Young Adult Farm Bill Listening Sessions

The ELCA federal advocacy team is excited to be partnering with ELCA Young Adults to host two young adult-focused Farm Bill Listening Sessions.

The farm bill is an expansive piece of legislation that has implications on conservation, poverty, race, education, the economy, and far beyond. These are things that many young adults care deeply about. Further, young adults are the future inheritors and stewards of this land and their stake in this bill must not be overlooked. These sessions will be an opportunity to engage with and to equip young adults to use their voices to advocate for themselves and communities they care about.

What Is the Farm Bill and Why Now?

The farm bill is legislation that is critical to addressing hunger in the United States and globally. It covers federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), environment, trade, foreign aid and rural development. The bill impacts the lives of Lutherans and their communities – among us are farmers and ranchers and Indigenous communities and global partners and low income Americans.

Congress is preparing to reauthorize the bill in 2023. Each reauthorization provides an opportunity to improve or expand programs that ensure access to fresh and healthy food while addressing root causes of hunger.

What Is a Listening Session?

ELCA farm bill listening sessions are virtual gatherings where ministry leaders, members of congregations, and those with valuable lived experiences gather our opinions and experiences informed by faith values on stewardship, justice and serving our neighbor. This input will equip one another and the many communities of this church for farm bill advocacy that reflects those values, including our ELCA Witness in Society advocacy staff. These viewpoints, opportunities, concerns and hopes for a future farm bill will inform ELCA advocacy and help shape the ultimate law that Congress passes.