While individual members of the alliance — the powerful pork and beef lobbies — aren’t particularly comfortable using the term climate change freely, at theJune meeting the group debuted a five-minute promotional docudrama that calls on American agriculture to fight climate change specifically — and framed the fight as source of renewed purpose for farmers who are struggling financially right now. The video, which says we have “30 harvests” to transform the sector, has been viewed on YouTube and other platforms more than 1 million times.
12.09.2019 Politico: “How a closed-door meeting shows farmers are waking up on climate change”
The mighty American Farm Bureau Federation, which boasts nearly 6 million members, even promoted the video on its blog, with a guest post from Erin Fitzgerald, CEO of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance: “U.S. farmers and ranchers are signaling a change – we have to stop talking and start taking action, because time is of the essence,” she wrote.
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American Farm Bureay Blog
‘Lights!’ ‘Camera!’ ‘Action!’ It’s Long Overdue
by Erin Fitzgerald, CEO of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance
When I assumed the helm of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance in 2018, I have to admit that I had yet to awaken my inner Fellini. Certainly, there was a time in my life during which I enjoyed escaping reality with a good film, or better yet, facing reality with an eye-opening documentary. But using this medium to draw attention to sustainable agriculture? Climate change?
Definitely not top of mind.
Fast forward to today and there are too many people to thank for the release of “30 Harvests,” a USFRA-produced short film that highlights the urgency needed in the fight against climate change. It is with this type of storytelling that we can best capture the passion and hope our farmers have for providing a dependable source of healthy food while addressing economic and environmental concerns for current and future generations.
‘The docudrama follows the plight of farmer Jay Hill of Dell City, Texas, and farmer and soil scientist Meagan Kaiser of Bowling Green, Missouri.’
The docudrama follows the plight of farmer Jay Hill of Dell City, Texas, and farmer and soil scientist Meagan Kaiser of Bowling Green, Missouri. In the film, they articulate the challenges farmers face while embracing the opportunity to meet increasing demands for food, and ultimately help solve one of the greatest challenges of this generation: climate change.
Now, what’s behind the title?
Thirty harvests quantifies the crop cycles left before 2050, the year the global population is expected to reach 9 billion. For agriculture, that means we have 30 harvests left to grow food that nourishes people, while enhancing the environment – an incredibly grand challenge. Science shows us that soils have the capability of storing 100 times the carbon our country emits in a year. And yet, according to American Farmland Trust, the U.S. loses 175 acres of farmland every hour, mostly to urban encroachment. That means that our soils have even more importance than ever!
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About Erin Fitzgerald:
Erin Fitzgerald serves as Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. She is passionate about encouraging contagious collaboration to build the sustainable food systems of the 21st century. Erin previously worked in dairy where she led a voluntary carbon goal, innovation projects and sustainable supply chain framework. Erin has been recognized in Chicago’s 40 under 40, a White House Champion of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture, and an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow.
