"'Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, 'Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.'"
- Mark 9:35-37
Chickens, Cows, Kids and Catholics The Decision to Become Homesteaders
This weeks "Storytellers" explores Peter and Kristen's decision to leave the city behind and become a homesteading family. Kristen writes:
"We were becoming tired of trying to fill our days with entertainment and running from playgrounds to pools to sports and to events. We were tired of the busyness and the demands that culture was putting on our family. We wanted to be home together building relationships with each other and we wanted to be working towards something together as a family."
To read this weeks Storytellers installment, click here.
Updates on Farm Bill; Resources for Sustainable Ag.
Broad Coalition Meeting and Free USDA Guide
This week a broad coalition of farm, nutrition and rural groups askHouse and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees to protect mandatory funding for critical farm and food assistance programs. In the coming months, congressional appropriators will finalize funding legislation for fiscal year 2017 while simultaneously beginning work on 2018. They urged members of Congress not to re-open the 2014 Farm Bill through the budget or appropriations process.
Speaking of farm programs, do you know which USDA agencies have programs that are tailored to meet the needs of diversified farming operations, organic growers, or beginning farmers? What resources are available for small and mid-sized growers looking to reach expanding regional markets, and where can you find them? The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition partnered with USDA's Farm Service Agency to produce a one-stop guide for family farmers and ranchers.
For the free Guide to USDA Sustainable Farming Programs, click here.
U.S. Reps Reintroduce "Young Farmer Success Act" Send a Message of Support to your Representative
"America needs a new generation of farmers, now more than ever," said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), one of the lead sponsors of the reintroduced Young Farmer Success Act (H.R. 1060). A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives took action to address our urgent national need for more young farmers.
The National Young Farmers Coalitionfirst worked with members of Congress to originally introduce this bill in October 2015. CRL asked for our members support this legislation then, and we do so again today. Please contact your Representative via this action alertand ask them to support the bill.
Bringing young people back to the farm or ranch is a national priority. Young people are ready to farm, but student loan debt is keeping them from starting. Send your Representative an email today, and tell him/her to support the Young Farmer Success Act. (If they've already sponsored the bill, they'll get a thank you note.)
Catholic Leaders Support Clean Power Plan
Caring for Our Common Home
One hundred and twenty-five U.S. Catholic leaders have signed a letterorganized by the Catholic Climate Covenant in support of the Clean Power Plan. This crucial plan is a significant U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effort to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants 30 percent by 2030.
The Clean Power Plan is the nation's most ambitious effort to reduce climate- changing greenhouse gas pollution but faces an uncertain future in the Trump administration.
Pope Francis, like Saint John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI before him, has explicitly recognized human-forced climate change as a moral issue. He calls on people of faith and goodwill to take action whenever and wherever they can. CRL is a consistent and long-time voice in efforts to "care for our common home".
CATHOLIC RURAL LIFE
Our mission is dedicated to addressing and overcoming
the challenges facing rural America: social, economic and ecological.
U.S. Reps Reintroduce "Young Farmer Success Act"
