Washington, D.C. – Last week, the bipartisan New Producer Economic Security Act was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate by Representatives Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Zach Nunn (R-IA-03), Joe Courtney (D-CT-02), Don Davis (D-NC-01), Eric Sorenson (D-IL-17), Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02), as well as Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), to support young farmers and ranchers in accessing farmland. The legislation would authorize a new pilot program to address the interrelated challenges of land, capital, and market access for new producers through innovative, locally-led solutions.
The bill helps secure our domestic food supply by establishing a pilot program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA).
“The average age of a producer in the United States is 58, and in Minnesota it’s 57. To keep Minnesota’s agriculture economy thriving, we need to invest in the next generation of farmers,” said Senator Tina Smith. “This is a matter of national security, food security, and the strength and vitality of rural America. This legislation would help remove barriers for new and beginning farmers as they try to start up their businesses.”
“If we are going to revitalize and strengthen American agriculture for generations to come, we need to take steps now to ensure young farmers can succeed," said Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski. "I’m proud to sponsor bipartisan legislation aimed at helping young and beginning farmers access land, markets, and capital — the biggest challenges for new and underserved farmers. I’m thankful to Representative Nunn and Senator Smith for joining me in this effort, and I look forward to working together to ensure this legislation is included in the 2025 Farm Bill."
“In Iowa, agriculture is the backbone of our state, and our farmers are the backbone of agriculture,” said Congressman Zach Nunn. “That’s why I’m fighting to ensure young and beginning farmers have the tools they need to access the credit necessary to purchase farmland. Young Americans who are willing to do the essential work to feed and fuel our world should be commended and supported however we can help.”
“Land access is at the root of, and deeply tied to, many of the barriers farmers and ranchers face, including market access, access to operating capital, and day-to-day challenges such as changing weather patterns, mental health, and housing,” said Michelle Hughes, Co-Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “The New Producer Economic Security Act comes at a time when farmers need us the most. The bill comprehensively addresses the greatest barriers young and beginning farmers face while elevating local leadership, securing our domestic food system, and delivering material benefits for new producers.”
This program, if included in the Farm Bill and funded through the appropriations process, would be a meaningful opportunity to support young and beginning producers across the country with tangible outcomes for land access, retention, and transition. Some examples on what this program could look like in action are:
- Creative financial solutions to low credit access, such as revolving funds with low to no interest loans and forgivable loans;
- Support for organizations that provide resources, like grants or awards, to young, beginning, and economically disadvantaged producers to acquire land;
- Support for local, state, or Tribal governments to purchase land and make it available to local producers;
- Funds to granting organizations to award farmers to acquire legal services related to land acquisition;
- And support for community-held land options from cooperative ownership to community land trusts.
“As a young, beginning farmer, I know all too well that the next generation of producers face significant barriers in accessing the land, capital, and markets we need to not only start, but grow and sustain our farms,” said Taylor Olson, owner and operator of Wild Oats Farm in Taylors Falls, MN. “The New Producer Economic Security Act tackles these challenges head-on by supporting locally-led projects that will make a real difference for young farmers like me in Minnesota and across the country.”
“Iowa Valley RC&D has been working for over 25 years to build vibrant rural communities in Eastern Iowa. Land access and vibrant markets for beginning farmers are a cornerstone of resilient rural communities,” said farmer Jason Grimm, Iowa Valley RC&D Executive Director and Owner of Grimm Family Farm in Iowa. “New farmers or returning generations of the family farm support rural school districts, shop in local stores and attend community events. Iowa Valley RC&D applauds the leadership of the New Producer Economic Security Act by Senator Smith and Representatives Budzinski and Nunn. As a young farmer myself, my wife and I have chosen to set roots in our local community and send our three children to the local school district in Williamsburg, but we need more support to ensure that we can gain long-term access to land to grow our farm business into a longstanding venture. The proposed pilot program over 10 years would provide the necessary foundation for USDA’s complimentary programs to create vibrant rural communities across Iowa and the Country.”
“As the average age of farmers continues to rise, our nation faces an unprecedented generational transfer of farmland. Meanwhile, many young, beginning, veteran, and undercapitalized farmers and ranchers are struggling to access farmland and the resources they need to grow viable farm businesses,” said Tim Fink, Policy Director for American Farmland Trust. “Today’s introduction of the bipartisan New Producer Economic Security Act reflects a growing understanding that these challenges are interrelated, and that addressing them requires urgent investments and creative partnerships and solutions.”
"Access to capital, land access, and land tenure are primary challenges facing the farmers and ranchers we work with," said RAFI Policy Co-Director Margaret Krome-Lukens, "and the markets producers have used to feed their neighbors have been squeezed out over the past several decades. These challenges are particularly acute for beginning farmers. The New Producer Economic Security Act is a big step forward in investing in the next generation of farmers and ranchers who will feed us, and it draws on the know-how of local communities to find solutions that work best for them."
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauds the introduction of the New Producer Economic Security Act. Land access is one of the biggest challenges for young and beginning farmers all across the country – from small-scale dairy farmers in New England, to livestock and grain producers in the Midwest, to specialty crop producers across the South. This bill will allow investment directly in an array of efforts aimed at improving access to land, capital, and markets for young and beginning farmers and ranchers across the country,” said Nick Rossi, Policy Specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
"National Family Farm Coalition is proud to support the New Producer Economic Security Act," said Jordan Treakle, Policy and Programs Director of the National Family Farm Coalition. "This bill offers an important tool for supporting new and beginning family farmers to access farmland when our agriculture system navigates increasing land consolidation. Keeping farmland in the hands of those who feed our communities is key for building and strengthening resilient food systems and the New Producer Economic Security Act is a key step toward that goal."
“The Congressional sponsors and the team at National Young Farmers Coalition have worked diligently to create the essential opportunities the next more diverse generation of farmers and ranchers urgently need to care for the land and water, and feed and sustain communities into the future,” said Lorette Picciano, Executive Director of Rural Coalition.
With the average U.S. farmer approaching 60 years old and nearly forty percent of U.S. farmland on the cusp of changing ownership over the next two decades, the next Farm Bill is our best chance at creating meaningful and lasting policy solutions to this daunting trend that keeps farmland out of reach for so many. “Congress must act now to ensure that investment in secure and equitable land tenure for the next generation is progressed through the next Farm Bill,” said Amanda Koehler, Land Policy Associate Director for Young Farmers.
For more information, visit www.youngfarmers.org.