Session Descriptions & Slide Decks

Session One: Credit
It’s easy to assert that beginning farmers need credit to meet the need for establishing and growing a farm operation. But what exactly determines farm business success, and how does credit effect farm growth and farm business survival of beginnings farmers? 

• Credit and the Determinants of Beginning Farmer Success—Nigel Key, USDA Economic Research Service
• Extension Collaboration to Assist AgVets in Beginning Farming Operations & Connecting with Agri-Food Industry Opportunities—Mark Edelman, Iowa State University
• Evaluating Credit Usage by Young or Beginning Farmers and Ranchers—Bruce L. Ahrendsen, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
• The Use of FSA Credit by Young and Beginning Farmers—Charles B. Dodson, USDA Farm Production and Conservation

Session Two: USDA Panel—Resources for Program Agencies
This session provides an overview of the major beginning farmer and rancher (BFR) activities of USDA agencies in the Research, Extension and Education (REE) and the Food Production and Conservation (FPAC) areas.

• USDA Resources on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers—Sarah Campbell, USDA; Jeff Hopkins, USDA Economic Research Service

Session Three: Land Access and Other Barriers to Entry
Individuals who hope to begin farming must acquire farmland, access capital, and learn skills to efficiently operate a farm business. Often available farmland is scarce and there may be no guarantee that landlords will maintain tenancy contracts for multiple years. In many regions, high land prices relative to what can be earned farming increases the risks associated with starting a farm. This session delves into these barriers to entry.

• USDA Land Access and Beginning Farmers—Scott Callahan, USDA Economic Research Service
• Land Tenure and Profitability Among Beginning Farmers and Ranchers—Andrew W. Stevens & Karin Wu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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• Supporting Land Access and Farm Succession with Resale Restrictions: A Case Study from New York’s Hudson Valley—Jim Oldham, Equity Trust, Inc.
• SDSU Extension’s Approach to Eliminating Entry Barriers—Heather Gessner, South Dakota State University Extension
• Starting a Cow-Calf Operation Considering Profitability and Off-Farm Income—Christopher Boyer, University of Tennessee

Session 4: Innovation and Alternative Markets
Beginning farmers and ranchers use diverse strategies to create successful farm enterprises. This session explores some of the ways beginning farmers grow their farms.

• The Profitability Impacts of Sales Through Local Food Markets for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers—Becca B.R. Jablonski & Dawn Thilmany, Colorado State University
• Innovators or Laggards? Exploring the Adoption of Value-Added Technologies Among Beginning Farmers—Ariana Torres, Purdue University
• Abstract to Empower Disenfranchised Black Urban Farmers—Raqueeb Bey, The Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op

Session 5: Transitions
Roadblocks facing families in transferring land and operations to the next generation have solutions. Our panel of succession specialists offered several different ways of alleviating opposition to land transfer and generate innovative steps to ushering in the next generation of American farmers.

• Land Policy: Towards a More Equitable Farming Future—Holly Rippon-Butler, National Young Farmers Coalition
• How Likely are Landowners to Transfer Out of Family? A Midwestern Analysis of Correlates, with Lessons for Mobilizing Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher Land Access Policy Initiatives—Julia Valliant, Indiana University
• Management and Ownership Transfer in Small and Medium Family Farms—Maria I. Marshall, Purdue University; Renee Wiatt, Purdue Institute for Family Business
• Expansion Strategies for Beginning Farmers in the Corn Belt Less Reliant on Rented Farmland—Gary Schnitkey & Krista Swanson, University of Illinois
• What Drives Beginning Farmers’ Entry and Exit? A County Level Analysis—Valentina Hartarska, Denis Nadolnyak & Nisha Sehrawat, Auburn University
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Farm Credit Panel
This session offered a market segmentation approach to understanding beginning farmers, their credit needs, their appropriate use of credit and credit enhancements, their different business models, and their likely career paths. Grounded in analysis of beginning farmer data from the Ag Census and informed by the broad experience of Farm Credit staff with direct lending and program experience, this session provided a valuable perspective on what it takes to serve the financial needs of beginning farmers today.

• Ground-Truthing the Beginning Farmer Experience with Credit—Gary Matteson, Farm Credit Council; Raechel Sattazahn, AgChoice Farm Credit; Terry Hinds, Compeer Financial; Samantha Stoddard, Farm Credit East ACA