Beginning Farmer Programs and Activism Update

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Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Visit DC: On June 15, eleven beginning farmers and ranchers from across the country arrived in Washington, DC to tell legislators what measures our country
can take to support beginning farmers and ranchers.  Anticipating the 2012 Farm Bill process, beginning farmers and ranchers sought support for a marker bill with a package of provisions for beginning farmer and rancher development.

BeginningFarmers.org is proud to have sponsored one of the participants – Denae Friedhiem, a beginning farmer From Michigan. Read more from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition….

Also, The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) released its 2010 Outcomes Report this week.  The report highlights the 29 projects that were funding in FY 2009 that helped to train, educate and provide outreach and technical assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers throughout the United States.

The BFRDP was authorized in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.  It provides grants to community organizations and educational institutions to assist and support beginning farmers and ranchers.  The BFRDP matches federal resources with local, state and regionally based networks and partnerships to provide education, training, and support for beginning farmers and ranchers.