Utah’s farmers live and work on the land that sustains our state. With family-operated farms, not corporate agricultural, they keep our food local. Support these hardworking families and your return will be on the dinner table.
Our farmers face drought, especially due to the Great Salt Lake’s varying water stability. These adverse conditions are impacting Utah’s food system. In response, Utah state legislators have proposed HB510 to aid local farmers and combat these agricultural adversities. But the work has just begun with the proposition of this bill. Utahns must not only support HB510 but also maintain their attention to hold the proposed promises accountable.
Utahns for Long-Lasting Change
HB510 centralizes the research and funding necessary for Utah’s food system. First, it requires the Department of Agriculture and Food to study issues threatening local food availability. This includes locating gaps and barriers causing halts in the agricultural food chain. Most importantly, HB510 creates a foundation of information to ensure the longevity of agricultural support rather than creating short-term solutions to be tossed aside. That is, as long as Utahns show continued support for this bill.
Food choices account for 25% of a Utah household’s carbon footprint, so Utahns must be wise with their food choices. HB 510 promotes crop optimization, which is crucial for minimizing food waste. The bill does so by proposing essential research and funding to increase crop growth, yield and quality.
Crop optimization is crucial for Utah’s food sustainability and farmers’ wallets. This practice focuses on maximizing agricultural resources and improving crop yield. HB 510 highlights this practice to mitigate Utah’s agricultural resource crisis. Water is the most important agricultural resource, especially in the desert. HB510 is necessary because it promotes the best utilization of water, which is needed more now than ever.
HB510 proposes research on federal and state regulatory burdens on local food production. More specifically, policymakers want various stakeholders to study food production for Utah’s various geographic conditions, operation sizes and operation types. This is essential for local farms to best utilize their unique landscapes and practices. This support for agricultural studies can resolve issues barring harvests. Additionally, government support of local farms will bring awareness to not only their challenges but also their success stories.
Support Your Local Farmer
While farmers are facing adversity, HB510 calls to assist them. Utah policymakers propose to support farmers by giving them the financial aid and support they need to continue harvesting. This includes maintaining, modernizing and upgrading their equipment. Farmers deserve financial assistance, this must be a guarantee.
According to the Utah Farm Bureau, farmers currently face record production expenses. Heightened expenses have significantly impacted Utah’s farmers, especially those of lower economic classes. Lower-class farms are shrinking at a much faster rate than higher-class farms.
HB510 can assist new and smaller-scale farms in growing. The state will utilize stakeholders to analyze the economic availability for farmers to explore various crop types and implement new traditional or alternative crop types into their current operations. The financial research and increased availability for exploration will allow these farms to survive existing challenges and expand. The ultimate ending is that lower-income farms can work up to higher-income farms with more opportunities to thrive.
HB510 Welcomes New Farmers
Utah needs new farmers. Currently, the state is experiencing an increase in new farmers but a decrease in overall farm count and farmers under 35. To promote new growth, HB510 implements research on barriers to entry. Notably, policymakers wish to implement a small farm incubator program. This program is designed to help new farmers by providing them temporary access to affordable farmland, as well as training and business development assistance. The small farm incubator program is a valuable tool for the state to implement since it eliminates barriers to entry for so many. It also encourages new farmers to enter agriculture and boost Utah’s food system.
This collection of initiatives is what Utah’s food system needs to thrive in the long term. Policymakers are providing not only solutions to current issues but also education and resources for long-term success. HB510 will impact generations to come as new farmers enter the force with information that can be passed down for generations. This is a unique opportunity that must be put to good use.
Call to Action
HB510 will pump oxygen into Utah’s farms, but supporting Utahn agriculture is a collective effort. Farmers and consumers must work together to preserve Utah’s food system. HB 510 is a remedy to our food system’s issues, but the solution is within Utah’s support. Without the support of this bill or our farmers, Utah will increasingly rely on outside resources to feed our population. Farmers need your support to give them more tools to do their jobs. Utahns and farmers alike must have autonomy over their food and livelihood. Therefore, Utah must support HB510 for the sake of farmers, food and your family.
