Small Farms Have a Voice in the Farm Bill Debate

Pine County farmer Hannah Bernhardt grew up in a traditional corn/soybean farming operation, but has taken a different approach herself. “I direct market all of the products that I raise and that gives me the ability to control my own price.” Bernhardt is part of the Minnesota Farmers Union delegation in Washington, D.C. this week. Chippewa County farmer Josh VanDerPol was also part of that same group, advocating for local food initiatives. “We’re a smaller farm that does a lot of direct marketing so programs that support that are very important to us,” said VanDerPol. “We’re working to promote the Farm-to-School program that brings commodities directly from the farm to the local school districts.”