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UNIVERSITY PARK -- A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture will enable Penn State Extension to offer a program designed to bring together beginning and retiring farmers in Pennsylvania, with an eye toward facilitating the transition of farms from one generation to the next.
The $50,000 award is part of USDA-NIFA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which supports a wide range of professional development activities and topics, such as managing capital, acquiring and managing land, and learning effective business and farming practices.
Agriculture is an important industry in Pennsylvania, supplying nutritious and locally produced food to residents, while also providing employment and economic and environmental benefits in both rural and urban areas, according to project leader Paula Ledney, financial analyst and education program associate with Penn State Extension.
"However, between 2012 to 2017, the USDA agricultural census showed a 10% drop in the number of farms and a 6% decline in farmland acreage in the state," she said. "New and beginning farmers are finding it difficult to buy or lease farmland due to the decrease in available land and the higher prices that landowners are seeking for remaining farmland."
Ledney said her grant-funded project, titled Setting the Stage for Succession: Tools for the Beginning Farmer, is aimed at combating this issue by piloting an overnight retreat workshop that will bring together prospective farmers looking to get started and retiring farmers who want to keep their land in agriculture. The goal, she noted, is to help facilitate the successful transition of farmland and knowledge.
Topics addressed through the project will include finding farmland, legal and tax structures of land purchase and ownership, asset transfer channels, and retirement planning considerations for new farmers. Ledney said the project also will offer training for project personnel to learn how to design and facilitate the workshop effectively so the program can be replicated in the future.
She said the workshop is scheduled to be held in early March 2024 in Lancaster County, and more information will be released as details are finalized.
New and beginning farmers also can learn more about starting a farm by visiting the Penn State Extension website.
USDA to measure sheep health
HARRISBURG -- From mid-January 2024 to the end of February 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics (NASS), in
conjunction with the National Animal Health Monitoring Service (NAHMS), will conduct its fourth national study of the U.S. sheep industry.
"The information collected in this survey will benefit both livestock producers (by facilitating efficient production and animal welfare), industry leaders, and the general public through education," said Charles Butler, acting regional director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office.
All sheep producers and stewards are encouraged to participate in the study, designed to provide a snapshot of current health and management practices on U.S. sheep operations. The information collected will also allow for the analysis of trends in specific topics related to sheep health, based on the NAHMS Sheep 2011 study.
For more information, please visit the Sheep Studies website. There is a Study Launch Sheet with details about this study.
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents. The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. In accordance with federal law, your responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in identifiable form.
Survey results will be published in summer 2024 and onward. For more information, call the NASS Northeastern Field Office at (800) 498-1518.