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Farm Foundation and USDA’s ERS announce call for papers
[OAK BROOK, IL] Farm Foundation and the USDA’s Economic Research Service have issued a call for papers highlighting empirical data and models that bring cutting-edge thinking on one or more themes related to beginning farmers and ranchers (BFR). The Beginning Farmers and Ranchers project is a joint effort of the organizations to examine issues that either hinder or facilitate the entry of beginning farmers into the agricultural sector, as well as the factors that lead to their success or failure. Farm Foundation encourages researchers, farmers and other thought leaders from private industry, government, and non-profits to submit paper proposals.
Themes for the papers may include, but are not limited to:
• BFR financial and risk management strategies
• Credit availability and access to capital
• Overcoming land access and other barriers to entry
• Farm succession strategies for older operators
• New markets and marketing strategies for BFRs
• State extension programming for BFRs
• NGO and community outreach efforts for BFRs
• Lender initiatives for BFRs
• Demographics of young and beginning farmers, including entry by women, under-represented and socially disadvantaged groups and veterans
The deadline to submit a one-page abstract is May 15, 2020, and authors of selected abstracts will be notified by June 15, 2020. Abstracts should be sent to bfr@farmfoundation.org. For more information, contact Martha King at martha@farmfoundation.org or (314) 591-8433.
Authors of selected papers will receive an honorarium from the Farm Foundation to cover their participation expenses, and accepted papers will be considered for publication in a special issue
of Agricultural Finance Review. The papers will be presented at a two-day workshop on young and beginning farmers, aimed at discussing beginning farmer and rancher opportunities. The workshop, to be held in fall 2020, will bring together academics and other researchers and USDA agencies, with the objective of informing practitioners, policy makers and USDA program agencies on their interactions with young and beginning farmers.