Budzinski, Nunn, Courtney and Smith Introduce Bill to Improve Young Farmers’ Access to Land   

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Congressman Zach Nunn (R-IA-03), Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT-02) and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the New Producer Economic Security Act — bipartisan legislation to help bring the next generation into family farming. 

This bill would establish a pilot program within the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to address the most pressing challenge for new and beginning farmers: access to land, capital, and markets. This program would help secure the domestic food system and strengthen the farm workforce by giving the next by giving the next generation of farmers the tools they need to succeed. 

“If we are going to revitalize and strengthen American agriculture going forward, we need to take steps now to ensure young farmers can succeed,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I’m proud to lead bipartisan legislation that will allow young and beginning farmers access land, markets, and capital — the biggest challenges for new farmers. I’m thankful to Representatives Nunn and Courtney and Senator Smith for joining me in this effort, and I look forward to working together to ensure this legislation is included in the 2025 Farm Bill.”

“In Iowa, agriculture is the backbone of our state, and our farmers are the backbone of agriculture,” said Congressman Nunn. “That’s why I’m fighting to ensure young and beginning farmers have the tools they need to access the credit necessary to purchase farmland. Young Americans who are willing to do the essential work to feed and fuel our world should be commended and supported however we can help.”

“Farmers across eastern Connecticut have repeatedly told me that acquiring affordable land is one of the greatest barriers to starting and continuing to farm. This is particularly true for young and under-resourced farmers. Our bill, which builds on our proposal introduced last Congress, will give farmers—including shellfish producers—a better shot at acquiring land and building their farm. I look forward to working with my colleagues Reps. Budzinski, Nunn and Senator Smith to advance this proposal in the 2025 Farm Bill and deliver the resources that many farmers in my community have long advocated for,” said Congressman Courtney. 

“The average age of a producer in the United States is 58, and in Minnesota it’s 57. To keep Minnesota’s agriculture economy thriving, we need to invest in the next generation of farmers,” said Senator Smith. “This is a matter of national security, food security, and the strength and vitality of rural America. This legislation would help remove barriers for new and beginning farmers as they try to start up their businesses.”

“Land access is at the root of, and deeply tied to, many of the barriers farmers and ranchers face, including market access, access to operating capital, and day-to-day challenges such as changing weather patterns, mental health, and housing,” said Michelle Hughes, Co-Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “The New Producer Economic Security Act comes at a time when farmers need us the most. The bill comprehensively addresses the greatest barriers young and beginning farmers face while elevating local leadership, securing our domestic food system, and delivering material benefits for new producers.”

With the average U.S. farmer approaching 60 years old and nearly half of U.S. farmland on the cusp of changing ownership over the next two decades, this bill provides a strong opportunity to create meaningful and lasting policy solutions to this daunting trend that keeps farmland out of reach for so many while also jeopardizing our country’s future.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Make grants to and enter into cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments, non-profit service providers, community lending institutions, farmer cooperatives, and other eligible entities to strengthen land, capital, and market access outcomes for new farmers, ranchers, and forest owners.
• Provide funding for direct assistance and services to help next generation farmers and ranchers afford and acquire land, cover closing costs and down payments, capitalize infrastructure and site improvements, acquire business technical assistance and farm viability training, and other activities.
• Prioritize projects that provide direct financial assistance to producers, involve collaborative networks or partnerships, facilitate transition of farmland from existing to new producers, and incorporate other factors that will compound the program’s impact.
• Establish a stakeholder committee to develop a process for evaluating applications and distributing funds to ensure the program is responsive to the needs of farmers and ranchers.

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

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