U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action CEO Erin Fitzgerald, Chair Marilyn Hershey to speak at COP27

    ST. LOUIS, MO, November 08, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) announced today that USFRA Chair Marilyn Hershey (Chair, Dairy Management Inc.) and USFRA CEO Erin Fitzgerald will speak at COP27, this year's annual United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.

With this year's conference focusing on food security and agriculture more than ever before, this event is an opportunity to promote the presence and importance of farmer voices in global conversations around climate solutions.

"I am pleased and proud to be speaking at COP27, in my role as a dairy farmer and as the board chair of USFRA, which represents the voices of thousands of U.S. farmers and ranchers," said Hershey. "I look forward to advancing the dialogue and showing how our nation's farmers and ranchers are key to a sustainable future. And that we value the leadership, solutions, collaboration, science, and connections that will allow us to achieve that future."

Hershey will be speaking on the following panels:
• Climate-Smart and Sustainable Dairy Production, Thursday, Nov. 10
• The global dairy sector's climate ambition and progress towards achievement of the Paris Agreement, Friday, Nov. 11
• Scaling Regenerative Food Systems as a Climate Solution, Saturday, Nov. 12
• Sustainable Livestock: Part of the Solution to the Climate Crisis, Saturday, Nov. 12
• USDA: Partnerships for Climate-Smart Agriculture, Saturday, Nov. 12

"USFRA's mission is to raise awareness that farmers and ranchers are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and climate solutions." said Fitzgerald. "Farmers and ranchers are the eco-workforce with boots on the ground. They play a critical role in reaching climate and nature-based solutions, but they are often left out of the conversation. Our focus at COP27 is to bring attention to the fact that the agriculture sector is most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and is critical to global food security, on which we all depend. Climate investors and the financial community need to invest in agriculture as a key solution to a net zero economy."

Fitzgerald will be speaking on the following panels:
• WEF: Food Systems at COP27, Tuesday, Nov. 8
• Food Security Partnerships, Programs and Policy Solutions: The Ground We Need to Feed, Friday, Nov. 11
• Decarbonizing farming for food systems resilience, Saturday, Nov. 12

More information about the conference can be found here.

ABOUT USFRA
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) is a 501(c)(3) that is comprised of 44 organizations representing more than 1.6 million farmers and ranchers across the country. USFRA cultivates a shared vision of co-creating sustainable food systems and a belief that bold action is needed. USFRA drives a broad range of projects that advance meaningful action and results in the co-creation of solutions for sustainable food production, climate change, and economic sustainability. USFRA is serving as the secretariat for a Decade of Ag, a shared vision for the food and agriculture sector, now endorsed by 160 leaders. Learn more at www.usfarmersandranchers.org.

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