Make your voices heard: Fill out our Farmer Speak-Out Form!

[Angela DeFelice]

Hi all,

Passing this along to our broader network. All of our farm related co-ops in the Hudson Valley are being hit really hard right now with the federal funding issues -- as are we and many co-op development orgs funded by USDA. Folks are organizing and looking for testimonials and help amplifying voices. 

In solidarity, 

Angela

Greetings farmers and farm-adjacent folk,
 
In the first weeks of this administration, Trump’s Executive Orders have
cut off access to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for
farmers and food systems. These funds were congressionally allocated to
programs that support farms to develop infrastructure, help us scale our
operations to feed more people, and stabilize markets that feed communities
without access to fresh, nutritious food.
 
These actions have destroyed pathways to resilience in our regional food
systems and threaten the food security of our people.
 
We are organizing to get a handle on the full story of the impacts of these
changes so we can effectively push back.
 
Farmers in the Hudson Valley and Catskills have organized this project to
collect testimonies in our region and beyond. We want your story to be
counted to demonstrate the depth of impact and breadth of losses. Even
before Trump’s return, our agricultural labor has been systemically
devalued, yet we remain committed to stewarding land and nourishing people.
 
Our aim is threefold: 1) collect these stories to bring farmer voices to
regional and national platforms, 2) leverage testimony to raise and
redistribute public and private funds to restore what was lost, and 3)
advocate for resources that sustain farmer livelihoods amidst the
destruction of government and public services.
 
If you are a farmer or farm-related organization that has been impacted, share
your story through this form
<https://airtable.com/appROLhj8z9OMb12D/pagKikTosKN85L67J/form>. You may
share anonymously, and you may also decide whether or not to have your
testimony displayed publicly. We encourage you to fill out the form
multiple times as circumstances shift.
 
You may view all public testimonies here
<https://airtable.com/appROLhj8z9OMb12D/shrpvw5Z8QZ74wZq1>. Please
circulate and amplify this survey in your farmer communities! We hope to
collect as many stories as possible before government funding expires on
March 14.
 
 
Here is a sample text to circulate, and download promotional graphics here
<https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1g24d9TjC8PqgI0mFBWVMarvV_2rKP78L>
(make sure to link to the form
<https://airtable.com/appROLhj8z9OMb12D/pagKikTosKN85L67J/form> wherever
you post!).
 
Farmers are organizing to collect stories of the impacts of the Trump admin
transition. The goal is to amplify the impact to restore what was lost. If
you or a farmer you know has been impacted (lost funds, labor, etc), share
your story here (publicly or anonymously). Please distribute widely!
https://airtable.com/appROLhj8z9OMb12D/pagKikTosKN85L67J/form.
 
 
In solidarity,
Hudson Valley Young Farmers Coalition
<https://www.hvyoungfarmers.org/> + Catskills
Young Farmers Coalition
<https://catskillsyf.wixsite.com/catskills-young-farm>

Angela DeFelice (she/her)

Managing Director & Senior Project Steward

Co-op Hudson Valley

607-262-6024 (cell)

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here!