The 2018 Farm Bill expired over six months ago, and the next one is still many conversations away. What’s the hold up? 

According to a report by the American Enterprise Institute, the largest 10% of farms receive 65.4% of all crop insurance subsidies.

Part of the issue is that Congress has not allocated any new money to the Farm Bill, so any increased spending in one Farm Bill title (such as commodity payments) means decreased spending in other areas (conservation or nutrition, for instance). 

One of the principal fault lines facing members of Congress is the tension between increased spending on the farm safety net—a group of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs that offer risk mitigation and financial support to US farmers experiencing hardship caused by natural disasters, poor growing conditions, and/or market volatility (including crop insurance and commodity supports)—and preserving the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic investment in conservation.

And that funding dispute doesn’t take into account all the great new ideas clamoring for inclusion in the next Farm Bill, including programs around land access, local food procurement, and perennial systems. If we want to see those programs implemented, the money would need to come from somewhere; limiting government payments to large-scale, conventional producers is one pathway toward finding those dollars, but it is not a solution embraced by all parties and all stakeholders.

The current farm safety net is neither environmentally nor financially sustainable.

While the farm safety net is critical to our agricultural system, it is far from perfect. The crop insurance and commodity programs pick winners and losers, disincentivize conservation practices, and demand a high price tag (more than $142 billion between 2017 and 2022) that cannot be sustained.

What’s more, these programs subsidize risky forms of commodity production—systems that are based on annual monoculture crops, overly reliant on off-farm chemical inputs, and chronically overuse tillage. 

The 2022 Census of Agriculture revealed a trend toward farm consolidation and an alarming loss of 145,000 farmers. The continued concentration of resources in industrial farms is only likely to exacerbate this trend, but the correlation is rarely discussed on Capitol Hill. 

Instead, members of Congress only hear about the important role that the farm safety net plays in helping farmers recover from disaster and revenue loss. However, these programs are primarily available only to a modicum of farms—mostly large, industrial commodity operations—and exclude most small- to mid-sized diversified farms.

According to Unsustainable: State of the Farm Safety Net, a report recently published by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC),

“Farm economists find that the largest 10% of farms with the highest annual crop sales nationally receive 65.4% of all crop insurance subsidies, and that the smallest 80% of farms receive just 23.3% of premium subsidies.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

Most small and mid-sized farms are left unprotected.

It likely won’t surprise anyone to learn that many farmers within Pasa’s community haven’t found a crop insurance product that works well for them. For the most part, crop insurance is not designed for small or medium-sized diversified farms that grow food and fiber for their local communities. 

Only 13% of U.S. farms were protected by a crop insurance plan in 2022.

According to an analysis by USDA Economic Research Service.

Rather, crop insurance was built for large commodity-crop farms that grow products like corn, soy, and wheat in mass quantities, which are often heavily processed before they make it to our plates—if they ever make it to our plates. (Many of these crops never enter the food system and are instead turned into products like ethanol.)

This means that while many small and medium-sized diversified operations are doing everything they can to farm in ecologically responsible ways—when climate catastrophe strikes, these are the farms left without a safety net. 

The NSAC report showed similar findings:

“In theory, crop insurance extends a safety net to all remaining farmers. In practice, it does not. The Congressional Research Service reported that only 20% of farms were insured in 2019, yet that 20% accounted for more than 90% of acres planted to corn, soybeans, and cotton and 85% of wheat acres.

More recently, a new analysis published by the USDA Economic Research Service found that just 13 % of U.S. farms were protected by a crop insurance plan in 2022. In 2023, farmers in Kansas, Texas, North Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska—among the largest producers of row crops—enrolled most in the federal crop insurance program.”

NSAC

Expanding the definition of the farm safety net allows us to think more holistically about how the Farm Bill can give farmers what they need to weather the storm. 

Together, we’re bigger than our acreage.

Like most farms that benefit from crop insurance, the groups advocating for higher subsidies are large, well-funded, and well-connected. Convincing Congress to rethink the farm safety net status quo is an uphill battle, and they won’t address this problem without farmer input.

We need your stories to help legislators understand:

• Our farms’ impact on the food system is bigger than our acreage.
• Our farms are feeding our communities.
• Our farms are feeling the effects of the changing climate.
• Our farms are working hard to protect the environment. 
• Our farms deserve to be protected.
• Our farms belong in the Farm Bill. 

Are you ready to take action? 

Call your members of Congress and tell them that the next Farm Bill should invest in climate resilience, equitable food systems, and farm viability—not continue to prop up a flawed and unsustainable system.

Want to share your story? Reach out to policy@pasafarming.org to get involved!

Learn more:

Here are a couple of resources that I found useful in deepening my understanding of this issue:

• Unsustainable: State of the Farm Safety Net (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition)
• “How Crop Insurance Prevents Some Farmers From Adapting to Climate Change” (Civil Eats)
• “Calls to increase crop references prices would help fewer than 6,000 farms” (Environmental Working Group)

The post Who does the farm safety net actually protect? appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

photo credit: Lise Metzger for Farm Aid

Even for a self-identified policy nerd like me, it can be challenging to understand the real-world implications of boring and confusing legal jargon. When reading bill summaries and policy one-pagers, I often find myself asking,

“OK, but how will this actually help my farm and my community?”

