Farmer Testimonies submitted for
October 2008 Listening Session on Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

On October 27, 2008, the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service held a listening session to gather input on the development of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). This program received first time mandatory funding of $75 million in the 2008 Farm Bill. BFRDP funds education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives directed at helping beginning farmers and ranchers.

OFRF, through a generous grant from the Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation, sent two beginning organic farmers to Washington, D.C. to deliver oral comments at the listening session. Read their testimonies below. All testimonies are posted with full permission from the writers.

Jamie Collins, organic farmer from California
Jeremy Barker-Plotkin, organic farmer from Massachusetts

Farmer Testimonies submitted for
April 2007 House of Representatives Hearing on Organic Agriculture

On April 18, 2007, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture held a public hearing on the economic impacts of production, processing, and marketing of organic agricultural products. Members of the public were allowed to submit written testimony until April 28. Through our Organic Farmers Action Network (OFAN) email list, we let you know about this opportunity, and several OFAN members submitted testimony. Their testimonies will be posted on the House Agriculture Committee’s website by the end of June, 2007. Download and read their testimonies below. All testimonies are being posted with full permission from the writers.

Atina Diffley, organic farmer from Minnesota
Tim P. Miller, organic farmer from Texas
Brenda A. Butterfield, organic farmer from New Hampshire
Dan Kelly, organic farmer from Missouri
David S. Conner, former organic farmer and university researcher from Michigan

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