FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 28, 2023
CONTACT: [email protected]
One Country Project Outlines Steps for Farm Bill to Secure the Farming Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, One Country Project (OCP) released the first policy priority that this year’s Farm Bill can employ to secure America’s farming foundation. This series of three priorities seeks to use this landmark legislation as an agenda for rural America and address the most pressing issues that rural communities face today.
Agriculture is a major industry for the American economy and the linchpin of rural communities. However, with the average age of farmers rising to 57 years old, the sector is facing a generational cliff. If young farmers cannot be welcomed into the fold, American agriculture and the food supply chain will be weakened, food insecurity will be exacerbated, and America’s economy will be upended. Securing the Farming Foundation details how a tax credit can help new and beginning farmers get a foothold in the farming industry that allows them to balance the financial burden of acquiring land and investing in equipment. The more financially accessible farmland is, the more new and beginning farmers will be able to enter the field and ensure that American farming continues to lead and feed the world for years to come.
“In the face of supply chain shocks and climate crises, our agricultural system needs now more than ever to be resilient enough to withstand change,” said members of the One Country Project board. “However, family farms in America continue to close or consolidate, creating a gap in our food supply chain for new small farmers and ranchers to fill. To help incentivize the transition of agricultural land to new and beginning farmers, we recommend establishing a tax credit that enables a new generation of family farmers to continue the legacy of growing the food, fiber, and fuel that America depends on.”
In Securing the Farming Foundation, One Country Project officially calls on Congress to:
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Create a new tax credit for landowners selling their operations, livestock, machinery, or supporting equipment to new and beginning farmers as well as a deduction for new and beginning farmers just acquiring land that reduces the financial burdens of transferring farming operations;
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Streamline existing USDA loan forgiveness programs through expanding staffing and field office capacity; and
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Establish a National Farmland Exchange clearinghouse connecting retiring farmers and landholders with new and beginning farmers to better facilitate land transfers.
These proposals reflect the Farm Bill priorities proposed by OCP earlier this year that strive to expand opportunities for rural Americans. OCP will continue to make policy recommendations and endorsements as Congress works on shaping rural policy for the next five years and beyond.
Read Securing the Farming Foundation here.
See OCP’s Farm Bill priorities here.
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About One Country Project
Rural America holds an essential role in moving the United States forward and the One Country Project is dedicated to ensuring Rural America’s priorities and values are heard and reflected in policy at the federal level. To learn more, visit us at www.onecountryproject.com or on Twitter or Facebook.