USDA Dep. Secretary Honors MN Farmers, Hands out Future Farmer Grants
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November 4, 2009
ELGIN, Minn. - Minnesota's farming community is in the spotlight this week, as U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan visited a thriving, pasture-based livestock operation in the southeastern part of the state on Tuesday. The Klein family, graduates of the Land Stewardship Project's "Farm Beginnings" course, are now being honored as a national model for training beginning farmers.
Merrigan has also awarded two grants to organizations to help "grow" more future farmers. She points out that the average age of American farmers is 59, and says it's time to build the next generation of agricultural leaders.
"We have this new initiative at USDA that we call 'Know your farmer, know your food.' We like to say that not every family needs an accountant, not every family needs a lawyer, but clearly every family needs a farmer -- do you know who your farmer is?"
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program is just one avenue the USDA is taking in its search for strategies to bring people back to the land.
"To develop the kind of local and regional markets that are especially appealing for small and mid-size operations, so people can get into farming and maybe from there, grow their operations to a larger size."
The Minneapolis-based Land Stewardship Program received a grant for its collaborative alliance with "Farm Beginnings" and other programs. The new initiative will provide about $75 million over the next four years in dedicated funding for community-based organizations and others working with new farmers.
A second grant was given to the Farmers Legal Action Group of St. Paul, for the advancement of Hmong women. Merrigan says many of Minnesota's newest family farmers come from minority or immigrant groups who struggle to gain access to federal resources. The grant money is part of the 2008 Farm Bill.