NFFC Rocked Farm Aid 2023!

NFFC staff and members gathered in Indiana last week, September 21-23, to attend Farm Aid's farmer and fisher events and the concert! NFFC's Homegrown Village exhibit demonstrated the real-life impacts of land and water grabs on rural communities globally. Block Corporate Salmon also hosted an exhibit at the Village, and advocates protested at AquaBounty's only US facility in Albany, IN, which raises 1,200 metric tons of genetically engineered salmon annually. Of course, Patchwork Family Farms (a project of Missouri Rural Crisis Center) was also at Farm Aid to serve up their delicious, family farm-raised pork!

Finally, we have exciting news to share! NFFC and NAMA Executive Director, Niaz Dorry, received Farm Aid's "Spirit of Farm Aid - Advocate" award! The awards go to those who truly embody what Farm Aid stands for by demonstrating their tireless commitment to family farmers. We are very excited for Niaz to have received this well-deserved recognition!

Photo by Samantha Cave.

On Farmland, Congress Misses the Bigger Picture

The Senate Agriculture Committee hosted a hearing on September 27 about foreign land ownership, highlighting further Congressional concern over this topic. While a cause for concern, this focus misses the full scope of the larger, more pressing issue of corporate investment of US farmland, led primarily by domestic entities.

NFFC released a statement outlining how corporate investments, no matter the location, are a major driving force behind farmland access challenges and rising land costs. The Farmland for Farmers Act, introduced this summer by Senator Cory Booker, is a prime opportunity to keep farmland in the hands of US farmers and ranchers. The Act has been endorsed by more than 70 food and farm organizations. Congress must include this bill in the 2023 Farm Bill if they are truly concerned about who owns American farmland. Click here to send a letter to your legislators in support of the Act!

USDA Extends Application Deadline for Discrimination Financial Assistance Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to January 13, 2024, to give eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was October 31, 2023.

This program, authorized in Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act, earmarked $2.2 billion dollars total for farmers and ranchers who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending. NFFC is glad to see this extended deadline and we hope that you will apply for this program if eligible, and share widely! Need help applying? The USDA has a list of local offices and community partners to contact, including NFFC member groups the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund and and Land Loss Prevention Project.

Graphic by USDA.

Help us protect funding for USDA and Farm Service Agency lending programs!

Sen. Mike Lee proposed an amendment (SA 1098) to House appropriations bill HR 4366 that would block all funding for USDA and Farm Service Agency loan programs that include race as a criterion for eligibility (like Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act). These programs are meant to rectify a long history of discrimination towards farmers and ranchers of color - many of whom depend on these loan programs to fund their businesses. It's crucial that Congress protect funding for these programs — call or write to your legislators and ask them to stand against this amendment!

Read our joint statement about this amendment with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund and Farm Aid.