Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program was passed in the 2008 Farm Bill. The program aims to address the fact that "half of all current farmers are likely to retire in the next decade" by helping beginning farmers get started.

"Section 7410 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub .L. No. 110-234) amended Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and made available in FY 2009, $17.2 million to fund a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). According to these legislations, a beginning farm is considered to be one that is operated by one or more operators who have 10 years or less of experience operating a farm or ranch. In 2007, approximately 21 percent of family farms met that definition."

Resources and Articles

External Resources

• "Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program," U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• "Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011," Land Stewardship Project.

External Articles

• "This is Our Chance," National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, September 29, 2011.
• "Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act Introduced in Congress, Land Stewardship Project, May 16, 2007.