Office of Small Farms Establishment Act

What it does

If Congress passes it, the Office of Small Farms Establishment Act would directly serve small farmers with grants and technical assistance and ensure that all USDA programs are designed to meet the needs of small farmers. Key functions of the Office of Small Farms would include assessing the specific needs of small operations, evaluating the effectiveness of the USDA at serving small farms, and recommending improvements to USDA program policies, design, and delivery. The office would also facilitate direct technical assistance and grants of up to $25,000 for equipment, uninsured losses, business planning assistance, conservation practice adoption, and down payments for land. In addition, an anonymous hotline would be established to enable small-scale operations to report challenges they face in accessing USDA assistance.

Who supports this bill?

The Office of Small Farms Establishment Act is a bicameral bill, which means it has some support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senator Cory Booker and Representatives Marilyn Strickland, Alma Adams, and Jim McGovern introduced the bill. In the Senate, this bill is referred to as S. 1809 and these Senators are already supporting the bill. In the House, this bill is referred to as H.R. 3877 and these Representatives are already supporting the bill.

The bill is endorsed by dozens of grassroots organizations, including Black Family Land Trust and Latino Farmers & Ranchers International.

Want to support this bill?

If your Senators and House Representative aren’t already on the list of cosponsors for the bill:

• Ask your two Senators to “cosponsor the Office of Small Farms Establishment Act, S.1809.”
• Ask your House Representative to “cosponsor the Office of Small Farms Establishment Act, H.R. 3877.”

If your elected officials are already supporting the Office of Small Farms Establishment Act, you can always contact them to thank them and help spread the word among your networks.

Resources

If you’d like to learn more about the Office of Small Farms Establishment Act, you can:

• Find instructions for calling or writing your Senators and Representative (tip: enter your address)
• Track the bill’s progress on Congress.gov or GovTrack
• Learn why lawmakers’ support this bill (Senator Cory Booker’s press release and Representative Marilyn Strickland’s press release)
• Read the full bill text

See more bills worthy of your support in the 2023 Farm Bill.