The rules that shape farming in Alabama are written in Montgomery and Washington. Too often, the farmers who live with those rules aren’t in the room when they’re made. ASAN is working to change that. We bring farmer experience to the people who make decisions, and we bring decision-makers out to the farm.
Why policy matters
ASAN at the capitol
Good farming takes more than skill and hard work. Whether a farm makes it often comes down to things decided far from the field: who can get land, how water is managed, which programs reach small and beginning farmers, and which ones never make it past the county office.
Farmers already know what works and what’s getting in the way. In our 2020 to 2021 needs assessment, Farming in the Margins, farmers across the state told us about land tenure and heirs property, access to capital, labor, and feeling cut off. Many of those problems have policy answers.
How we work
Farmers set the direction. At the end of 2025, ASAN formed a Policy Steering Committee of farmers, partner organizations, and researchers. The committee meets monthly to decide which issues ASAN takes on and how. We are working toward turning the committee into a statewide food policy council for Alabama.
We work alongside the people who carry policy out. Laws only matter once they reach the ground. We work with state agency and Extension staff to make sure programs fit the farms they’re meant to serve, and we bring farmer feedback back to them.
We bring decision makers to the farm. A visit to a working farm teaches more than any fact sheet. We organize farm visits for lawmakers and candidates so they can see Alabama agriculture up close and hear from farmers directly.
We help farmers hear from candidates. This fall we interviewed both candidates for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, using questions sent in by ASAN members. You can watch both interviews on our YouTube channel. ASAN does not endorse candidates.
We speak up when it counts. In 2026, the committee put together a brief making the case that HB523, a bill to create a state cost-share program for farm equipment and supplies, should include cost-share rates and eligibility rules that small and mid-scale farmers can actually use. The bill died in the House, but we’ll keep pushing for a cost-share program that works for every Alabama farm.
We help farmers tell their own story. Farmers are the best advocates for farming. We support farmers who want to share their experience with lawmakers, the press, and their neighbors.
Coming soon
The Policy Steering Committee will set its first list of policy priorities this winter, based on what we hear from farmers and partners. Check back here, or sign up for our newsletter, to see what it decides.
Resources
ASAN at the Arise Legislative Day
Tools and background to help you speak up for your farm. We’ll add more as the work grows.
- Find your elected officials and voting information: who represents you in Montgomery and Washington, how to reach them, and where to check your voter registration.
- Commissioner of Agriculture candidate interviews: both candidates for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries answer questions sent in by ASAN members. ASAN does not endorse candidates.
- HB523: Alabama Agricultural Enhancement Program: our brief from the 2026 session on a proposed state cost-share program for farm equipment and supplies. It explains why the program needed cost-share rates and eligibility rules that fit small and mid-scale farms. The bill died in the House, and we’re still working toward a cost-share program Alabama farmers can use.
Why policy matters
Good farming takes more than skill and hard work. Whether a farm makes it often comes down to things decided far from the field: who can get land, how water is managed, which programs reach small and beginning farmers, and which ones never make it past the county office.
Farmers already know what works and what’s getting in the way. In our 2020 to 2021 needs assessment, Farming in the Margins, farmers across the state told us about land tenure and heirs property, access to capital, labor, and feeling cut off. Many of those problems have policy answers.
How we work
Farmers set the direction. At the end of 2025, ASAN formed a Policy Steering Committee of farmers, partner organizations, and researchers. The committee meets monthly to decide which issues ASAN takes on and how. We are working toward turning the committee into a statewide food policy council for Alabama.
We work alongside the people who carry policy out. Laws only matter once they reach the ground. We work with state agency and Extension staff to make sure programs fit the farms they’re meant to serve, and we bring farmer feedback back to them.
We bring decision makers to the farm. A visit to a working farm teaches more than any fact sheet. We organize farm visits for lawmakers and candidates so they can see Alabama agriculture up close and hear from farmers directly.
We help farmers hear from candidates. This fall we interviewed both candidates for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, using questions sent in by ASAN members. You can watch both interviews on our YouTube channel. ASAN does not endorse candidates.
We speak up when it counts. In 2026, the committee put together a brief making the case that HB523, a bill to create a state cost-share program for farm equipment and supplies, should include cost-share rates and eligibility rules that small and mid-scale farmers can actually use. The bill died in the House, but we’ll keep pushing for a cost-share program that works for every Alabama farm.
We help farmers tell their own story. Farmers are the best advocates for farming. We support farmers who want to share their experience with lawmakers, the press, and their neighbors.
Coming soon
The Policy Steering Committee will set its first list of policy priorities this winter, based on what we hear from farmers and partners. Check back here, or sign up for our newsletter, to see what it decides.
Resources
Tools and background to help you speak up for your farm. We’ll add more as the work grows.
- Find your elected officials and voting information: who represents you in Montgomery and Washington, how to reach them, and where to check your voter registration.
- Commissioner of Agriculture candidate interviews: both candidates for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries answer questions sent in by ASAN members. ASAN does not endorse candidates.
- HB523: Alabama Agricultural Enhancement Program: our brief from the 2026 session on a proposed state cost-share program for farm equipment and supplies. It explains why the program needed cost-share rates and eligibility rules that fit small and mid-scale farms. The bill died in the House, and we’re still working toward a cost-share program Alabama farmers can use.
Get involved
You don’t need to be a policy expert to make a difference. You just need to know your farm and be willing to talk about it.
- Share your story. Tell us what’s helping your farm and what’s in the way. We’ll help you bring it to people who can do something about it.
- Host a farm visit. Open your gate to a lawmaker or candidate for an hour. We’ll handle the planning.
- Join our Policy Steering Committee. We’re looking for farmers and food system advocates from every part of the state to help set ASAN’s policy direction as we work toward forming Alabama’s first statewide food policy council. The committee meets monthly, and you don’t need any policy experience. Apply to join
- Become a member. Members keep this work going and hear first when farmers’ voices are needed. Membership starts at $5 a month. Join ASAN
- Get in touch. Questions about our policy work? Email us at [email protected].