Policy Priorities

  • Drive Rural Prosperity

  • Right-Size and Reorient Government

  • Generate Responsible Nutrition Policy

Download Farmers First Agenda Press Kit

The America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Farmers First Agenda is foundational to our prospective rural policy work. Uniquely crafted by individuals with real-world farming and policy experience, the Farmers First Agenda provides rural Americans with peace of mind that AFPI has their best interests at heart. AFPI is working to ensure rural America is prosperous and healthy again, which is important because our rural communities are responsible for providing a reliable, abundant, and affordable domestic food supply to our great Nation and the world.

President Abraham Lincoln once said that “no other human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought as agriculture” (Lincoln, 1859).

As we approach the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026, we are reminded that agriculture and subsistence farming are foundational to the United States, as these were primary professions at the time of our Nation’s founding. As the population expanded into the great American frontier, farmers and smallholders rose to the occasion by both fulfilling demand in the domestic market and by generating exports, especially after Industrialization. Farmers faced excruciating hardship when the Dust Bowl coincided with the Great Depression, serving as the major impetus for establishing programs that protect highly erodible soil and conserve water. Modernizations in farming techniques, along with new agricultural policies in Washington, D.C., have afforded our farmers more prosperous future decades. In a sentence: The faith, grit, adeptness, and determination of the American farmer have always carried the profession forward.

Team

Latest

Op-Ed | April 8, 2026

Georgia Missed Its Chance to Fix the SNAP Loophole

Georgians believe in helping neighbors who are struggling. That belief is exactly why programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) exist. The program was designed to provide temporary help to families who truly need assistance putting food on the table.

Op-Ed | April 3, 2026

Food Stamps Were Never Meant to Be Long-Term

I was probably too young when I learned what “writing a hot check” meant. In my house, it usually meant groceries.

Statement | April 3, 2026

AFPI Statement on SNAP Program Oversight in Georgia

Atlanta, GA—The Executive Director of the America First Policy Institute’s Georgia Chapter, Rebecca Yardley, issued the following statement after the Georgia Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee did not advance House Bill 947, known as the “Georgia SNAP Healthier Choices Act of 2026,” which would have closed the Broad Based Categorial Eligibility (BBCE) loophole in the state SNAP program:

Statement | March 27, 2026

AFPI Marks National Agriculture Day as Leaders Gather in Washington to Honor American Agriculture

Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Matthew Schmid, Health & Harvest Campaign Director, recognizing National Agriculture Day and the White House’s celebration of American farmers.

Statement | March 25, 2026

Minnesota Fails to Advance SNAP Reform Policy Amid Ongoing Fraud Concerns

Washington, D.C.— Zach Freimark, Executive Director of the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Minnesota Chapter, issued the following statement after Minnesota failed to advance policy that would have implemented income and asset verification measures for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

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