New Farmer Options

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the USDA is holding one last listening session in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 22 at the Risk Management Agency. The 2008 Farm Bill is making available $18 million in fiscal year 2009 for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program via a competitive grant process. See this link for details.

The USDA acknowledges that small farms are an "important sector of U.S. agriculture," and that in 2003, "small-scale enterprises make up 91 percent of all farms and ranches in the United States, hold 70 percent of total farm and ranchland, and produce 27 percent of our food and fiber.In addition, more than half the hay and tobacco, and more than 30 percent of cash grains, dairy products and beef cattle come from small farms and ranches." See this link for more details.

This site goes on to say: "Small-scale producers come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Some families have been working on the land for generations; others are new to the business. Some families depend on small-scale production as their principal means of economic support; others choose it primarily as a lifestyle. Underlying this diversity, however, small-scale farmers and ranchers share characteristics that make them a valuable resource for the United States over and above to the crops and livestock they produce: a commitment to agriculture, strong links to local communities, and a need to love and care for the land."

Small-scale farmers, especially "socially disadvantaged farmers" are encouraged to pursue these opportunities. This is a small opportunity for adult children of farmers who have struggled to hold on to their land to get back into farming and ranching.

My only regret is that there is so much red tape involved, and it looks like the process is complicated, but those are simply signs of the times in which we live.

So, encourage any small-scale farmer, or family farmer, that you know to look into these options. I can think of some folks I plan to call.