Farm Aid hotline operators hear from farmers in the wake of climate disasters
Listen to an episode of our podcast, Against the Grain, to hear from our hotline operators about their firsthand experience answering disaster calls.
Listen here. If you joined us at Farm Aid 2024, you might have seen Will Dellacamera’s tractor, which he drove across his home state of Connecticut and all the way to Washington, DC, in an effort to rally support and policy change for farmers like him who suffer damages from extreme weather. You may have met Will or heard his story on the FarmYard Stage in the HOMEGROWN Village or at our Farmer Forum the day before the festival. Maybe you’ve been wondering if his epic journey — inspired by the farmers of the American Agriculture Movement, who drove their tractors across the country to DC in 1979 — resulted in any change. We’re excited to share that it did!
Will was invited to speak and welcome people to a press event yesterday near his farm where it was announced that farmers in Connecticut are getting additional support from the federal government through a new $220 million Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant. The program is targeted to support small and medium-sized farmers impacted by severe weather, including flooding in 2023 and hailstorms in 2024 that harmed New England farmers.
Will, farmer/owner of Cecarelli’s Harrison Hill Farm in Northford, CT, experienced a climate disaster when he lost his entire crop in 2024 to a hailstorm. After this he decided to raise awareness about the challenges farmers face as a result of extreme weather by driving his tractor around Connecticut, garnering support from farmers along the way. He then drove the tractor to Washington to meet with USDA officials and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) to urge the federal government to do more to support farmers who, he says, do not receive enough support from federal programs and crop insurance.
“I’ve been in my tractor the past three days and hundreds of miles with petitions to help farmers. I’ve been driving from farm to farm getting signatures before heading to the Connecticut State Capitol Thursday. Then to DC!”
Thanks to Will’s advocacy, DeLauro and other lawmakers, including Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT) and John Larson (D-CT), took action to secure this block grant.
“It gives me a good feeling that they want to know what’s going on. They’re listening to us and they’re trying to craft something for everybody. And it’s not just about me for my hail. It’s about everybody,” said Dellacamera.
John Myron (legislative assistant to Congresswoman DeLauro), Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Will Dellacamera.
The grant is coming through the Farm Service Agency and there is $220 million available to eight states—all six New England states and, Hawaii and Alaska, according to Dellacamera. “Farmers in other states and other states are watching us right now with a magnifying glass to see how this works, because this could change the whole way that emergency disasters are dealt with. And it’s a change we all need. All of us farmers need this change,” said Dellacamera.
From the first day of his farm’s devastation, Will was in touch with us here at Farm Aid, sharing his experience and his determination, on behalf of all farmers, to do something to get policymakers to notice and act. As he geared up to head to Capitol Hill, he told me, “I’m so energized I think I could pull this wagon to DC!”
Will Dellacamera handing the mic off to Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Policy change is not always this expedient but it never even has a chance of happening without the commitment of impacted people to stand up and voice their needs and rally support. We send our congratulations and admiration to Will for his work!
Watch a video of Will Dellacamera talk about the challenges of keeping family farms growing through innovation and perseverance:
