As Virginia's farms continue to cope with unstable economic markets, one operation is blazing a new trail for a more equitable and economically stable agricultural model.
Established in 2019, the West Virginia-based New Roots Community Farm aims to provide resources and opportunities, both for producers and consumers.
Susanna Wheeler, farm director of New Roots, said the group develops and transfers land to the Agrarian Commons, a nonprofit which permanently preserves land and leases it out to other farmers.
"We felt that brought more security and stability," Wheeler explained. "And also offered us an opportunity to really workshop this concept of what it means to operate on land held by another entity."
The Agrarian Commons aims to lower barriers for new farmers by signing long-term leases, which
reduce upfront land-acquisition costs. The group places an emphasis on getting property into the care of farmers of color and other marginalized groups.
A 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the average cost of an acre of farmable land in Virginia is $4,700.
Michael Reilly, co-founder and executive director of Foodshed Capital, a Virginia-based nonprofit which lends money to new farms, including New Roots, said finding and purchasing land can be a struggle for people new to farming.
"The biggest need that farmers have is access to land," Reilly pointed out. "You can't farm if you don't have land. And so, that is a significant challenge for many of the farmers we work with, particularly socially disadvantaged farmers."
Black farmers in particular have seen a sharp drop in participation over the past century, largely due to discriminatory federal and state farm-aid programs prioritizing white farmers.
The 2017 U.S. Ag Census recorded about 45,500 Black farmers, down from nearly 950,000 in 1920.
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North Dakota lawmakers are still sorting out a thorny agricultural issue getting to the heart of local zoning restrictions for animal feedlot operations.
The state is looking to revise standards capping setbacks a county or township puts in place when figuring out how close feedlots can sit near a community.
State agricultural leaders want more livestock production in North Dakota. The recommendations call for reducing distance caps involving smaller sites but to extend allowed setbacks for larger ones, known as concentrated animal feeding operations.
Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, at a committee hearing Friday, acknowledged the growing debate.
"There's a lot of communication from constituents, from agriculture organizations on all sides of this," Thomas observed.
Thomas proposed an amendment to do away with the longer setbacks for the larger feedlots. He argued the current limit of one mile is sufficient. It is unclear what a final bill would look like but Thomas' proposal is likely to anger local residents and environmentalists opposed to concentrated animal feeding operations, which are under increased scrutiny in the U.S. over concerns about air and water pollution.
Opponents had already spoken out against elements of the bill during earlier testimony this session, noting the push chips away at local control.
Jeff Kenner, a farmer from the Devils Lake area, was among those who expressed frustration with the broader pressure applied to townships to welcome feedlots with large animal herds.
"Why try to bully your way and get as close to a town, residence, lake or business (as possible) when there are miles and miles of open land to put animal feeding operations on?" Kenner asked.
Opponents of factory farms said not only are air and water quality affected, local road infrastructure is burdened with increased truck traffic. Backers of boosting livestock output in North Dakota said the state is falling behind its neighbors, while arguing the modern large-scale approach to producing food is needed to meet global demand. They said the bill in its original form strikes a balance between community needs and helping farmers. The amendment was tabled, for now.
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Groups working to protect Iowa's air and water rally at the State Capitol this afternoon, against a bill they say would protect pesticide companies from lawsuits if their products make people sick.
Iowa Senate Study Bill 1051, the so-called Cancer Gag Act, "provides defense from civil liability tied to the use of pesticides," as long as their labeling meets Environmental Protection Agency standards - which can be 15 years old.
Iowa Food and Water Watch Central Iowa Organizer Michaelyn Mankel said the measure would essentially change the law to protect pesticide companies from accountability, in a state that's already seeing a "public health crisis."
"We have rising cancer rates," said Mankel. "We're the only state in the nation where incidents of cancer are increasing, and we rank second in the nation for rates of cancer."
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has said that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans," but the EPA says there's no evidence to supports that.
Pesticide makers - including Bayer, which has four lobbyists in Iowa alone - have said they're following current law and need protection from what they deem frivolous lawsuits, and this bill would provide that.
But Mankel said the measure would further erode Iowans' ability to take legal action if they think these products caused health problems.
"This is not a matter of stopping frivolous lawsuits," said Mankel. "It's a matter of not robbing Iowans of the only avenue we have to hold the pesticide industry accountable at a time where we're really suffering."
The rally at the Capitol will begin with an altar ceremony to memorialize Iowans who have died from cancer, many of whom advocates say were deaths related to pesticides.
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Some experts predict arable land per person will shrink by two-thirds by 2050. To combat it, Michigan students are being trained in "smart" agriculture.
Researchers believe smart agriculture is a promising solution to food production challenges as land becomes scarce because of climate change and water shortages. It involves methods such as vertical farming and urban gardens, combined with technologies using sensors, drones and artificial intelligence to improve productivity and yield.
Sara Masoud, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at Wayne State University, leads a program training students in smart agriculture.
"One of the options that we are putting together in my lab, in order to expose the students to is something called the hydroponic system," Masoud explained. "The idea is that if you don't have access to good soil to grow your plants, you can be growing your plants in, for example, water."
Critics of smart farming contended automation could displace farmworkers and, along with the high cost of technologies such as drones and AI, leave small-scale or low-income farmers behind.
They also worry farmers may rely too much on technology, which could be problematic if systems fail or there are disruptions such as data breaches or software glitches. Masoud believes the students' training in smart agriculture will help prepare them for the future.
"Hoping that this exposure is not only going to let them see what's in smart agriculture, but also help them to gain expertise, for example, in data science, or advance technologies that might help them even if they are not pursuing a smart agriculture in the future," Masoud added.
As of 2023, about 68% of large crop farms in the United States use precision agriculture technologies, which are needed for smart farming.
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