At our recent webinar, “Farm Bill 101: What Is a Marker Bill?,” we welcomed policy experts from National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) to help us understand the role marker bills will play as the federal Farm Bill takes shape. They highlighted several key marker bills to watch out for. 

(If you missed it, you can watch the recording or read our recap.)

But what if you have a policy change wishlist item for your farm and you’re not sure if it has a home in a current marker bill? You might find yourself asking—is there a marker bill for that?

Together, we can begin to connect the dots. Let’s take one of the wishlist items that was mentioned during our marker bill webinar. Webinar attendee Renee, like many in Pasa’s community, wants to see more support for Black farmers and urban farmers. 

Here are a few marker bills that could help advance Renee’s Farm Bill policy change wishlist:

Justice for Black Farmers Act

The Justice for Black Farmers Act will enact policies to end discrimination within the USDA, protect remaining Black farmers from losing their land, provide land grants to encourage a new generation of Black farmers and restore the land base that has been lost, and implement systemic reforms to help family farmers across the United States.

Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA)

The ARA increases the beginning and socially disadvantaged farmer and rancher set-aside in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) from 5% of funding for each to 30% of funding combined. That means 30% of all the funds distributed through the two biggest working lands conservation programs are designated for farmers who meet the USDA definition of “beginning” and/or “socially disadvantaged”.

Unfortunately, here in Pennsylvania, those set-aside dollars often go unused, so any increases in set-asides must be paired with greater accessibility and relevance of USDA programs. Fortunately, there’s a marker bill for that, too!

Farmers Market and Food Bank Local Revitalization Act

This bill proposes increased funding for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) which provides low-income seniors with access to locally grown food and increases Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) individual benefit levels, overall increasing funding that is spent with local farmers. Since many urban farmers sell directly to their local communities, increases in food assistance programs have the potential to impact the financial viability of urban producers. 

Like the working lands conservation programs, though, funding increases in food assistance programs need to be coupled with better outreach to make sure these funding streams work for farmers of color and the communities they serve.

Ready to put on your policy nerd hat? 

These two tracking tools are a good place to start looking for marker bills that match your farm’s wishlist: Land Core Bill Tracker and RAFI-USA marker bill tracker. 

Now that you’ve identified some meaningful marker bill opportunities, here are three ways to take action.

3 ways to take action

Tell Congress.

Call or write your legislators and ask them to cosponsor a marker bill you think would help your farm. Click here to find your Congress Members →

Here’s a simple call script to help you get started: “Hi [Representative/Senator Last Name], my name is______. I live and farm in [District #]. I’m calling to let you know about a marker bill that could help my farm.”

Raise awareness with your customers. 

Let your customers know how the Farm Bill will impact your operation and what marker bills could help. Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) created a great toolkit for communicating the importance of the Farm Bill and key marker bills to an audience of conscientious eaters.

I used this toolkit as a template for my farm’s weekly newsletter.

Reach out for support. 

Still have policy questions? Pasa and our partners strive to stay up-to-date on policy proposals, on both the state and federal levels. Reach out to us with your needs, and we will do our best to identify some current policy recommendations that address your concerns.

Connect with me or our Policy Strategist, Sara Nicholas.

The post How could the Farm Bill actually help your farm? appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Marker bills are not intended to pass as standalone bills; they are introduced to show collective interest in an idea and build momentum.

Earlier in May, we welcomed two policy experts from National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) to highlight a few key marker bills and, more importantly, to discuss what we can do as farmers to support them. (Sad you missed it? Click here to watch the recording →)

Here are the three marker bills NSAC highlighted in the webinar:

• Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA): The ARA includes a broad package of climate provisions spanning research, conservation programs, local food systems, processing, livestock, food waste, and more. This bill also includes an exciting provision authorizing state soil health grants—a long-time Pasa priority.
  
• Local Farms and Foods Act: This bill expands funding and improves accessibility for important federal programs that support small and mid-sized farms with value-added production, equipment and infrastructure investments, accessing new markets, and local and regional supply chain development.
  
• Strengthening Local Processing Act: This bill will make the U.S. food supply more resilient by giving local livestock and poultry producers more processing options.

Marker bills with more congressional support have a better chance of making it into the final version of the 2023 Farm Bill, which is slated to be authorized this fall. 

Take action: 

• Call or write your legislators and ask them to cosponsor a marker bill you think would help your farm. Click here to find contact information for your Congress Members →

• You can also reach out to your House Representative’s agricultural staffer directly with your recommendations and farm stories. Click here to find contact information for relevant legislative staff → 

On May 8th, the House Agriculture Committee Chair and Ranking Member launched an online portal for Members to submit feedback on the 2023 Farm Bill. All House members are invited to submit input whether or not they are on the Agriculture committee.

The deadline for House Representatives to submit information into the portal is June 9, 2023—so act soon!

Want to help fight for a better Farm Bill but feeling a little lost?

Pasa and the organizations we partner with strive to stay up-to-date on policy proposals, on the state and federal levels. Reach out to us with your needs, and we will do our best to identify some current policy recommendations that address your concerns.

Reach out to our Policy Team: 

Lindsey Shapiro, Farm Bill Campaign Organizer and farmer at Root Mass Farm in Berks County PA

lindsey@pasafarming.org
814.349.9856 x719

Sara Nicholas, Policy Strategist and soil health enthusiast, based in Cumberland County and Dauphin County, PA

sara@pasafarming.org
814.349.9856 x715 

The post Farm Bill 101: What’s a Marker Bill? appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Farming can be an isolating profession.

