We support the preservation of the family farm from an economic, an environmental, and a public health perspective. Vertical integration of farming (such as control of seeds and livestock) not only leads to more detrimental practices, but also undermines the rural economy. Alternative agriculture (integrated pest management and organic agriculture) can boost farm income and reduce toxic loading into the environment from pesticides. Alternative livestock production also envisions the avoidance of chemical, hormonal and antibiotic inputs. In addition, properly pricing farm products (parity pricing) would keep real farmers in business. Together these policies would provide us a healthy food supply, vastly improve environmental quality and farm income, reduce or eliminate farm subsidies, and set the stage for a strong rural economy.

Farm Justice Program: Background and History

CACEF’s farm program has spanned 20 years. Helping to ensure economic justice for farmers has compelled us to work with small family farmers to help educate them about what they can do to affect Indiana farm policies with both economic and environmental consequences.

The rash of farm bankruptcies in the 1980s resulted in CACEF working with Indiana’s family farmers to help them access case workers to restructure debt and stay in business.

In the late 1980s CACEF worked to educate small family farmers about the lack of public health information with respect to a broad range of pesticides, which led to family farmers support for the testing of pesticides in terms of their public health impacts.

In the 1990’s, as an outgrowth of its interest in alternative agriculture, CACEF worked in coalition with Indiana organic farmers and organic farmers throughout the country to help expand organic farming in Indiana.

More recently, CACEF has worked at the local level with citizens concerned about the siting of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in their area. CACEF has helped local citizens to learn what they could do to develop county policies for more protective human health standards and to maintain local control over the siting of CAFOs.

Current Status

CACEF has primarily received funding from outside sources for its farm program in the last 7 to 8 years. Unfortunately, those sources of funding have dried up. It is our goal to develop staff internally to jumpstart the program once again.