{"id":60870,"date":"2025-12-16T14:13:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T19:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainableagriculture.net\/?p=60870"},"modified":"2025-12-16T14:13:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T19:13:25","slug":"chaos-collaboration-and-courage-a-look-back-at-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainableagriculture.net\/blog\/chaos-collaboration-and-courage-a-look-back-at-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Chaos, Collaboration, and Courage: A Look Back at 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NSAC Winter Meeting 2025, Washington, DC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A Year Like No Other<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As 2025 comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a year that reshaped the food and farm policy landscape: from major disruptions in federal agencies to stalled policymaking in Washington, farmers and communities continue to feel the impacts. The historic government shutdown<\/a> this fall was just the most recent situation to put our food and farm system under strain. Stable federal programs are critical for farmers and families across the country, and funding delays and terminations, shifting agency decisions, and the loss of experienced staff at USDA have created hardship for millions, especially those who already faced systemic barriers to accessing USDA programs and services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At NSAC we are always guided by our members and the federal policy priorities we set together \u2013 this year those included strengthening the farm safety net, advancing climate resilience in food and agriculture, and building strong local and regional food systems that benefit farmers and families.  We moved quickly and creatively to introduce bills in Congress designed to carry reforms and investments forward, we supported farmers and nonprofits navigating agency funding disruptions and terminations with guidance and peer support, and we organized our coalition to speak out in hundreds of channels nationwide<\/a> \u2013 from social media to radio<\/a> to local and national news<\/a> \u2013 to elevate farmers\u2019 and families\u2019 stories<\/a> about what was happening on the ground. This blog post reflects on that work, the progress made, the setbacks we faced, and the resolve that carried our coalition through a year marked by both instability and extraordinary collaboration.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Better Policies in Washington for the Farm Bill and Beyond <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Congress failed to pass a full five-year farm bill again this year \u2013 leaving everyone who relies on this critical major legislation stuck for another year without an opportunity for real policy reforms or investments. NSAC and nearly 600 national, state, and local organizations delivered a joint letter<\/a> to Senate and House leadership, as well as Agriculture Committee chairs and ranking members, urging Congress to advance not only an overdue farm bill but one that truly supports family farmers, strengthens rural communities, expands healthy food access, and more. The letter also called on Congress to correct harmful provisions enacted through the recently passed budget reconciliation bill<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We still saw some legislative wins this year:  we helped draft, refine, and introduce nearly a dozen \u201cmarker bills\u201d this year that together will build better farm and food policy in a future farm bill.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farm Safety Net<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n