Even though we share many of the same challenges—like extreme weather events damaging our fields, making it harder for us to feed our communities—it can often feel like we’re facing them on our own.

So when I learned through my work with National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) about plans to organize a national “farmer climate action,” I knew that I had to be involved.

I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to stand alongside my fellow farmers and say with a united voice:

“Climate change is real, it’s impacting our farms, and we need help.”

Since late last summer, organizers from across the country have been applying for permits, raising money, coordinating transportation, and recruiting farmers to bring the Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience to life in Washington D.C. this spring.

The policy asks of this movement are anchored by three foundational principles:

• Farmer-Led Climate Solutions: Value and support the expertise of farmers whose long-developed, holistic, sustainable systems address climate concerns and many related environmental challenges
• Racial Justice: Prioritize the expertise and needs of Black farmers, Indigenous farmers, and farmers of color in the Farm Bill reauthorization process and the resultant policies
• Communities, Not Corporations: Ensure that land, products, and benefits of agriculture will remain under or return to the control of those with knowledge and skill in managing and developing sustainable systems, to benefit them and their communities

The rally on March 7 set out to make Congress listen to the voices of those who are most acutely impacted by climate change. 

It featured a truly inspirational lineup of speakers who shared their stories of resilience in the face of hardship, displacement, and oppression. They painted a picture of a future in which farmers are celebrated not just for our output, but for our ecologically sound practices and for the communities we nurture along the way. They detailed a path forward that elevates the solutions of small-scale, diversified, and regenerative farms—solutions that have millennia of evidence to support their efficacy.

Pasa’s staff and community of farmers and food system changemakers showed up in force.

Fortified by a generous donation of Painterland Sisters yogurt, we cheered at Freedom Plaza, sang along to John Mellencamp, and marched to the Capitol building, passing by USDA and Congressional office buildings en route. Our chants of “What do we want? Climate Action! When do we want it? Now!” rang through the streets.

After the excitement of the march and rally, we spent the next day on Capitol Hill sharing our Farm Bill goals with our elected officials.

I was deeply appreciative of the time Pasa’s delegation of farmers spent in these meetings and the candor with which they shared their stories.

I had the privilege of attending meetings with San Sankofa of Herbal Affirmations, whose work through Pasa’s Diversified Vegetable Apprenticeship at Katydid Hill and through The Seed Farm incubator has helped him launch his own farm business. I got to sit beside Russ Wilson of Wilson Land & Cattle and Gary Bloss of Josie Porter Farm as they educated their representatives on the power of healthy soils. I listened to Sabine Carey describe how her Centre Markets initiative is building a resilient local supply chain in Centre County and supporting the bottom line of over two dozen farm businesses in the process. And I witnessed Emma Jagoz of Moon Valley Farm share the hurdles she faced in working with the USDA, while also acknowledging the relative ease of her journey compared to her BIPOC peers.

What I witnessed in D.C. this spring filled me with hope. 

When farmers take the time to share our personal challenges, they can no longer be dismissed as isolated incidents or anomalies. They must be acknowledged as products of systems in need of significant reform. 

When we share our stories, we’re no longer in it alone. Our individual struggles and aspirations become a collective movement for change.

What can you do to keep this movement going?

• Find your voice. Join Lindsey and local organizers from the National Young Farmers Coalition at our upcoming Farmer Storytelling for Policy Change workshop at the RE Farm Cafe at Windswept Farm in State College. (Free—includes a farm tour, complimentary snacks, and farmer networking.)
  
• Share your story. Do you have experience working with USDA agencies, like Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), or Rural Development? If so, your stories could help other farmers navigate these federal programs and tap into new funding streams! Consider adding your story to fundedbyFarmBill.org to demonstrate the value of these USDA services. Email me at lindsey@pasafarming.org to learn more.
  
• Learn more about the Farm Bill. Join us (virtually) for Farm Bill 101, where we’ll discuss how marker bills help rally support for the issues you care about.
  
• Tell Congress to take action. Last summer, we shared a list of “Four Key Sustainable Agriculture Policy Needs” to help you complete the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill feedback form. Since then, the Senate has launched a feedback form of its own, so make sure to complete that one, too!
  
• Show your support for the Agriculture Resilience Act, one of the pieces of legislation we hope will get incorporated into the final Farm Bill.

The post A United Voice for Climate Action appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Tell Congress what you want to see in the 2023 Farm Bill

The federal Farm Bill is reauthorized by Congress roughly once every five years. It has an enormous impact on farmers’ livelihoods and how the U.S. food system works. Adding your voice to the 2023 Farm Bill conversation is one of the most important ways you can advance healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee is gathering feedback about how the current 2018 Farm Bill is (or isn’t) working. Tell Congress how the 2023 Farm Bill can support a more equitable and sustainable future.

Be sure to check the “Title II, Conservation” box!

4 key sustainable agriculture policy needs

Not familiar with the Farm Bill? No sweat! We put together a list of four key sustainable agriculture policy needs to help guide your comments to Congress. You can simply share the following messages, or you can use them as inspiration to craft your own message.

#1: Farms engaged in conservation practices are better able to withstand the pressures of a changing climate.

Soils with high levels of organic matter can mitigate both flooding and drought on farms. The benefits of healthy soils also extend beyond the edges of farmers’ fields. Take heavy rainfall as an example: Pennsylvania is the second most flood-prone state in the nation, but healthy soils better absorb water and can increase our capacity to withstand extreme weather.

