Jenna Rich

Good morning, Honorable Chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Jenna Rich, and I run a small-scale, no-till vegetable and cut flower farm with my husband in SW New Hampshire. Before moving to the state, we lived in several major cities together, working on and supporting local farms. Now that we have a farm of our own, we see how absolutely crucial local, county, state, and federal support is to the success of our farm. Many small farms in New England, ourselves included, rely heavily on community efforts to raise funds, such as round-up programs at our local food co-op, private funding, and grants from our conservation district to purchase the necessary equipment to adapt to climate change. New Hampshire was unprepared for the late frost in May 2023, and many farmers lost everything. NOFA-NH reactively established the Farmer Relief Fund, once again funded by private donations. This is simply not a sustainable way to fund our farming efforts, so I am here today to ask for your support. Farms are the backbone of a state’s agricultural economy. Where would we be without them? Receiving the climate resiliency grant in 2024 allowed us to add drainage, insulation, and automation to help control the temperature inside our newest greenhouse. Growing in a greenhouse will enable us to protect our crops from heavy rains and frost, the drainage controls flooding in our fields, and the insulation and automation allow us to optimize growing conditions to get more local food on the plates of Granite Staters even in the changing climate. These things are becoming essential to growing food today but come with a hefty price tag. Funding like this allows us to purchase these upgrades without too much financial strain. No one is more aware of the recent disasters our state has seen, such as the devastating rains of the summers of 2023 and 2024 and the drought-summer conditions of the past decade. We know farmers who have lost entire fields to flooding and greenhouses to intense rain storms and hail. Farming always has been and always will be a business at the whim of Mother Nature, and I worry that without state programs to help farmers adapt to grow in a changing climate, many will close their doors in the coming years. Only so many times can a year's work be washed away before the financial burden becomes too much. Suppose we want to continue seeing local food in our restaurants and grocery stores and thriving farmers’ markets that support small businesses in our communities in New Hampshire. In that case, we need support to help deal with the direct impact of our changing climate. As our climate changes and the demand for local food grows, farmers are turned away yearly as the need for funding exceeds what our county’s conservation districts and NRCS branches can supply. I ask you to please prioritize the folks who grow healthy, locally grown, nutrient-dense foods in our great state by approving this funding to support climate resiliency projects. New Hampshire farmers grow vegetables, nuts, berries, and apples. They raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, cows, and goats. They steward animals, care for their soil, and make maple syrup. And so much more. So much of what goes into farming is an expensive venture. Please consider how beneficial state funding for climate resiliency projects for farms across our small but mighty state is and how hugely impactful it would be for many farmers who struggle to adapt as our climate fluctuates. It’s time we prioritize our approximately 4,000 farms so they can continue to grow, produce, and raise healthy and high-quality products for our great communities. Farming isn’t for everyone. It’s hard, sometimes heartbreaking work, but it’s also rewarding, magical, and a respectable way to make a living. Thank you for your time and consideration. Jenna Rich Partners’ Gardens LLC Nelson, NH