Thank you to everyone who attended our education event, Act for Change: US Farm Bill 2023, Farming, Climate and You. In case you missed it, view the recording here.

Every five years, Congress passes the federal Farm Bill. The current law will expire September 30, 2023. Congressional committees are holding hearings on revisions to the legislation now.

In February 2023, the League of Women Voters of the US joined nearly 650 other organizations in a letter to Congressional agriculture committee leadership, urging them to protect the historic additional $20 billion investment in climate-smart agriculture and conservation technical assistance included in the Farm Bill 2023. These organizations also requested assurances that funding remains within climate-smart agriculture and conservation programs and isn’t reassigned. Read the letter here.

Farm Bill 2023 hearings are underway now. Please contact our Massachusetts Congressional delegation this week and urge them to protect climate-smart agriculture and conservation technical assistance using the sample script below. These investments will enable farmers, especially those with small to mid-size farms, to thrive and transition to climate-friendly practices. 

Sample script

Dear Senator/Representative [Insert Name],

As a member of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, I urge you to ensure that the conservation and climate-smart programs in the 2023 Farm Bill are fully funded, so that all farmers - not just a few - will have access to the resources and technical support they need to transition their practices to both adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Dedicated funds must be protected from being diverted to other programs.       

Scientists warn that to limit average global temperature rise to 1.50C, fossil fuel emissions reductions must be made and our agricultural practices must evolve. Conservation funding can help Massachusetts farmers implement the Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan, enabling them to increase soil carbon, build resistance to drought and flood, and create habitat for fish and wildlife – good for Massachusetts, good for the planet.

Be sure to include your name and complete street address in your signature.

US Congressional delegation contact information:

● US Senator Ed Markey 

Email: Use the “Share Your Opinion” form at  markey.senate.gov

​​Phone: (202) 224-4543

● US Senator Elizabeth Warren

Email: Use the “Share Your Opinion” form at  warren.senate.gov

Phone: (202) 224-4543

● US Representative Jim McGovern [Rep. McGovern serves on the US House Committee on Agriculture and is a lifelong champion of farmers and of fighting climate change.]

Email: mcgovern.house.gov 

Phone: (202) 224-4543

● Your Representative

 Additional Talking Points from the coalition letter to Congress:

USDA’s voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs:

● Enable producers to adopt practices that build soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 

●  Improve surface and ground water quality,

●  Increase water efficiency, building resilience to drought and flood,

●  Create habitat for fish and wildlife.

Adequately funding these programs in the 2023 Farm Bill will help to:

●  Energize rural economies,

●  Improve climate resilience, and

●  Ensure that our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are part of the solution to climate change. Currently farms are part of the climate problem, responsible for 11% of total  greenhouse gas emissions.

Additional talking points, see Farm Bill Fact Sheet.