The new Farm Bill has created many new tools and resources for beginning farmers and ranchers – and questions about which programs are right for their operations.
That is why I took to Google+ this month to talk about how the new Farm Bill can help new and beginning farmers and ranchers.
For the hangout, I was joined by Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service Deputy Under Secretary Karis Gutter, Agriculture Marketing Service Administrator Anne Alonzo and Natural Resources Conservation Service Assistant Chief Kirk Hanlin. Together, we shared with new and beginning farmers information about the programs and services offered by USDA through the new Farm Bill - including support for beginning farmers and ranchers by increasing funding for beginning farmer development, facilitating farmland transition to the next generation of farmers, and improving outreach and communication to military veterans about farming and ranching opportunities.
Take a moment to learn how the new Farm Bill supports new farmers and ranchers. You can also visit www.usda.gov/farmbill, or view the Google+ Hangout “What the Farm Bill Means for New Farmers”.
And at the end of the day, for a farmer or rancher with questions – nothing replaces an in-person meeting with our staff members at USDA offices across the country. Our talented staff can help you learn what the new Farm Bill programs mean for your farm or ranch business.
Getting started can take a lot of research – and to help, I was also pleased to announce during our hangout a new glossary of commonly used USDA acronyms and terms to make our programs easier for new farmers to navigate.
For those of you that tuned into the conversation, thank you for watching. We received great questions from participants across the board. Keep the conversation going using #newfarmers, and check out usda.gov/newfarmers for updates.