The Physicians Committee, a nonprofit public health advocacy organization with 17,000 doctor members, is maintaining a grant program to assist farmers who would like to grow health-promoting fruits, veggies, and nuts while phasing out animal agriculture. Launched in November 2024, the Physicians Committee’s Convert to Crops program is modeled on a program established by lawmakers in Vermont who provided grants to farmers who wished to diversify or transition from one type of farming to another.
One goal of the Convert to Crops program is to assist the younger members of farming families who wish to return to the family land and become full-time farmers. This addresses the current crisis with many farmers older than 65 years of age and fewer young farmers entering this challenging profession. The Physicians Committee has given a grant to a farmer whose daughter is now also a full-time farmer growing veggies hydroponically.
A recent grant recipient is the Whitcomb family farm in Vermont, which was featured in the Burlington Free Press. The Whitcombs have phased out the dairy operation, but the sixth and seventh generation farmers are finding success growing crops including pumpkins, butternut squash, apples, corn, and Christmas trees. A pumpkin grown on the Whitcomb family farm recently won first place for weight at the Champlain Valley Fair. The prize pumpkin weighed 140 pounds!
Another Convert to Crops grant recipient is Riley Creek Farms in Alabama where the Ferguson family farmers are growing hydroponic leafy greens in a retrofitted chicken barn, as reported by the Dothan Eagle, Farms, AgFarmNews, WTVY-TV, and other news outlets. The farm transitions project of the national nonprofit Animal Outlook is providing expert assistance to the Alabama farmers and others.
As reported by the Omaha World Herald, Nebraska Public Media, KOLN-TV, and many other news outlets, the Physicians Committee has given a farm transition grant to a fourth-generation Nebraska farmer who is rewilding her family’s former cattle ranch. Since the farm borders the Middle Loup River, and flooding is a concern, she is stabilizing the riverbanks with native plants including buffalo berries, raspberries, and elderberries. The riparian berry thickets will provide food and cover to birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.
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