Policy ask: Prioritize and increase funding for programs that support soil health.

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and many other programs incentivize soil health practices like reducing tillage and intensive cover cropping. With increased training for USDA employees, these programs could do even more to help farmers move beyond isolated practices and implement whole farm conservation plans. This type of support is especially critical for small, mid-sized, diversified, and historically underserved farms.

#2: Conservation and farm business success can go hand in hand, but farmers need options.

There is a diverse array of climate-smart practices that support the long-term financial viability of a farm business, and have the potential to reduce costs and generate new revenue streams. 

Policy ask: Expand the scope of government-funded conservation to embrace the growing interest in agroforestry, dual-use solar, and grazing. 

The surge of farmer interest in agroforestry practices—like alley cropping, silvopasture, riparian buffers, and forest farming—should be met with a proportionate increase in support. These practices have huge potential to build soil health and climate resilience, while also diversifying farm revenue. Income-producing buffer plantings of fruit or nut crops, for instance, can intercept agricultural runoff if planted along streams. These win-win projects add income streams for farmers and also protect water quality. A Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) income-generating riparian buffer program was approved in the 2018 Farm Bill, and USDA needs to implement this program as soon as possible.

Many farmers have also expressed an interest in solar energy, but most want solar options to be compatible with ongoing farming—and not to displace existing farmland. The Farm Bill’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) should provide support specifically to farmers who integrate dual-use solar (e.g. panels that allow for livestock grazing and cultivating crops under and around panels) into their farming practices. This revenue stream can be a lifeline for many farms, especially those with marginal lands, and can help mitigate catastrophic droughts and floods driven in part by a changing climate.  

#3: USDA needs to do more to support beginning farmers, farmers of color, and other historically underserved farmers.

Widespread adoption of conservation practices is imperative, but barriers to land access and to government programs are preventing farmers from implementing more of these practices.

Policy ask: Several administrative improvements would help equitably increase access to and participation in Farm Bill programs. 

Reducing or eliminating cost-share requirements in CSP, EQIP and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for eligible low-income farmers would allow for more widespread adoption of conservation practices. Proactive outreach by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), including publishing information in languages other than English, would help to increase the number of beginning farmers and farmers of color who enroll in these programs.

#4: We need more help. 

Even for farms actively engaged in conservation, implementation of new practices is limited by time, expense, and know-how.

Policy ask: Most farmers looking to try new conservation practices say technical assistance is what they need most. 

Cut-backs by land grant university extension programs have exacerbated the shortage of technical support for farmers in recent years. More Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding for technical assistance and conservation planning, either through USDA agents or through cooperative agreements, coupled with more streamlined application processes, can help fill this gap. Farmers want to be responsible stewards, but do not have the time, money, or capacity to do this work alone.

Submit your comments to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee on what you’d like to see in the 2023 Farm Bill using the key messages above—or craft your own message. We encourage you to share your personal stories and experiences!

The post Take action: Add your voice to the 2023 Farm Bill conversation appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

The Inflation Reduction Act is a huge win for sustainable agriculture—and there is more work to do.

On Tuesday, August 16, President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. While it may not have lived up to the original, more sweeping climate change mitigation aspirations of the now defunct Build Back Better Act, the Inflation Reduction Act is still an historic piece of legislation and ultimately fantastic news for sustainable farmers. It is the single largest federal investment in climate-smart agriculture to date.

The Inflation Reduction Act delivers $40 billion for advancing regenerative farming practices, such as planting cover crops, reducing tillage, pasturing livestock, and agroforestry. This includes $20 billion in supplemental funding for existing popular conservation programs including the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and farmland easement programs.

Many farmers in Pennsylvania have been frustrated by the backlogs and waits involved in enrolling in these conservation programs—to date, just 20% of EQIP and 27% of CSP applications from farmers in Pennsylvania get funded. The Inflation Reduction Act will significantly expand these existing programs to to support more eligible farmers. 

Like any bill that gets signed into law, some of the details are not yet finalized.

The Inflation Reduction Act includes more than $5 billion for providing financial assistance to farmers who faced discrimination prior to 2021, and to the USDA to pay down loans held by farmers who face financial distress. Neither “discrimination” nor “distress” are defined in the law, and will have to be. These measures were intended to override lawsuits and legal hurdles that froze an earlier attempt by the American Rescue Plan to award $4 billion in relief to farmers of color. 

It will remain to be seen whether the Inflation Reduction Act will live up to the American Rescue Plan’s attempt at guaranteed support for Black farmers and other farmers of color, who have time and again suffered from broken government promises to rectify ongoing effects of historical discrimination. We can all advocate for ensuring this funding reaches its intended recipients through appeals to our Congressional representatives.   

There is more work to do. The 2023 Farm Bill is our next big chance to make meaningful progress.

While the Inflation Reduction Act provides vital funding for combating climate impacts and natural resource degradation through sustainable farming practices, there is more work to do to ensure that these funds are equitably distributed among farmers—including farmers of color as well as new and beginning farmers. Fortunately, much of this work can be done through the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill. (Learn more about Farm Bill programs here.)

With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, farmers and farming organizations have real momentum to bolster the next Farm Bill’s climate, conservation, and social and racial equity programs to complement the Inflation Reduction Act’s impacts.

