“All that you touch, You Change. All that you Change, Changes You. The only lasting truth is Change.”
– Octavia Butler
Hello again from 2050. We want you to know that your efforts in 2020 to create a more just food system won’t be for nothing. We’re living in a better world that you helped create. Thanks to your support a new vision for agriculture and food systems became a reality.
The introduction of the Farm System Reform Act (FSRA) in 2019 was a turning point. Enacted in 2024, the FSRA immediately stopped the construction or expansion of large factory farms, and required that existing factory farms be phased out by 2040. After farmers received training and the FSRA’s billions of dollars of debt forgiveness, they eagerly left factory farming in favor of the highest welfare forms of agriculture, including indigenous-informed methods like agroforestry and silvopasture. Lands formerly used for factory farms and to grow food for farmed animals now support diverse, resilient and regenerative farms. The Regenerative Organic Certified program launched in 2020 set the standard for what climate-friendly and more humane forms of animal agriculture could be.
You are part of this story. These changes happened because millions of Americans decided it was time for a change. Rural communities that were impacted by CAFOs and rose up to protect themselves, young people who worked to mitigate climate change, citizens who were concerned for animal welfare, and farmers who were tired of being beholden to monopolistic food companies all took action.
Our thriving, resilient food system honors the lives of human and non-human animals, and recognizes the interdependence of all living beings and the planet. A reminder: In 2020, the future is not yet written. Please consider becoming a sustaining supporter of Farm Forward’s work.
Future generations thank you.
With gratitude,
Farm Forward
December 8, 2020