An agriculture-focused coalition is asking the House and Senate Agriculture Committees for dedicated funding for business technical assistance and farm viability in the upcoming Farm Bill.
American Farmland Trust, the Agricultural Viability Alliance, and a national coalition of agricultural organizations, service providers, nonprofits, businesses, lending institutions, and government entities made the request in a letter to lawmakers.
The call for dedicated Farm Bill funding builds on work that AFT, in partnership with the Agricultural Viability Alliance, began in 2021 requesting USDA to set aside a portion of Coronavirus relief funding for one-to-one business technical assistance.
Business technical assistance covers a wide range of one-to-one services offered to farm and food businesses by nonprofit organizations, state agencies, private consultants, and extension services.
Customized to meet the unique needs of individual businesses, these services include coaching, skill development, and planning related to financial and labor management, marketing and business strategies, farm transfer and succession, and access to land and capital.