Pasa is a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and we are working in collaboration with sustainable farming organizations across the country to advocate for a Farm Bill that benefits sustainable farms of all scales. Over the next year, we’ll be regularly updating you about and asking you to take action to support our efforts.

Take action.

In fact, there’s something all farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates can do right now to tell Congress what you hope to see in the next federal Farm Bill.

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee is gathering feedback about how the current 2018 Farm Bill is—or isn’t—working. Let them know how the 2023 Farm Bill can support a more equitable and sustainable future. (Be sure to check the “Title II, Conservation” box!)

If you’re not familiar with the Farm Bill and its components, don’t worry—we’ve put together a list of four key sustainable agriculture policy needs. You can simply share these messages when you submit your comments to the House Agriculture Committee, or you can use them as inspiration to craft your own message.

Remember: Adding your voice to the 2023 Farm Bill conversation is one of the most important ways you can advance healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.

The post Inflation Reduction Act invests $40 billion in climate-smart agriculture appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

The month of June roared in this year with temperatures in the 90s, a sure sign of summer but also a warning sign. High heat and humidity can create dangerous conditions for farmers, livestock, and crops. A recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that outdoor workers, and particularly farmworkers, are 20 times more likely to die of heat-related illnesses than other workers. 

To consider what can be done to mitigate and reverse the effects of heat stress, Pasa held an online listening session last fall. During the session, two farm managers operating within different settings—one on an urban vegetable farm and orchard, and the other on a rural vegetable farm—shared what they’ve been experiencing as far as heat impacts on their work crews, and how they’re managing those. We also heard from a professional consultant who offered guidelines for preventing illness and death as a result of extreme heat. As we head into hotter days, here’s is some of the advice they offered. You can listen to the full recording of the listening session here.

Educate yourself and, if you’re a farm owner or manager, your workers.

Elena Velez, a consultant who advises farm owners, managers, and workers in California, takes a very practical approach to heat awareness and worker safety. She shares with workers medical information on heat stress and stroke, warning signs, and human physiology. She advises farmers to take basic precautions like wearing cotton clothing instead of synthetics, hydrating regularly, taking breaks based on outside temperature and conditions, and learning the signs of heat stress. The table below summarizes different levels of heat illness, from least severe to most severe. You can find more information about the signs and symptoms of heat illness here on Penn State Extension’s website (also available in Spanish).

Have a plan if heat illness or stroke occurs.

For many workers, Velez notes, posting emergency information and safety steps in English and in Spanish, or any other language that workers know, may be critical. Velez also spends time with farm owners and managers to help them understand potential dangers, how to address them, and basic information such as how emergency crews can find their workers in the field. Tragically, a farmworker in the Pacific northwest last year died of heat stroke when ambulance crews couldn’t locate him.

Be willing to change practices to adjust to hotter temperatures.

Ali Ascherio, a farm manager with Weavers Way Co-op in Philadelphia, acknowledges that urban farms in particular can be oppressive with heat and humidity. Shifting habits and schedules can help. Weavers Way started a safety committee that encourages pre-hydrating for staff and volunteers, taking electrolyte tablets, and cutting field work back on hot days to half a day, with other tasks performed in the afternoon. Harvest days are cut back from 12 hour days to 10 hour days, and planting trees and adding structures for shade has helped head off heat exhaustion. 

Take advantage of the natural cooling opportunities on your farm.

Jenifer Glenister, owner of New Morning Farm—a vegetable operation in Huntington County—says she’s lucky to have plenty of trees and a cool creek that workers can stand in on hot days. She acknowledges part of the problem is a farmer mindset that “farmers make the sacrifice for all of us,” and encourages a team leader to be the point person for heat awareness. She has benefited from a farm staff person with EMS training who reminds workers every day about hydrating, staying in the shade, and taking breaks when needed. They also provide lots of electrolytes, “treating ourselves like the endurance athletes that we are,” she explained.

Unfortunately, not all farms are practicing heat safety, and farmworkers continue to be asked to work hard in extreme conditions. In four states to date—California, Oregon, Washington State and Montana—state legislatures have approved heat-related regulations that protect workers when temperatures reach specific limits, requiring breaks and shortening hours in the field. In 2021, the Biden administration asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to promulgate federal rules to protect outdoor workers from heat illnesses. Pasa’s comments to OSHA include many suggestions from our farmers and experts, including incorporating heat awareness into workforce training and apprenticeships; offering more resources for safety equipment and education; supporting more trees planted and adding more structures for shade—perhaps including solar panels that both provide shade and help reduce carbon emissions that increase annual average temperatures. 

As things heat up this summer, be aware, know the signs, be flexible, and be safe. If you have other strategies for beating the heat on your farm, feel free to share those with us at policy@pasafarming.org.

The post Prevent heat-related illness on farms appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

The original Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, was a public work relief program developed in response to high unemployment and the ravages of poor soil health management that created the Dust Bowl. It was a far-sighted program that built trails, lean-tos, and cabins on state and national parks, and expanded forest management, flood control, and many other conservation-focused projects on public lands across the country. Slangily known as “three hots and a cot,” the program provided a lifeline for unemployed young men—offering not only accessible work opportunities but also training in new skills and a path toward stable, long-term employment.

