Heinrich, Luján, Bennet, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Help Small Farms Access Federal Support

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and nine Senate colleagues reintroduced legislation that will help small farms access federal conservation programs delivered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

"Small farms are the backbone of our rural communities, but they often struggle to compete with big farms in accessing important USDA conservation funding. We need to do all that we can to ensure that small farms have the resources they need to build soil health, conserve natural resources, and sustain their way of life," said Heinrich. "This legislation aims to provide much-needed support for small farmers in New Mexico and across the country by unlocking financial resources, all while growing our economy and protecting our environment. As the Senate Agriculture Committee moves forward with marking up a new Farm Bill, policies that support small farms must be included."

"Growing up on my family's small farm in Nambé, I saw firsthand the hard work it takes to keep a farm running," said Luján. "Farmers and ranchers deserve access to federal conservation programs that work for them, especially as the climate crisis worsens. This legislation will help ensure that small farms have the support they need to strengthen their operations and protect New Mexico's land and water."

"After hearing from farmers and ranchers across Colorado, especially those who are just getting started or facing barriers to accessing federal resources, it is clear our conservation programs are falling short of their promise. By making these programs more accessible to smaller operations, we can help producers adopt soil health practices, strengthen local food systems, and protect our environment," said Bennet.

USDA's EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that offers farmers and ranchers financial cost-share and technical assistance to implement conservation practices on working agricultural lands. Small farms and ranches often find it difficult to navigate federal conservation programs and, because payment rates are based on acreage, they face meaningful pay discrepancies compared to larger agricultural operations. Small farmers who wish to undertake soil health practices have to dedicate the same time and effort as larger farms to access EQIP while only receiving a fraction of the benefit.

The Small Farm Conservation Act modifies EQIP to create a new subprogram dedicated to helping small farmers and ranchers access and receive adequate financial and technical assistance.

Specifically, the Small Farm Conservation Act would:

• Create a subprogram within EQIP tailored to support small farms and ranches;
• Establish a national subprogram coordinator and one in each state;
• Streamline the application and approval processes for small farmers and ranches;
• Create a bonus payment for farms under 50 acres employing soil health practices;
• Allow small farms to enroll on a continuous basis instead of waiting for the annual ranking period; and
• Require the Natural Resources Conservation Service to train field staff on conservation tailored for small-scale agriculture and to conduct outreach to small-scale farmers and ranchers.

In addition to Heinrich, Luján, and Bennet, U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Angus King (I-Maine) cosponsored this legislation.

The text of the bill is available HERE.

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