Farm Bill Discussion - Question #6

[kimhenry]

What assistance or role could or should USDA in helping the transition of farms from older non-related farmers to younger or beginning farmers who may not come from a farm themselves?

[cwhite]

Ideas developed by the State Officers attending the 2011 State Presidents’ Conference:

Online database
USDA should create an online database of current farmers that are available to younger or beginning farmers for…
• Mentorships
• Internships
• Job Shadowing

[cwhite]

Ideas developed by the State Officers attending the 2011 State Presidents’ Conference:

Social Media
USDA should create social media opportunities that will help the transition and knowledge from established agriculturalists to younger or beginning farmers thorough:
• Barcode/Scan System
• Blog
• Interactive Videos

[cwhite]

Ideas developed by the State Officers attending the 2011 State Presidents’ Conference:

Other Opportunities
USDA should explore these additional opportunities:
• Agricultural Farms for Schools (linkage of high school farms to land-grant institutions, grade school to adult-education)
• Agricultural and/or Commodity Group Partnerships

[cwhite]

Ideas developed by the New Century Farmer - Alumni participants attending the 2011 State Conference:
• Succession workshops/counselors
• Protecting farm land from urban sprawl
• Tax breaks on retiring farmer willing to transfer to a younger generation
• Farm land preservation program

[cwhite]

Ideas developed by the New Century Farmer participants attending the 2011 State Conference:

• Program that would allow an individual who is not from a farming family to partner with someone who is in the industry with option to purchase.
• Land Grants need to be more proactive in getting students to come back to the farm. Hands on experience with school farms.
• Center for farm transitions (established in Penn. Already). Helps with farm transitions.
• Work with apprenticeship program to make transition through different families.
• Tax incentives for buying and renting land.
• Growing entity programs
• Tax credit for selling or renting to a new or young farmer

[MckinneyNorthStudent]

I feel like for younger or new farmers that there should be a class on how and what to do, because if we just throw new people out there all they can do is trial and error. that means the food that is grown could be cut in half, so i feel like there should be a class to help teach them what to do and how they can be a successful farmer.

[haileywillett]

-Could there be more incentives for farmers to grow fruits and vegetables, and not just commodity crops?

-Could accepting food stamps at farmers’ markets help combat childhood obesity?

-Should sodas be banned from the food stamp program, similar to the program’s existing bans on tobacco and alcohol?

-Could a “whole-farm revenue” concept for crop insurance replace the present system that encourages production of a single crop, and instead encourage more diverse crops?

-Could an expansion of the green payments program incentivize sustainable farming rather than overproduction?

[hammysam]

Defiantly they should be educated on how to farm not Only how to but learn the scientific aspect of it we don't want our food going ba because people can't farm properly

[midnightfarmer1]

The USDA could provide the young beginning farmers with paid internships and set it up so that the young beginning farmers can co-own a farm with an older, wiser farmer who already knows the tricks of the trade and who can teach the new beginning farmer everything they need to know in order to run and manage a successful, profitable farm. This will provide the new farmer with the knowledge and experience they need to become a successful, profitable farmer.

[farmforfood]

-create an online database (helping older farmers with this if it's not familiar) listing what kind of land is available (how much, kind of infrastructure, etc.) and allow seeking-landowners to see contact information to get in touch with the retiring farmers.

-could the USDA provide assistance to transform infrastructure on transitioning farmland? I know there are often grants for greenhouses, etc. which would make land more desirable to seeking-farmers who may not be interested in land because of outdated or inappropriate infrastructure.

-put land that a farmer is retiring from into land easement so that it is reserved for agriculture.

[GenevieveF]

Any USDA Funding/Assistance should go towards existing or new programs that support the following:

- Placing existing or potential farmland into conservation easement or possession by organizations dedicated to preserving farmland

- Matching new farmers with current farmers/landowners

- Non-profit or university-based farming/food systems education

- Conservation groups that work with existing farmers to help restore and maintain land health

- Farmers markets and other farm-to-table groups that assist farmers in finding market for their products

- Small-loan programs that assist farmers with business purchases

- Incentives to farmers who utilize renewable energy sources for farm opporations

[C Ross]

Our Country was founded by farmers and as the centuries have gone by we have placed more and more complicated subsidies/regulations on growing food by both Fed and State driving some of our food sourcing to other countries. Relying on food from outside our borders to feed our citizens is a risky venture, we NEED to keep our knowledge of food production alive and active in our Country for National Food Security. The US is very lucky, we have not ever really had a serious food shortage, but we are all only 9 meals away from a mass panic should that ever occur...

Let's make a set of realistic National standards for mentorship/internship/apprenticeship that States can adopt. It would be nice if farm Apprenticeship programs were uniform across the country so a beginning farmer could experience the span of crops grown throughout the US to decide where they want to settle down to grow for production.

Thanks for allowing me to participate in this forum.