Today, with multiple stresses from a changing climate, extensive soil loss, continued unemployment from a global pandemic, and the erosion of confidence in a prosperous and sustainable future, Pasa has been advocating to bring back this multifaceted program, and make it available to everyone while prioritizing younger and older people, people from rural and underserved communities, and formerly incarcerated people.

No less than six versions of a new CCC have been introduced to Congress over the past few years, and all share a kinship with the original program. Some are most focused on training fire crews to battle the increasing number of forest fires in the West. Others focus on restoring abandoned industrial landscapes with streams and green spaces. 

In Pennsylvania, Senator Bob Casey Jr. has created a version of the CCC called the Revive the CCC Act, introduced in July. It will be one of the bills “reconciled” as each CCC version jockeys for funding and position in what could ultimately become CCC 2.0. We support the Revive the CCC Act because Senator Casey agreed with Pasa that while public lands need reinvestment and restoration help, so do private forests and farms.

How a new CCC could work for farms

Including support for farmland conservation projects as part of a revitalized CCC would protect the health of our communities and natural landscapes.

Farmers in Pennsylvania alone are responsible for managing over 7 million acres of land, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the state’s 29 million acres. Implementing conservation measures on private agricultural lands offers cost-effective, invaluable public benefits—from vastly improving water quality and mitigating flooding, to building healthy soils and ensuring the long-term security of our food system. Including support for farmland conservation projects as part of a revitalized CCC would protect the health of our communities and natural landscapes.

Here, in brief, is how a new CCC could work: Federal dollars would be awarded to assemble work crews and train them in different skill sets, such as reclaiming mines, restoring streams, planting trees, fighting forest fires and reducing woodland fuels, restoring industrial sites, and revitalizing neighborhoods. These skills would be put to use on projects needed most by the community or region, including work on farms to install conservation practices, such as planting and maintaining trees and shrubs for riparian buffers. Crew members would get on-the-job skill training, and move on prepared for future jobs with better stability and better pay. Young crew members might get to stay in the communities they grew up in. Some might even want to become farmers—a career path facing a looming labor gap as most U.S. farmers approach retirement.

Similar to maintaining infrastructure like roads, highways, and bridges, it’s vital we restore and maintain our natural resources. Reviving the CCC would let us accomplish this while offering meaningful employment and potentially a pipeline for future farmers. A new CCC could translate into thousands of small projects—maybe one in your community, or one on your farm.  

Funding for a new Civilian Climate Corps that builds on existing service programs like Americorps, and employs over 300,000 Americans, is part of the Build Back Better Act currently under consideration in the U.S. House. In 2020, Pasa and ReImagine Appalachia partnered to advocate for including support for private farmland into Senator Casey’s bill and now the Build Back Better Act.

• How could a modern CCC help your farm improve conservation practices, and mitigate and adapt to climate change? Let us know so we can share your story. Email us at policy@pasafarming.org.

• Learn more about the Revive the CCC Act.

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July 1st signing of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill. Pictured: Sponsoring legislators and Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee staff; Governor Tom Wolf; Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Rick Ebert, and PASA Executive Director Hannah Smith-Brubaker

With broad support from Pennsylvania farmers and agricultural organizations, earlier this month Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a bipartisan $23.1 million package of bills—collectively titled the Pennsylvania Farm Bill—making a historic investment in farmers and the local food system.

According to Gov. Wolf, the Pennsylvania Farm Bill package will “grow opportunities and resources, remove barriers to entry, and cultivate future generations of leaders within agriculture.”

On the heels of Congress passing a 2018 Farm Bill that contained significant wins for sustainable agriculture at the federal level, Gov. Wolf unveiled the complementary state-level package of bills to invest in the future of an industry that accounts for 18 percent of the commonwealth’s gross state product.

The proposal also responded to the ongoing dairy crisis that’s affecting dairies across the nation but is having an outsized impact in Pennsylvania, home to the second-highest number of dairy farms in the country. In 2018 alone, 370 Pennsylvania dairy farms went out of business according to the USDA.

Reportedly, Pennsylvania is the first to build and pass a state-level farm bill. The Bill contains important support for a variety of sustainable agriculture initiatives, and as a whole serves as a model for how states can invest in farmers and local food systems.

Here are highlights of the Bill’s initiatives:

1. Funds the Conservation Excellence Grant Program at $2.5 million to provide financial and technical assistance to farmers for installing and implementing best conservation management practices
2. Funds the state-level Specialty Crop Block Grant Program at $500,000 to invest in and encourage growing high-priority horticultural crops like hemp, hops, and hardwoods
3. Funds the Agriculture and Rural Youth Organization Grant Program at $500,000 to help increase knowledge and awareness of agricultural issues
4. Funds the Pennsylvania Agricultural Business Development Center at $2 million to help every farmer create a business plan, transition plan, or succession plan
5. Funds Urban Agriculture initiatives at $500,000 to improve agriculture infrastructure, aggregating products, sharing resources, and community development efforts
6. Funds the Pennsylvania Farm to School Grant Program at $500,000 to improve childhood nutrition while increasing exposure to agriculture
   
7. Funds the PA Preferred Program at an additional $1 million to support the overall program and bolster enrollment in the Homegrown by Heroes Program
8. Funds the Pennsylvania Dairy Investment Program at $5 million for research and development, organic transition assistance, value-added processing, and marketing grants to support Pennsylvania’s dairy industry
9. Funds the Agriculture Linked Investment Program at $500,000 to re-establish this low-interest loan program for implementing best management practices
10. Creates the Pennsylvania Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account, funded at $4 million, to allow for a quick response to agricultural disasters, including utilizing animal or plant health officials to contain agricultural pests or disease outbreaks or threats, or to immediately respond to food-borne illnesses
11. Incentivizes Access to Meat Processing Inspections, funded at $500,000, to encourage access to new and expanded markets for small or new producers by reimbursing federal meat inspection costs and subsidizing the first-time purchase of equipment needed for federal compliance

While not passed into law, funding in the state’s budget supports farmers who want to transition to organic as well. 

