Beginning Farmer Training Funding on Hold

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Here is the latest news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). In the articles summarized here, they discuss the present and future state of Beginning Farmer Training Funding, and what the expiration of the current Farm Bill means to all of us.

$18 Million Awarded in Beginning Farmer Training Funding, But the Future Remains Uncertain 

Farmer training programs and projects arm aspiring and beginning producers with the skills and resources they need to succeed. These projects, many of which are supported financially through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), are especially crucial now that we face a potential nationwide shortage of producers.

In the latest round of BFRDP Beginning Farmer Training Funding awards (FY 2018), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued 37 new grants, providing over $18 million in financial support to organizations and academic institutions to train the next generation of farmers. 

The 2014 Farm Bill officially expired on September 30, and Congress has now left town without a workable replacement in place. As a result, future funding for BFRDP is “on hold” until a new farm bill is passed.

 

Life Without a Farm Bill: Expiration Day Arrives

This week marks the second farm bill cycle in a row in which an existing farm bill was allowed to expire without an extension in place.

With Congress unlikely to return to Washington, D.C. before the November elections, the focus of advocates must now shift to trying to help pass a good, bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill later this year.

We have been in this scenario before and still came out with major wins for America’s family farmers and rural communities, and by working together and not losing steam we can do so again in this farm bill cycle.

 

Learn more about Agricultural Policy and Farm Politics at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/farm-policy-agricultural-politics/ 

Learn more about Beginning Farmer Training Programs at

Get more great farming resources at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/additional-farming-resources/