Small Farms at the Heart of New USDA Policy

Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, issued a suite of proposals intended to support small family farms across rural America. John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this is a critical time to support all agriculture, but particularly small farms.

“The proposal notes about 86% of America's farmers are small farmers, and they really wanted a chance to tout some policy proposals and ideas that would specifically help these small farmers get through these tough times.”

He says small farms are vital to American agriculture. Without them, we cannot

collectively be as sustainable as we are, be as productive as we are, and be as competitive as we are throughout the world. So that's, I think, a critical recognition by USDA and the fact that they are planning to prioritize policy solutions to help small farmers.”

Boatright says AFBF did make several recommendations to the USDA related to small farms,

“We raised issues ranging from efficiencies with local FSA and NRCS offices to expanded and enhanced risk management options for these small farming operations to addressing bigger, larger issues such as burdensome and complex regulations that small Farmers just simply aren't equipped to wrap their arms around.”

John Walt Boatright with the American Farm Bureau Federation.