisal prices. While this has not affected the protection of the farmland in question it has affected […]
Water Laws Crash Course: The History of Acequia
Since the dawn of agriculture on this planet, humans have been finding ways to get water to their crops. Creative solutions in what is now the Southwestern United States have harnessed the waters of the Rio Grande and other areas rivers to bring water to the once parched soils of this arid region. But when […]
USDA Helps Organic Farmers Defray Certification Cost
The United States Department of Agriculture is offering new assistance to the growing number of organic farmers across the nation. The cost burden of annual certification for organic operations can weigh down small to medium and beginning farms. While the USDA has offered assistance for years, only about half of the organic operations in the […]