A group of Democratic representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced a bill aimed at providing assistance to small farmers through grants and technical support. The proposed legislation also seeks to create the Office of Small Farms within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which would focus on serving the needs of small-scale farmers and ensuring that USDA programs are designed to meet their specific requirements.
According to the bill sponsors, small acreage farms, defined as those encompassing fewer than 180 acres, make up 70% of all farms in the United States. The measure has garnered support from numerous agricultural organizations.
The sponsors highlight that despite the significant contributions of small farms to the U.S. economy, they receive only 12% of federal payments allocated to farms. They argue that USDA programs often favor large-scale operations, which can be attributed to factors such as staff shortages, program design, and resource gaps that create disadvantages for small farms.
Representative Alma Adams, a senior member of the Agriculture Committee, emphasizes that nearly 2 million farms and ranches in the country are operated by small family farmers. These farmers often face challenges in accessing programs that could be of great assistance to them, and historically underserved farmers are more likely to operate their farms on a smaller scale.
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Categories: North Dakota, Business