AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 7, 2026--
Whole Foods Market and National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) today announced the launch of the Next Generation Farmer Fund, which will provide direct financial and technical assistance to beginning farmers under the age of 40 who are actively adopting climate-smart and environmentally sustainable farming practices as they tackle the most pressing challenges facing American agriculture.
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As the average age of U.S. farmers continues to climb, more and more incoming farmers face an uphill battle against increasing operational costs, historical land-access barriers and compounding environmental disruptions. Through the newly established fund, Whole Foods Market and Young Farmers are investing in beginning farmers who are helping steward the land, uplift local communities and build a long-term, resilient food system for future generations.
"The new generation is stepping into agriculture because they see themselves as the climate leaders, environmental changemakers and problem solvers to some of our biggest environmental and food system challenges," said Michelle A.T. Hughes, Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition. "There are urgent challenges standing in the way of their success, including access to land, access to capital, health care costs, access to affordable housing, the high cost of production, student loan debt, climate change, immigration issues and access to federal programs. The Next Generation Farmer Fund helps deliver the resources and support they need to build their businesses, while recognizing the indispensable role they play as environmental stewards and community leaders."
As the founding financial partner, Whole Foods Market has committed to matching participating food brands' and agriculture companies' contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000, with the goal of generating more than $1 million for farmers. Administered by Young Farmers, the fund brings together industry partners to help reduce barriers for beginning farmers and strengthen the future of American agriculture. Initial supporting partners include D'Ottavio Farms, Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co., FOND, Harney & Sons, Lil Bucks, Lundberg Family Farms, MadeGood, MegaFood, Nature's Bakery proudly part of Mars, Oppy, PepsiCo, Perdue, Prairie Farms and Rio Fresh.
Building pathways for farmers to develop sustainable livelihoods directly supports Whole Foods Market Foundation's mission to nourish people by advancing food security, improving nutrition, and strengthening resilient food systems. The Foundation expects to contribute a $100,000 grant to the fund in 2026.
Whole Foods Market customers can help support the fund as well. During the month of August, one percent of all revenue generated by sales of the signature Berry Chantilly Cake will be directed to the Next Generation Farmer Fund.
The Next Generation Farmer Fund is a cornerstone of Whole Foods Market's broader commitment to sustainability, as highlighted in its 2025 Impact Report, also released today. The report illustrates the company's higher purpose to Nourish People and the Planet and details progress across the company's key focus areas, including:
"Every data point in our 2025 Impact Report represents the daily dedication of our team members, suppliers and stakeholders across the industry to protect our food system and nourish communities," said Caitlin Leibert, Global Head of Sustainability at Amazon Worldwide Grocery. "From promoting biodiversity to keeping more food than ever out of landfills, this report shows how we are fulfilling our purpose to Nourish People and the Planet. The Next Generation Farmer Fund builds directly on this purpose, ensuring the next wave of agricultural leaders can carry this progress forward."
Check out more information on the Next Generation Farmer Fund and Whole Foods Market's 2025 Impact Report here: wholefoods.com/impact
About Whole Foods Market
Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the leading natural and organic foods retailer and the first certified organic national grocer in the United States. Part of Amazon's Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market serves customers in more than 550 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit media.wholefoodsmarket.com.
About National Young Farmers Coalition
The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is a national grassroots network of young farmers changing policy and shifting power to equitably resource the new generation of working farmers. Visit Young Farmers on the web at youngfarmers.org.
Whole Foods Market will match up to $500 thousand for the National Young Farmers Coalition's Next Generation Farmer Fund
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said on Friday that he will back Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche's confirmation to lead President Donald Trump's Justice Department.
The Louisiana senator announced his support on the Senate floor after Blanche's confirmation was thrown into doubt over opposition from two other Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Cassidy said Blanche “is not perfect," citing concerns over a proposed $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies, a tax audit immunity deal for the Republican president and investigations targeting the president's political opponents.
But Cassidy said no other nominee may be able to run the department better under Trump, and he added that Blanche's role as Trump's former criminal defense lawyer can make him more effective at pushing back on the president's demands.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances," Cassidy said. Cassidy, who lost his Republican primary after Trump endorsed his rival, appeared to choke up as he described the criticism he expected to face for his Blanche vote, adding: “What’s new?”
Blanche would become Trump’s second confirmed attorney general since the president returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his perceived enemies. He has been serving as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April after she failed to deliver on criminal cases against Trump's foes.
Blanche's path to confirmation has been complicated over a settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service that has drawn intense scrutiny by Republicans and Democrats alike. The settlement called for the creation of the $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.
Murkowski, in announcing her opposition to Blanche, cited concerns over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the sweeping tax audit immunity deal and the proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The Alaska senator said she is worried the Trump administration could proceed with the fund despite the administration's promises that it is dead, noting that the Senate has leverage over the fund only because Blanche’s nomination is pending.
“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Blanche's nomination only after a deal reached last weekend with two other Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over aspects of the settlement.
Under the deal, Blanche formally rescinded the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” writing in an order that “there is no Fund.”
The Justice Department also clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.
But Democrats say Blanche's order doesn't stop the Trump administration from reviving the fund after his confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it. Trump has repeatedly defended the fund and has threatened to push forward with it if Republicans don't support Blanche's nomination.
Lawmakers and legal experts have also questioned the lawfulness of the tax protections for Trump. A federal judge who oversaw the IRS case has described Trump’s lawsuit as an improper exercise in self-dealing, and on Thursday the union representing IRS workers asked another judge to block the immunity agreement.
Democrats have accused Blanche of prioritizing his loyalty to Trump above all else through investigations against Trump foes such as former FBI Director James Comey and a radical reshaping of a department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House. Under Bondi and Blanche’s leadership, the department has lost thousands of employees through firings, resignations or voluntary departures.
Blanche’s supporters say his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned from Trump in the courtroom makes him better equipped than Bondi to explain to the White House the legal constraints of its demands. Republicans have also touted his efforts to bring down violent crime, tackle illegal immigration and combat violent cartels and drug trafficking.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said it would be a “serious mistake” to confirm Blanche, begging his colleagues not to be on the “wrong side” of history.
“If there is ever a moment in history when we need an attorney general above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it’s right now,” Durbin said.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., attends a Congressional tribute to late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
FILE - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pauses outside the chamber to answer a question from a reporter at the Capitol in Washington, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, arrives for a closed-door Republican meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks during a hearing of the Homeland Security subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Capitol Hill, April 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, right, is joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Ambassador Michael C. Gonzales, left, during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaksa, talks with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
