Why you should care about the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture?

Fishing Partnership Support Services (FP) is a nonprofit company in Massachusetts that has been improving the health, safety, and economic security of fishing families for over 20 years. Food producers, including fishermen, deserve our support. Fishermen are critical to our local economy. For example, seven-thousand Massachusetts fishermen form the foundation of a multi-billion-dollar seafood industry that supports over 90,000 workers. Furthermore, the future looks bright for the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the fishing industry will grow by 11% by 2026 - compared to 7% for all occupations.

The Green New Deal (GND) resolution was released last week, and includes agriculture in its approach to mitigating climate change. It is intentionally written as a scaffolding for developing more specific legislation, and holds potential for our particular agricultural strengths and needs here in the Northeast. Here are some ideas to get us started.

Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm owner and operator Lisa Calvo used Farm Bill funding—Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Grants—to conduct on-farm research to improve farm efficiencies and sustainable production practices to support her business and the growing shellfish industry. This is the fourth article in a series of interviews exploring how policies in the Farm Bill influence people, programs, and food systems throughout the region.