OUR POLICY WORK

Policy work is a part of our core. According to agricultural census of 2025, there are currently 140 Black farmers in New York state, while there are 10,000 white farmers. Our voices are not represented nor heard at the tables that are necessary for change.

As a farm that is for and by QTBIPOC people, we are concerned with many issues that affect our access to dignity in agriculture. Some of these topics include:

• Farmer housing safe affordable and dignified.

• Expanding access to and increasing funding for state and federal government grants for qtpoc beginning farmers.

• Land access for socially disadvantaged farmers.

Catalyst Collaborative Farm founder Monti Lawson prioritizes organizing in several different political groups across New York and the Mid-Hudson Valley. Monti is involved with:

• Leadership Advisory Committee of Berkshire Taconic

• Hudson Valley Young Farmers Coalition (HVYFC) 

• Black Farmers United (BFU)

• Black Roots Collective