Guest editorial: Special issue on beginning farmers and ranchers

Abstract

We are pleased to recognize the efforts of the economists who contributed to the Agricultural Finance Review's special issue on beginning farmers and ranchers. The group's efforts were led by Jeffrey Hopkins, who circulated the original call resulting in 8 articles from 25 different authors. The USDA provided financial supportthrough a cooperative agreement with the Farm Foundationto host a conference in November 2020 where authors presented early-stage drafts of their manuscripts and were invited to submit them to this peer-reviewed special issue.USDA policies and programs support beginning farmers and ranchers in several ways that are consistent with improved competitiveness of the agricultural sector overall. These include initiatives, such as business planning education and technical assistance, on risk management and conservation decisions. The USDA also provides access to capital through its direct and guaranteed lending programs. Finally, the USDA supports beginning farmers and ranchers through statistical reporting and economic analysis on beginning farmers and ranchers. The USDA's primary research insights into beginning farmer and rancher demographics and wellbeing come from an annual cross-sectional financial survey known as the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) as well as the Census of Agriculture that takes place every five years. Farmers and ranchers who are surveyed through the ARMS are asked to record their production and financial information as well as how long they have been actively farming; this information allows researchers to compare outcomes between "beginning" farmers and ranchers vs others. Researchers at ERS and elsewhere have used successive Census of Agriculture data to understand what contributes to differences in the survival and growth of beginning farm operations. Research using the ARMS and Census of Agriculture data demonstrates the value of USDA's commitment to longterm data collection to understand the structure and dynamics of the agricultural sector.

Do Consumers Support Beginning and Female Farmers?

“…To counter these trends, the entry and success of young beginning and female farmers are increasingly crucial. However, the heightened challenges caused by limited credit access, farm consolidation, land value appreciation and conversion, and lack of market competitiveness have led to increased difficulties for beginning farmers who want to enter the farm field, especially for young and socially disadvantaged farmers (Hopkins, 2022). As the agricultural market is historically intervened and supported by government policies, actions from both federal and state levels are increasingly executed in response to the absolute decline in the number of beginning and female farmers.…”