The price of farmland in Minnesota rises and the number of landowners is declining, adding barriers to entry for new and emerging farmers.
The U.S. lost 2,000 acres of farm and rangeland per day between 2001 and 2016, according to research by the American Farmland Trust.
This week, advocates, agricultural leaders and policymakers from across the Midwest participated a summittrying to ensure fair access to this farmland is possible.
Jan Joannides, executive director and co-founder of the non-profit organization Renewing the countryside, told MPR News that aging farmers and land owned by people who don't manage it contribute to the problem. He says this also affects rural communities, as fewer residents mean less investment in the local economy and schools.
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“We also have all these, you know, beginning farmers and emerging farmers that have really gotten interested in farming, and it's almost impossible because of the price of land,” Joannides said. “How can we work together to make it easier to get more farmers on the land?”
This summer has been tough on crops across Minnesota with extreme drought and record heat. Climate change is hitting tenant farmers especially hard, according to Joannides.
“It's expensive to put irrigation in, and if you're going to put it in and then your landlord says, 'OK, you can't grow here next year,' then you lose that whole investment,” he said.
The same applies to planting deeper-rooted perennial crops, as the lack of certainty and stability discourages long-term economic thinking.
Ioannidis encouraged talks at the summit, along with the presence of the national administrator of the Farm Service Agency, which offers loans to farmers. He says he, along with nonprofits, is working to disrupt old patterns and offer financial assistance through down payments and investments in agricultural conservation jobs, all of which can lower prices. Work is also underway to connect migrant farmers with translators to facilitate securing loans.
Overall, Joannides says she has received some pushback on these efforts to lower barriers and the price of farmland, but much less than she expected.
“One of the things that inspired us is that we heard some examples of people who have inherited land, who are giving it away,” Joannides said. “Or they drastically reduce the price to make it more affordable for an incoming farmer.”
The critical issue, Ioannidis says, is the lack of people involved and engaged in this change. He wants more lawyers, landowners, accountants and others to reach out.
“It will take a village to make a difference.”
Learn more about how to get involved by visiting farmlandaccesshub.org.
