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USDA announces funding to support new farmers

Approximately $17 million is being made available

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

Recent numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture show that farmers are not getting any younger:

  • The average age of American farmers is 57. In 2010 the average age was 55.
  • There’s been an increase of 30% in farmers over the age of 75 and a decrease of 20% in farmers the age of 25

Not only are farmers getting older, but about 20% of American farms are run by people who have less than 10 years of experience in farm operation.

The USDA recognizes this and is investing in the future of farming by making nearly $17 million available to support new farmers and ranchers across the United States through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.

"When new farmers and ranchers start their operations, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program can help them implement tested strategies and new ideas that in turn benefit all of us by reducing food insecurity, growing economic opportunities, and building communities," said Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden in a release. "Today, we are partnering with organizations who recognize that an investment in our beginning farmers and ranchers is also an investment in our future."

This year, more than 15 percent of the funded projects will support veterans who have turned to agriculture, and nearly 50 percent of the projects will support socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

The recipients and the awarded amounts include:

  • Auburn University, Auburn, Ala., $711,213
  • Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala., $459,914
  • University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., $681,459
  • Planting Justice, Oakland, Calif., $708,700
  • American Farmland Trust, Washington, D.C., $669,796
  • Hmong National Development, Washington, D.C., $711,623
  • University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, $506,122
  • Chicago Horticultural Society, Chicago, Ill., $712,500
  • Global Garden Refugee Training Farm, Chicago, Ill., $71,080
  • Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, $698,393
  • Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Ky., $493,467
  • Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Unity, Maine, $709,713
  • The Greening of Detroit, Detroit, Mich., $100,000
  • Hmong American Farmers Association, St. Paul, Minn., $712,500
  • Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Workers Opportunities, Inc., Clarksdale, Miss., $681,628
  • Winston County Self Help Cooperative, Jackson, Miss., $538,271
  • Legal Aid of Nebraska, Omaha, Neb., $654,902
  • Land for Good, Inc., Keene, N.H., $641,222
  • Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., $460,170
  • Center of Southwest Culture, Inc., Albuquerque, N.M., $100,000
  • Hawthorne Valley Association, Ghent, N.Y., $693,918
  • Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $664,892
  • Dakota Rural Action, Brookings, S.D., $225,079
  • South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., $706,907
  • University of Texas - Pan American, Edinburg, Texas, $712,500
  • Arcadia Food, Inc., Alexandria, Va., $100,000
  • Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., $656,903
  • University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., $720,989
  • Organic Seed Alliance, Port Townsend, Wash., $251,237
  • Tri-State Local Foods, Inc., Huntington, W.V., $100,000
  • Easter Seals Wisconsin, Inc., Madison, Wisc., $496,914
  • Southwest Badger Resource Conservation & Development Council, Platteville, Wisc., $219,274
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., $187,379
  • Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Spring Valley, Wisc., $310,419

Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts about the USDA investing in America’s new farmers and ranchers.


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