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Agriculture & America’s Farms

Small and family-owned farms are the backbone of rural communities. Not only do farms provide jobs, they give Americans a connection to the land and our heritage. Donald Trump promised to take care of farmers, but instead, he has undercut their businesses and livelihoods. Under Donald Trump, farm debt and farm bankruptcies have surged to their highest levels in more than a decade.

As president, Mike will restore respect and opportunity to America’s farmers and rural communities. Together, we will grow healthy, economically thriving, and diverse farms across America.

Mike’s Plan:

• Promote fair competition for family-owned farms and combat farming monopolies
• Make U.S. trade policy fair and consistent
• Invest in building healthy soils and conserving farmland for generations to come
• Expand and improve agricultural research and develop a diverse new generation of the American farming workforce
• Renew rural American communities

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Mike’s Plan:

Promote fair competition for farms of all sizes

Mike’s plan will combat farming monopolies by strengthening smaller farms’ ability to negotiate for fair contracts. He will also revive and enforce USDA and DOJ’s capacity to ensure fair competition, including reinstating the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as an independent and fully funded agency.

Make U.S. trade policy fair and consistent

As president, Mike will pursue trade policies that unlock fair and open markets for American farmers by holding China accountable and prioritizing cooperation with allies and the WTO, while de-escalating U.S.-China trade tensions which are jeopardizing small and family-owned farms.

Invest in building healthy soils and conserving farmland for generations to come

Mike’s plan will expand programs that prioritize conservation and enhance soil health and explore ways to align crop insurance with conservation incentives. He’ll increase the share of farm acreage managed with regenerative practices that improve farmland and lower adverse environmental effects. Additionally, he’ll empower farmers to improve soils and sequester carbon from the air, leading our country’s efforts to ensure sustainable ecology for future generations.

Expand and improve agricultural research and develop a diverse new generation of the American farming workforce

Mike knows how critical it is to make it easier for young people to enter the farming business and inherit family farms. That’s why he’ll establish an estate planning division at USDA, pilot lease-to-own programs, increase funding to provide legal support to heirs’ property owners, and encourage states to pass the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. He’ll also modernize the current H-2A visa program so it works better for both farmworkers and farms of all sizes, and expand other farmworker protections like minimum wage, overtime, and other labor rights, including safeguards against harassment. Mike’s plan will double current federal investment in U.S. agricultural research to unlock innovation and enable American farmers to continue leading the world. As president, Mike will address longstanding systemic racism and inequities by appointing USDA leadership committed to supporting farmers of color and fully enforcing civil rights protections. He’ll also update key USDA grant programs to ensure they serve all farms, including small farms, new and beginning operations, and programs specifically investing in both farmers of color and veterans.

Renew rural American communities

Mike’s plan will improve rural health care by upgrading federal programs, increasing innovative telehealth services, and expanding mental health, suicide prevention, and drug addiction prevention to meet rural communities’ unique needs. He will also invest in modernizing rural infrastructure, including expanding broadband access to 10 million more Americans by 2025, investing $100 billion over 10 years in clean drinking water, repairing roads and bridges, and expanding air travel in rural areas. As president, Mike will ensure rural communities remain vibrant by introducing a place-based Earned Income Tax Credit to provide added incentives for businesses to locate and create jobs in distressed communities.

Learn more about Mike’s Agriculture policy

Mike’s Record:

Mike has a long history of supporting American farms, especially the 96% which are small or family-owned, and recognizing the important role farmers play in protecting America’s environment. Mike has been critical of large agribusiness’ disproportionate power in American agriculture. He condemned the 2007 federal energy bill, saying “most of the farms things we do don’t benefit most farmers,” especially small farmers “who we should really be helping.” He has also been highly critical of Trump’s trade policy. Mike has supported trade agreements that benefit American farmers and started a group that endorsed legislation to improve farm labor.

As Mayor, Mike’s administration made investments to expand farmer’s markets in New York City, providing a critical market for upstate farmers. He also partnered with Governor Cuomo to invest in upgrading the Hunts Point Terminal Market, the world’s second-largest wholesale market and the largest in-state market for New York farmers. Mike’s administration also invested in urban agriculture and innovation, opening the first farm in a public housing complex and a large rooftop farm estimated to grow 20,000 pounds of produce annually while absorbing over one million gallons of rainwater.