A U.S. House subcommittee held a hearing Tuesday highlighting the threat climate change poses to the world's food supply, and how farmers can be assisted in adopting solutions.

Testimony included input from a Minnesota farmer.

Bonnie Haugen, who has a dairy operation in Fillmore County, touted her farm's regenerative practices, including rotational grazing. She noted it can keep soil from eroding.

Haugen urged Congress to expand funding for programs which would incentivize farmers to implement climate-friendly practices and limit the presence of Confined Animal Feeding Operations.

"Please remember that big CAFO dairies are not the same as ours," Haugen explained. "They're like big-box stores, similar to a Walmart building in the middle of one of our small towns."

She and other witnesses argued corporate farms greatly contribute to harmful emissions from agriculture, which ultimately result in more extreme weather events, disrupting the growing and delivery of food. Republican committee members argued higher gas prices are a bigger threat to agriculture right now, along with regulations under the Biden administration.

Sarah Goldman, policy organizer for the Land Stewardship Project, said Haugen's testimony accurately captured the challenges farmers face in helping to reduce the impact of climate change as try to they maintain a healthy food supply.

"Supporting family farms is really a way to counterbalance some of those pressures that we've seen," Goldman contended.

Goldman added market concentration forces too many family farms out of business, and thinks there are not enough conservation resources to keep their land resilient and profitable.

"There's some great programs that are out there to support farmers doing regenerative, sustainable agriculture," Goldman acknowledged. "But there isn't enough funding."

Last year, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy reported 67% of farmers who applied to programs in the last decade were rejected, partly due to a lack of funding.

Goldman stressed she hopes the next Farm Bill will contain some solutions. It is due for reauthorization next year.

William Peace University is teaming up with Produce Purpose, a nonprofit organization, to install a hydroponic farming operation on campus.

The new program aims to provide purposeful employment for individuals with special needs, promote sustainable and pesticide-free agriculture, and encourage healthy eating habits at the university.

Matthew Harvey, founder of Produce Purpose, said the program, inspired by his special needs brother, is not only to promote interactive learning but to address a real problem happening among young people.

"The age demographic between the ages of 18 and 29 is seeing the most weight gain in a person's lifetime," Harvey pointed out. "The freshman 15 slogan holds more truth than people really want to admit."

To bring the hydroponic farming operation to life on campus, Produce Purpose will also be partnering with Freight Farms, a hydroponic technology company based in Boston. Plans for the fully automated hydroponic farm are already underway, and the first crop is set to become available for harvest this fall.

The collaboration goes beyond merely providing fresh produce to students; it also creates multidisciplinary educational opportunities for them. Harvey highlighted the program will be accessible to students studying subjects such as biology, interactive design, psychology and special education.

"For example, if you are a physics student and you want to learn more about how different colored light waves can affect the growth of plants, you can see that in the red and blue light wave tech that the container farm has developed and perfected," Harvey explained.

Harvey added the program will hire about three special-needs farmers.


get more stories like this via email

Georgia farmers are watching a bill that is being reintroduced in Congress for ways to help their farms become more sustainable and less likely to contribute to the warming climate. The Agriculture Resilience Act is making a comeback this year after languishing in Congress since 2019. Its goal is to make agriculture a 'net-zero emissions' industry by 2040. Farming now contributes about 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions.

Lotanna Obodozie, Climate Campaign director with National Young Farmers Coalition, said her group hopes the bill gives farmers more access to the resources they need to increase sustainability.

"Farmers are experiencing a lot of barriers when trying to use or apply for USDA programs, and so I think that is a challenge that farmers could face," she said.

Agriculture is a $70 billion part of Georgia's economy. The bill focuses on assisting farmers in adopting eco-friendly practices, and would fund research into cutting-edge farming methods. The Agriculture Resilience Act has just been reintroduced. Previous bills had no co-sponsors from the Georgia delegation.

The legislation also includes measures to address social-justice issues in farming communities. It outlines ways to support minority-owned farms and promote equitable access to resources like land and water. Obodozie said this focus is needed to bridge gaps in agriculture across the nation.

"One thing that's really important is just how can we make sure that these programs are accessible for all farmers - not just large farmers, but also small farmers, beginning farmers, farmers of color, and other historically disadvantaged farmers," she said.

Some people have suggested adding this legislation to the 2023 Farm Bill, which Congress is scheduled to begin debating in September. In Georgia, over 42,000 farms span more than 10 million acres, according to the USDA.


get more stories like this via email

Congress has been holding hearings on the next Farm Bill, which has major implications for the nation's food system. It also shapes conservation programs, and Wisconsin producers hope a key funding source is not left behind.

The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative helps farmers carry out managed grazing, where animals are rotated on and off parcels of land for foraging, allowing other sections of the property to recover. Ag experts said it makes the land and animals healthier.

Mary Anderson, council president of the River Country Resource Conservation and Development Council and a farmer from Western Wisconsin, said the initiative's technical assistance is vital.

"We're able to avoid pitfalls, and it helps make our operations more successful," Anderson explained.

Much like hiring a professional to suggest home renovations, a grazing specialist helps a farmer find ways to make their land work for managed grazing. Supporters of the initiative not only want reauthorization in the Farm Bill, but also seek stable funding at $50 million annually.

The bill is passed every five years, and could again become mired in debate over Republican calls for cuts to SNAP benefits.

In addition to technical assistance, the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative provides funding for outreach such as conferences and webinars. Anderson pointed out there is a lot of demand, but not enough funding, and not rising to the challenge could hurt the movement.

"So, it's very important that farmers get not only technical assistance, but education," Anderson emphasized. "Then of course, research dollars too, that will guide us to do a better job."

The River Country Resource Conservation and Development Council helps property owners navigate issues as they look to make their land more sustainable. In the most recent fiscal year, the council was revived with a $14 million subsidy, after funding had been cut for more than a decade.


get more stories like this via email