According to Sec. of Agriculture Russell Redding, farmers and agricultural organizations can expect to be able to access many of these programs within a number of weeks. We applaud the General Assembly for setting an example for the nation—lawmakers worked across the aisle to develop a comprehensive package of bills that will multiply the local impact of the federal 2018 Farm Bill.

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The number of acres planted in cover crops in Pennsylvania rose 33 percent between 2012 and 2017. (Photo credit: Betty Cai [CC BY-SA 4.0])

The recently released 2017 Census of Agriculture revealed some troubling numbers. We now know that, between 2012 and 2017, the total number of farms in the U.S. declined by three percent; the average age of U.S. farm producers rose from 56 to 57.5; and farms across the country are increasingly consolidating, with one percent of the largest farms accounting for 35 percent of all sales.

Yet, when we examine the data for Pennsylvania through the lens of sustainable farming practices, we also find cause for hope. The number of farms in the state that employ no-till practices increased by three percent, growing the number of no-till acres by 17 percent and bringing the total number of acres in no-till production to 1.6 million.

Similarly, the number of farms planting cover crops also increased by three percent, resulting in a 33 percent growth in cover crop acres and placing Pennsylvania tenth in the nation for this conservation practice.

“…when we examine the [2017 Ag Census] data for Pennsylvania through the lens of sustainable farming practices, we also find cause for hope.”

Sustainable farming methods like reducing tillage and planting cover crops can help crops better withstand severe weather. These practices improve the physical structure of soil, such as its ability to form aggregates, and reduces the number of days fields are left fallow, making nutrient-rich topsoil less prone to erosion from wind and rain. Additionally, the organic matter in healthy soils can help crops survive periods of prolonged rain by better absorbing excess water, or better retaining water during droughts.

The Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance has been conducting its own survey of no-till practices and cover cropping over the last three years, and they too have found farmers are increasingly implementing these practices. “We’ve additionally found that farmers are planting multi-species cover crops, which further generates benefits to soil health, setting the stage for improved water quality,” said PASA member and Alliance president Jim Hershey.

The organic sector in Pennsylvania, in particular, continues to experience growth. The number of certified organic farms in the state rose by 82 percent between 2012 and 2017, compared to 39 percent nationally. Organic farm sales in Pennsylvania rose 800 percent in just five years—from $78.5M to $707.6M—compared to 133 percent growth nationally. Additionally, the number of farms in the state transitioning to organic has increased by 17 percent.

This monumental growth in organic not only has positive implications for reducing the use of off-farm inputs like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and sustainable agriculture in the state; it’s having economic effects for farms, too. Seventy-two percent of organic farmers in the state report that farming is their primary income source, in contrast with 46 percent of Pennsylvania farmers overall.

While the gender ratio of farmers in the state remains the same between organic farmers and all farmers—65 percent male and 35 percent female—organic farmers are notably younger. The majority are under 45 years old, compared to the majority of farmers overall in the state being 45 or older.

Despite the major growth in the organic industry, the latest state-specific survey for organic agriculture is from 2016. When an industry is growing as rapidly as organic agriculture is, it’s important to closely monitor trends. “National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is currently preparing to conduct the next organic follow-up survey for states, and 2019 data will be available in fall of 2020,” according to the agency’s northeast regional director, King Whetstone.

PASA will be developing further assessments of Pennsylvania farmers’ sustainable practices to complement what we’ve found so far in our analysis of the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture data and its add-on surveys. We know from our farmers that any strategies that both improve the economic viability of farms and ensures our natural resources are protected are what will keep us farming now and far into the future.

You can access the 2017 Census of Agriculture here.

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By Hannah Smith-Brubaker, Executive Director

On February 14th, at a dairy farm in Dauphin County, I had the great pleasure of attending Governor Tom Wolf’s release of the first-of-its kind Pennsylvania Farm Bill. Gov. Wolf’s plan aims to “invest more than $24 million in Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry to grow opportunities and resources, remove barriers to entry, and cultivate future generations of leaders within agriculture.”

Amplifying recent gains for sustainable agriculture and family farmers after the December passage of the federal 2018 Farm Bill, the Pennsylvania Farm Bill homes in on several areas seen as a priority to the state. This would include:

1. Supporting the development and succession of agricultural businesses by helping farmers create business plans, transition plans, and succession plans, and by providing tax exemptions for farmers who transfer preserved farmland to qualified beginning farmers;
2. Supporting the state’s dairy industry and growing animal agriculture sector by investing in research and development, technical assistance, organic transition assistance, value-added processing, and marketing grants, as well as by expanding access to meat processing inspections and facilities through reimbursement and subsidy programs;
3. Supporting conservation and improving business opportunities for farmers by providing financial and technical assistance to help farmers protect and enhance natural resources, by amending the Ag Area Security Act to permit subdividing preserved farms that are diversifying their businesses, and by repealing audit provisions that are considered unnecessarily burdensome for agricultural cooperatives;
4. Supporting the state’s future agricultural leaders and workforce by reestablishing the Agriculture and Rural Youth Organization Grant Program to increase knowledge about the agricultural landscape in the commonwealth, and by funding the Pennsylvania Farm-to-School Grant Program to increase youth exposure to agriculture;
5. Supporting agriculture infrastructure by increasing funding for responding to agriculture disasters or agricultural pest and disease threats;
6. Supporting making Pennsylvania the nation’s leading organic state by providing additional funding for the PA Preferred Organic Initiative, the Homegrown by Heroes Program for farmer veterans, and the state’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, as well as by improving agricultural infrastructure in urban areas.

