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US Senate Bill Aims to Help Small Farms

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A bill aiming to help small farms access federal resources has gained the support of New York’s junior Senator.

Kirsten Gillibrand is one of ten senators who have introduced the Small Farm Conservation Act which would help farms access federal conservation programs from the US Department of Agriculture’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

The incentives program helps farmers improve their soil health and water quality as well as protect against weather volatility; however, a complex application process makes it difficult for small farms to apply.

“USDA conservation programs like EQIP are vital to help New York producers implement sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices on their land,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Burdensome application processes and inequitable assessment of applications have long been barriers for small and beginning farmers’ ability to access EQIP funding and support. The Small Farm Conservation Act would reduce these barriers and ensure that New York’s small and beginning farmers have access to the funding and technical assistance they need.”

Gillibrand added the bill would specifically do the following:

  1. Create a subprogram within EQIP tailored to support small farms and ranches;
  2. Establish a national subprogram coordinator and one in each State;
  3. Streamline the application and approval processes for small farmers and ranches;
  4. Create a bonus payment for farms under 50 acres employing soil health practices;
  5. Allow small farms to enroll on a continuous basis instead of waiting for the annual ranking period; and
  6. Require the Natural Resources Conservation Service to train field staff on conservation tailored for small-scale agriculture and to conduct outreach to small-scale farmers and ranchers.
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