• Use public resources for public good.
• Invest in people to build local communities vital for economic resilience.
• Uphold the interdependence of urban and rural communities.
• Acknowledge and address the history and legacy of inequities in the food system.
• Value land stewardship and regional food systems.
• Reward crop diversity and soil health as essential for our future.
• Recognize the contributions of and institute protections for food system workers, including farm and meat processing workers.
• Acknowledge that farmers are on the front lines of the climate crisis, and this challenge demands bold solutions.

LSP’s Farm Bill Platform calls for change in five specific areas:

1) Consolidation:

• Restore competition to the marketplace and level the playing field for small farmers and ranchers.
• Break up monopolies and enforce antitrust laws.
• Reduce funding supporting farms that are not taking care of their soil and communities.

2)  Conservation & Climate:

• Create funding streams for new and innovative sustainable practices, and eliminate funding for practices that harm rural communities and the environment.
• Allocate fewer or no subsidies to the largest/industrial cropping operations, and stop providing public funds to large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) seeking to install manure management and methane digesters.
• Direct programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) toward operations that are implementing regenerative practices like managed rotational grazing, agroforestry, and perennial crops, and ensure funding is accessible to farmers with small-scale conservation projects.
• Provide additional targeted outreach and education for conservation programs such as CSP and EQIP.
• Make CSP an easier program to use and apply for, especially for organic producers, and limit funding that goes toward factory farm-style production.

3)  Crop Insurance Reform:

• Put payment caps on crop insurance subsidies that the largest, industrial farms receive.
• Incentivize climate-resilient practices through crop insurance programs.
• Target crop insurance programs to support beginning farmers.
• Reduce crop insurance premium costs for farmers implementing soil health and conservation practices.

4)  Young, Beginning, and BIPOC Farmers:

• Reduce the turnaround time for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan approval to meet the market pace for land sales and create a pre-approval mechanism for FSA Direct Farm Ownership Loans.
• Address concerns around realities that often the FSA loan process cannot compete with standard real estate transactions.
• Support programs that encourage and incentivize transitions to young/beginning/BIPOC farmers. This includes programs that support farmland preservation and easements to reduce development of productive agricultural land and facilitate land access.
• Create pathways to support land transition, apprenticeships and mentorships, as well as legacy planning work.
• Provide additional and culturally-appropriate technical assistance services (including in multiple languages) so that beginning farmers can access USDA programs.
• Provide direct financial support for land ownership by creating grant initiatives such as direct assistance provided in the Minnesota Down Payment Assistance Program.
• Support incubator and cooperative farms through additional funding (including for personnel and operations) to increase access to tools, infrastructure, equipment, and training for young/beginning/BIPOC farmers.

5)  Regional Food Systems:

• Facilitate market access through outreach, additional funding, and technical assistance programs.
• Allow for the development of infrastructure that connects producers to consumers and builds strong and resilient regional food systems.
• Increase funding and support for farmers’ markets, including programs that enable customers to purchase produce from local farmers.
• Protect critical investments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) at a time of rising food prices and food insecurity.

On Aug. 16, 2022, the Land Stewardship Project launched our Farm Bill Platform at Legvold Farms in Northfield, Minn. Check out the press release here.

•  Fillmore County Journal: Write a farm bill for farmers, not corporate interests (5/15/23)

• Public News Service: MN Family Farms Make Their Case for Farm Bill Inclusion (5/5/23)

• Mankato Free Press: Farm Bill Should Include Provisions to Address Climate Change (4/28/23)

• The McLeod County Chronicle: 2023 Farm Bill Priorities (4/26/23)

• Star Tribune: Minnesota farmer needs a truck with a cooler; Congress’ farm bill could help (4/26/23)

• Ag Week:  Small-scale producers share with Rep. Angie Craig how crop insurance doesn’t work for them (4/19/23)

• Lancaster Farming: Farmers March on Washington to Demand Climate Legislation (3/8/23)

• Brownfield Radio Network: Farmers for Climate Action Rallying in D.C. (3/7/23)

• Minnesota Reformer: We Need a Transformative Farm Bill (9/26/22)

• Food Freedom Radio: LSP farmer-member Darrel Mosel and LSP organizer Sarah Goldman discuss the need for a 2023 Farm Bill that supports farmers, communities, and the land. (9/17/22)

• Northfield News: Regional Farmers Hear Farm Bill Priorities (8/23/22)

• What is the Federal Farm Bill?

• Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act

• Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) Improvement Act