ERS Study Looks At Challenges For New Farmers To Get Land

“We find that the percentage of socially disadvantaged and the percentage of getting farming operations are negatively correlated with things like average lease size," noted Scott Callahan with ERS.  "And positively correlated with the percentage of rented farmland.” 

Those are just a few of the findings from a recent ERS service study on issues and challenges associated with beginning and socially disadvantaged producers acquiring or accessing farmland. Callahan was one of the authors of the study.

“In addition to that we find that for social disadvantage operations specifically, they're negatively correlated with the percentage of cropland acreage and positively correlated with successful applications to Farm Service Agency loan programs the conservation reserve program acreage at the county level."

The ERS study is part of a 2018 Farm Bill request, by congress, to look at potential barriers and solutions regarding farmland access for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. 

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