#FarmingIsPublicService Young Farmers’ Student Loan Campaign

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Young farmers tell Congress that #FarmingIsPublicService

Last Wednesday farmers from six states converged in Washington, D.C. for a whirl-wind round of meetings on Capitol Hill and at USDA. The event, known as a “fly-in,” was organized by the National Young Farmers Coalition to give young farmers a chance to advocate in person for the #FarmingIsPublicService campaign, which asks Congress to add farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The fly-in was made possible with support from Applegate, a natural and organic meat company.

Each of the farmers who participated have student loan debt that is impacting their ability to build successful farming careers. And they aren’t alone. A survey conducted by NYFC points to student loan debt as one of the key barriers contributing to a shortage of young farmers. Among NYFC survey respondents, 30% said their student loans were preventing or delaying them from making farming their career and 28% said student loan pressure has prevented them from growing their farm business.

Read all about the DC visit and the #FarmingIsPublicService campaign on our blog.

Have you taken action yet? When voters take time out of their lives to visit their Senators and Representatives in-person, it has a big impact. But the next-best thing is a phone call or email. Take action now.