“USDA is committed to the next generation of America’s farmers and ranchers because they represent the future of agriculture and are the backbone of our rural economy. As the average age of farmers continues to rise, we have no time to lose in getting more new farmers and ranchers established,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Reauthorizing and expanding the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program is one of the many resources the 2014 Farm Bill gave us to build America’s agricultural future. Through this program, we can build a diverse next generation of farmers and ranchers.”

According to Traci Bruckner of the Center for Rural Affairs, the BFRDP grant program is administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which awards the grants through a competitive review process to organizations and institutions conducting programs to help beginning farmers, ranchers and foresters. Applications for the funding rounds announced today are due June 12, 2014.

“BFRDP has been a highly successful initiative, making the application and award process all the more competitive,” said Bruckner. “And perhaps more importantly the programs funded through this initiative have had a real impact across rural and small town America.”

The presence of the education, outreach, training and technical assistance programs funded by BFRDP is one of the reasons we saw an increase in young, beginning farmers and ranchers in Nebraska in the recent Census of Agriculture, Bruckner added. And this is the only federal program exclusively dedicated to training the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

Bruckner explained further that, in Nebraska, nearly 1,000 more farmers claim farming or ranching as their primary occupation than in the last census. For “years on present farm,” Nebraska grew in every category, from 2 years or less to 10 years or more. In particular, farmer and rancher numbers grew in lower age brackets. The under 25 years category grew by 18%; those aged 25 to 34 grew by 13% (up nationally as well), and farmers aged 35 to 44 grew by 10%.

“There are growing opportunities in farming and ranching across rural and small town America, and we see, first-hand, the increasing desire among a new generation of prospective farmers and ranchers to get their start,” Bruckner concluded. “The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program provides resources to initiatives on the ground that can help those beginners overcome the unique challenges they face and realize their full potential.”

For more information on eligibility of organizations and institutions, and how to apply, go to:
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/beginningfarmersandranchers.cfm