Mobilizing family farmers, fishers, and ranchers for fair prices, vibrant communities, and healthy foods free of corporate domination. |
| This month we report on a field trip to Vermont, bipartisan support for two of our policy priorities, and the International Day of Peasant Struggles | | #17April International Day of Peasant Struggles | | |
April 17-24: Week of Solidarity with Peasant Struggles
Every year on April 17th, our ally La Via Campesina (LVC) organizes an International Day of Peasant Struggles in honor of the 1996 massacre in Eldorado dos Carajás, Brazil, where 21 peasants were murdered for fighting for agrarian reform—a crime that remains unpunished.
For more than three decades, NFFC has been part of LVC's international movement for food sovereignty, which now includes 200 million small-scale farmers, peasants, farmworkers, and other food producers from more than 80 countries. We recognize that the same extractive, neoliberal free trade policies that have harmed our family farmers are also impacting smallholders around the world. Follow NFFC on social media to learn more about our international work and alliances.
Land, Water and Territories for Life
This #17April, La Via Campesina calls for comprehensive agrarian reform that advances Food Sovereignty for all.
We envision a world in which our government confronts the structural causes of inequality, puts an end to land and territory grabbing, and economically empowers small farmers and food providers.
| | |
"Those who farm in the US distance themselves from the term peasant, thinking it connotes a tenant, sharecropper, a small farmer or mere farm worker. I am a small farmer, a peasant and proud of it. Remember, roughly half of the worlds population are farmers who work the land and tend livestock. While I am a minority in the US, worldwide, I am part of the majority."
- Jim Goodman, Family Farm Defenders
Read Jim's statement on FFD's blog.
| |  | |
Farmland for Farmers, Not Billionaires!
A major challenges for peasants across the globe is access to land. Hedge funds and corporations are buying up farmland in a bid for easy profits. This has made it more difficult for farmers to own and keep their land.
In the US, NFFC supports policies like the the Farmland for Farmers Act that would keep farmland out of the hands of profit-hungry corporations.
We also are engaged in the global Stop Land Grabs Campaign which educates and advocates to stop harmful farmland speculation.
| | |
Farm Bill Update!
Bipartisan bills introduced to protect on-farm slaughter and
to increase equitable land access
| | |
Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have re-introduced the Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local (LOCAL) Foods Act, a bipartisan bill that supports small-scale livestock producers. Scroll down to learn how this common-sense legislation strengthens national food security by increasing consumer access to farm-fresh meats.
We are also proud to join the National Young Farmers Coalition in calling on Congress to support the New Producer Economic Security Act (H.R.2536 & S.1237!) This bipartisan marker bill would create a pilot program to invest in community-led land access solutions. It's just been introduced in the House and the Senate, so now is the time to ask Congress to stand up for young and underserved farmers!
| | | Pictured: The On-Farm Slaughter cohort takes a group selfie at NFFC's DC fly-in earlier this year. | | Photo by Donald Campbell (Rural Vermont). | | |
NFFC Policy Spotlight:
LOCAL Foods Act (S.1212)
This bill makes a simple update to the Federal Meat Inspection Act that will allow consumers to purchase livestock and designate an agent to slaughter and process their meat on-farm.
By protecting on-farm slaughter practices, this bill increases rural communities’ access to healthier, more affordable and humane sources of meat. And by shortening the supply chain, the LOCAL Foods Act supports a more resilient and sustainable food system!
| | |
An inspiring field trip to Vermont
Last month NFFC staff met with several small-scale Vermont farmers - we spent two days touring their farms, giving us a first-hand look at the communities behind our member groups NOFA-VT and Rural Vermont.
We learned about the variety of challenges faced by each farmer, whether it was the capital needed for infrastructure, the limited access to meat processors, or the importance of farmers markets. A common thread among farmers we spoke to was their concern for the land and the animals in their care. Their passion for the environment and animal welfare was matched by their commitment to providing healthy and sustainable foods to their neighbors and local communities.
These farms are vivid examples of how food sovereignty-informed policy can enable a vibrant and resilient food system. When farmers are empowered to do what they love free from corporate domination, we all benefit.
| | Pictured: Em and Rose of Union Brook Farm in Northfield, VT, give Antonio and Meg a tour of their pasture-raised pork and poultry operation. Photo courtesy NFFC. | | |
Welcoming our new team members:
Austin Bryniarski and Cindy Ferrier!
Spring is a season of fresh new beginnings, so in that spirit we welcome two new members of our staff, Austin and Cindy!
| | Austin Bryniarski fills our new Government Relations Coordinator role, and bringing a decade of experience in food, agriculture, and environmental movement work. Before joining NFFC, he served as a Legislative Director for a member of Congress who serves on the House Agriculture Committee. | | As our new Operations Associate, Cindy Ferrier lends her HR and administrative expertise. She'll help maintain our financial operations and record-keeping now that we are an expanded team. We are thrilled to have her organizational skills, efficiency, and attention to detail in managing workflows and providing executive support. | | Our expanded team is ready for the year ahead! | | In late March, we were glad to have our full team at our annual staff retreat! We spent a week in Brattleboro, Vermont, discussing our strategic goals and our plans for the year ahead. We also deepened our shared understanding of NFFC's unique and important legacy advocating for family farmers. | | L-R: Antonio, Lisa, Danielle, Jordan, Meg, Lateefah, Austin, Angelica, Rosa, Maria, Sam, and Niaz | | |
WORC joins coalition of farmer advocates to defend new Packers and Stockyards rules
Earlier this month, Food & Water Watch filed a motion to intervene on behalf of WORC, R-CALF USA, Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, and the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association in response to a lawsuit that seeks to undermine new USDA rules under the Packers & Stockyard Act.
The lawsuit is centered around a 2024 rule from the USDA intended to safeguard livestock and poultry producers against discriminatory, retaliatory, and deceptive practices by meatpackers. Industry groups such as National Chicken Council and the Meat Institute are fighting protections that would curb the abuse of power concentrated among the handful of transnational meatpackers that now dominate the industry.
“What’s at stake here is the rights of ranchers to speak up against bad actors in the market,” said WORC board member Dena Hoff, member of NFFC's Executive Committtee and farmer from Glendive, Montana. Read WORC's full statement here.
| | |
What we're reading...
...watching...
...and listening to!
| | |
Donate now to ensure farmers can keep feeding us!
Help us push back against corporate domination in our food system! Your gift fuels the fight for policies that put farmers, family farming, and healthy land ahead of corporate profits.
| |
National Family Farm Coalition
110 Maryland Ave NE #307
Washington, DC 20002
| | Follow Us on Social Media! | | | | |
