Farm fresh food initiative for Americans' tables means a ‘renaissance of agriculture'

Fox News

16-04-2025

A new initiative is aiming to "ensure rural America is prosperous and healthy again," including lowering production costs for farmers, bringing down the cost of food, and making healthy, natural food more accessible to Americans.
The introduction of the "Farmers First Agenda" by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) comes as HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and USDA Sec. Brooke Rollins are pushing to bring farm-fresh foods to the homes and schools of Americans.
The agenda, obtained by Fox News Digital, aims to guide federal and state policies while also working with the private sector.
Listed among the goals is "generat[ing] responsible nutrition policy" as part of the effort to "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA).
Kip Tom, former Trump Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, serves as vice-chair of the "Farmers First Agenda."
Tom told Fox News Digital that AFPI welcomes a "renaissance of agriculture" as farmers want to help make America healthy.
"Farmers from across the country have been talking about the MAHA movement and they embrace it," he said.
"Today we have many choices at the grocery stores, more than we've ever had since when I was a child, but we need to make sure consumers understand the benefits of putting more red meat, more dairy, more vegetables and fruits into our diet," said Ambassador Tom.
Freedom Farms owner Dana Cavalea told Fox News Digital recently that amid today's Make America Healthy Again movement, he has seen more people wanting to "get back to finding out where their food comes from."
Cavalea shared that ever since he's been producing his own meat for his family, they can see the difference in quality.
"The color was different. The flavor was different. The taste profile was different. And then we said, 'Well, what have we been eating all of these years?'" said Cavalea.
Ambassador Tom told Fox News Digital, "American agriculture is still probably the safest food supply in the world because of the regulatory process we have in place."
He added, though, that "the regulations we have in this country have become very burdensome for the U.S. consumer and the farmers."
Fifth-generation farmer and Kentucky Agricultural Commissioner Jonathan Shell shared a similar sentiment.
"Right now, red tape and bad trade deals make it harder for us to get our food onto school lunch trays and family dinner tables," Shell told Fox News Digital.
Shell said, "We've got the land, the know-how, and the heart to feed this country. Farmers and ranchers across America are ready to grow and raise what our communities need — fresh fruits, vegetables and good, local meat."
Shell, alongside his father, Gary, owns and operates Shell Farms and Greenhouses in Garrard County. They raise cattle and grow flowers, corn, and pumpkins.
"When we think about bringing farm-fresh foods into our school systems across the country, it should be everywhere … It starts out with probably whole milk. It starts out [by] making sure we have access to fruits and vegetables that are fresh," said Tom.
He said that fixing the supply chain and supporting innovation is key to the U.S. returning as the primary supplier of the world's food, fiber and energy systems.
"We have the largest mass of quality, high-quality farmland in the United States. We have nearly 14,000 miles of navigable waterways," said Tom.
"We need to create a renaissance again [so that] farmers have the opportunity to leverage those tools that our forefathers set us up for in the beginning."