Dear John,

Situated on the frontlines of climate change, family farmers are all too familiar with the consequences of a changing climate that increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters like floods, droughts, wildfires and hurricanes. But they can also be a big part of the solution through sustainable and regenerative forms of agricultural that focus on improving and revitalizing soil health in order to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change.

This is why our friends at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition worked with farmers and ranchers to craft The Farmer Letter on Climate Change in Agriculture. This letter highlights both farmers' vulnerabilities to a changing climate and the powerful solutions that they can offer to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our communities more resilient.

"We cannot afford to wait. Action is needed now to address our changing climate. Agriculture can and must be part of the solution."

– From the Farmer Letter on Climate Change in Agriculture

We are pleased that members of Congress are also acting on the connection between climate and agriculture. Last week, Representative Chellie Pingree introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA). This bill addresses the role of agriculture in combating climate change with science-based, farmer-driven policy solutions. Farm Aid is proud to endorse the ARA, which empowers and makes investments in farmers to steward soil* and mitigate climate change.

*Did you know that healthy soils can absorb 2.5-3 billion metric tons of carbon each year?