Harvesting Hope

The Hauser Family

As a farmer in Camp Verde, Ariz., between the rapidly growing cities of Phoenix and Sedona, two things are always top of mind for Claudia Hauser: water and development. 

Thanks to the Farm Bill, Hauser was able to permanently protect her family’s farm from any future development. She also was able to switch to growing a less water-needy crop (barley) in her water-scarce state. These changes didn’t just help her family. They also helped protect endangered fish species and provide drinking water to the two million people living downstream from her farm.

The Hatcher Family

Severe drought and a prairie dog invasion left Treg Hatcher on the verge of selling his family ranch in Syracuse, Kan. He felt like all he was growing was dirt. In a last-ditch effort to save the ranch, he turned to a Farm Bill program that provides money and training to people who want to be better stewards of the land. For Hatcher, that meant doing more rotational grazing, which is much gentler on the land than traditional cattle ranching. More importantly, it meant he and his three sons could continue doing what they have all done since they were kids: ranching.

The Saloom Family

Salem Saloom has been interested in forestry since 1983, when he first bought land in his hometown of Evergreen, Ala. But after Hurricane Ivan decimated his tree farm in 2004, he enrolled in a Farm Bill program that provided resources to help replant his land with longleaf pine, a native tree species that is more resilient to wind from hurricanes. 

Since then, he’s been able to plant over 1,000 acres of longleaf pine, creating a healthier forest and more wildlife habitat that will continue for generations. 

The Martin Family

Carrie Martin and her daughter, Erin Martin, farm seven acres on their 140-year-old family farm in Mt. Olive, N.C. They understand that surviving as a small-scale farmer is no easy task. 

When Carrie decided to build a new high tunnel on their farm, she turned to the Farm Bill for help. While Carrie is grateful for the Farm Bill’s financial assistance, as a small family operation, coming up with the remaining funds to complete the high tunnel was a challenge. In her opinion, it’s just one example of how the Farm Bill could do more to support small-scale farmers. 

The Rivera Comas Family

Myrna Comas and Andy Rivera believe that their mutual love for the land is at the heart of their marriage. After lifelong careers in agriculture, they now work on their 75-acre farm in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico full time. But more frequent and severe hurricanes, soil erosion and wildfires have made it more challenging to keep their land productive and healthy.

For support, they joined a new project funded by the Farm Bill, which helps implement farming practices to address some of the threats the island faces. These practices have helped protect their farm from the impacts of climate change and improved water quality in the area.