We applaud the Pennsylvania Farm Bill and the important assistance it would provide for beginning and established farmers in our state, as well as its attention to advancing conservation programs and sustainable agriculture initiatives. We will be following the progress of the bill closely, and examining how we can help advance its passage and implementation.

If the bill’s efforts are important to you and you would like to make sure they get funded in next year’s budget, we encourage you to contact your state legislators today to voice your support.

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Photo credit: Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia Creative Commons

The 2018 bipartisan farm bill passed by Congress this week makes critically needed investments in sustainable agriculture. Among other beneficial outcomes for farmers and food producers, once signed into law by the President the bill will:

• provide mandatory funding to support the development of regional food economies and market data initiatives focused on organic production;
• reauthorize ATTRA and SARE;
• substantially increase funding for agriculture research and provide $50 million in permanent baseline funding for OREI organic research and for the new Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP);
• add soil health as a research priority; and
• more effectively supply beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and food producers with the resources they need to start and operate successful food and farming businesses.

Still, there are areas of concern. Importantly, the bill does not make climate change mitigation and adaptation a research priority; provides no additional funding for most farm-to-school initiatives and does not resolve known procurement issues; does not make vital reforms to commodity and crop insurance programs; cuts billions in conservation programs in terms of baseline funding for the next farm bill; and does not include authorization or funding for measuring, evaluating, and reporting conservation outcomes.

You can read more about the many gains for sustainable agriculture and local food systems contained in the bill, as well as its shortcomings, on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s blog.

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By Hannah Smith-Brubaker, Executive Director

We laud Governor Tom Wolf’s plan to make Pennsylvania the nation’s leading organic state. During remarks last week at Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Ag Progress Days, Gov. Wolf articulated a vision for agriculture in Pennsylvania that lists propelling the growth of organic agriculture as a top strategy. 

“Demand for organic foods has skyrocketed over the last 20 years, and at last, our production is starting to catch up,” said Gov. Wolf. “We can do more to help more producers and processors capture a bigger share of the organic market, and we can do that by leveraging our strong reputation in the marketplace.”

Pennsylvania recently surpassed Washington as a leading state for organic sales, second only to California. The Governor’s new plan includes “raising public awareness among agricultural producers of the opportunities in organic production—both unmet market demand and the premium prices organic commodities command in the market,” and calls attention to the “high demand in Pennsylvania for organic feed grains.”

This vision, along with its support for both organic producers and those who are considering transitioning to organic, sets Pennsylvania apart from nearly every other state in the country.

I, too, shared remarks at Ag Progress Days. I provided testimony before the Pennsylvania House and Senate Ag Committees to explain how PASA’s “big tent” approach to sustainable agriculture research and education brings together the likes of organic vegetable farmers, conventional row crop no-till farmers, and grazing dairy farmers to collectively measure the facets of sustainability farmers care about—like soil health and the financial viability of their business.

This work is rooted in a peer-learning network of farmers and other food system professionals across the state and beyond, who are openly and generously sharing everything from the results of their soil health tests to the grazing dairy management strategies they’ve personally honed over the course of decades. This sort of collaboration, which PASA and its members have been fostering for nearly 30 years, has helped bring Pennsylvania to where we are today. And we couldn’t be prouder.

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By Hannah Smith-Brubaker, Executive Director, PASA

A large majority—71 percent—of Pennsylvania farmers surveyed want a farm bill that prioritizes sustainable agriculture and conserves soil and water, and nearly three-quarters would be more likely to back a candidate for public office who favors such priorities.

That’s according to a new poll conducted in March by Iowa-based RABA Research on behalf of our partner, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Respondents spanned the political spectrum, but leaned heavily Republican. Of the 366 farmers surveyed in Pennsylvania, 62 percent identified as Republican, 18 percent Democratic, and 20 percent other.

What these data tell us, in unequivocal terms, is that Pennsylvania farmers—no matter their political affiliation—place great value on sustainable agriculture and will support public officials who prioritize conservation practices over “business as usual.”

As many of you may be aware, the House has released its first draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. In a year when farm bill funding for conservation and organic incentives, nutrition, market access, and rural development are under scrutiny, I am proud to share that UCS’s findings articulate the will of Pennsylvania farmers — a will that supports us to farm like the future matters.

I encourage you to sign up for action alerts with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition here, the National Young Farmers Coalition here, or the Organic Farmers Association here to track the progress of the bill and learn about opportunities to help shape the bill into one that reflects the needs of today’s farmers.

For helpful information about the history, legislative process, and mechanics of the farm bill, check out this background library compiled by the Farm Bill Law Enterprise.

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