America’s farms have hit a critical point. Most food and fiber producers are over the age of 55. The rate of retiring producers is significantly disproportionate to the rate of emerging farmers. Loss of farmland in the U.S. to poorly planned developmental sprawl and foreign investors is pointing toward impending crises. Increasingly rare farmland is becoming nearly impossible for emerging farmers to access due to exorbitantly high real estate prices and crushing debt.
The Farmland Access Hub and Renewing the Countryside, along with partners Marbleseed, Land Stewardship Project (LSP), Region Nine Development Commission, Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and others, are working to remedy these issues by creating educational and networking opportunities for landowners and farmers around farmland transition. To bring people together for learning and discussion—as well as to draw attention to farmland owners interested in transitioning their land with a positive community legacy—the Hub is planning a cluster of regional Landowner/Landseeker Meet & Greet events in Minnesota and Wisconsin this September. These events are free and open to landowners, landseekers, and service providers. Each event will highlight financial and technical resources available in that area of the state.
The Wisconsin event will be held in Ripon Tuesday, September 12, 1:00-5:00pm at Vines & Rushes Winery, 410 County Rd. E, Ripon, WI, 54971
RSVP: Meet & Greet—Ripon, WI | Farmland Access Hub
The primary goals of these events are to:
- Support and bring attention to farmland becoming available to emerging farmers.
- Provide technical and financial education by engaging with service professionals such as loan officers from Compeer and Farm Service Agency (FSA), real estate attorneys, and agents from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
- Introduce and improve clarity on the support provided by the Farmland Access Hub and the Farmland Access Navigator program.
- Provide education about farmland transition techniques such as alternative models of transition, easements, and other resources available to preserve farmland for the future, and technical support for both landowners and landseekers entering a transition agreement.
- Boost community knowledge and participation on issues surrounding farmland access.
