White House Champions of Change for the Future of American Agriculture

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, on April 16, 2014 at 4:00 PM

In the field of agriculture, we have a very important question to ask ourselves: who will the next generation of farmers and ranchers be?

For more than three decades, the share of farms operated by beginning farmers has been in decline.  Beginning farms and ranches accounted for 22 percent of the nation’s 2 million family farms and ranches in 2012—down from about 35 percent in 1982. Consistent with this trend, the average age of principal farm operators in the United States has risen in that period, from 51 to 58.

Since day one, the Obama Administration has supported opportunities for people who want to work the land and produce food, fuel, and fiber for our country. The Administration continues to make these critical investments because of the great innovation and promise that agriculture holds.

The White House will be hosting a Champions of Change event to celebrate local agriculture leaders who are taking innovative approaches to support American farming and ranching—both now and in the future.  These leaders will be invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishments and showcase their actions to support the future of agriculture.

Today, we’re asking you to help us identify these standout local leaders by nominating a Champion of Change for the New Generation of American Agriculture by noon on Friday, April 18. These Champions may be:

• Beginning farmers and ranchers using innovative practices and techniques to create productive and sustainable farms and ranches that will feed people at home and abroad long into the future.
• Producers, foresters, small-business owners, and scientists using Farm Bill programs to drive agricultural productivity and economic competitiveness.
• Local leaders that are working to build new opportunities for those who want to work on the land, create innovation in the field of agriculture, support diversity in agriculture, and connect a new generation to their food, fiber, fuel, and agricultural neighbors.

Click on the link below to submit your nomination (be sure to choose “Future of American Agriculture” in the “Theme of Service” field of the nomination form).

Nominate a Champion of Change for the Future of American Agriculture

We look forward to hosting this event at the White House this spring, highlighting the great work of our nation’s agriculture leaders. Thank you for your dedication to American agriculture and the overall wellbeing of our rural communities.

Kentucky Couple Says Thank You Berry Much

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Tanya Brown, Writer/Editor, Farm Service Agency, on April 8, 2014 at 5:00 PM

Jeff and Kim Essig gave their blueberry farm a boost with a microloan to help purchase equipment that will further expand their operation.

This post is part of a Microloan Success feature series on the USDA blog.  Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

USDA’s Microloan program allows beginning, small and mid-sized farmers to access up to $35,000 in loans using a simplified application process, and up to seven years to repay. Through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) USDA is focused on increasing opportunities for farmers and ranchers and has made several modifications to farm loan programs, including making Microloans to beginning farmers and veterans exempt from direct loan term limits. Producers have more flexible access to credit for initial start-up expenses, family living expenses, minor farm improvements and hoop houses to extend the growing season.

Kentucky couple Kim and Jeff Essig, owners of Middlebridge Blueberry Farm, know about the benefits of the Microloan program first-hand. Kim shares their story:

I married a man who was already in love — with Kentucky.  Although we were both born and raised in Orange County, Calif., he grew up visiting his grandpa Martin’s farm in Oakland, Ky. during summer breaks.

So it was no surprise that six months after our 1992 wedding, we packed up our things and blazed the trail from Southern California to Smiths Grove, Ky., to live on the land.

The first several years we had limited land and dabbled in growing food for ourselves and trading produce with neighbors. In 2006, we were able to purchase a few acres in Bowling Green, Ky.  It was then we started thinking large scale.

We chose blueberries as our main crop.  Between 2010 and 2011 we installed an acre of blueberries and also started beekeeping. By 2013, we added blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. As our berries grew, the customers came as did the idea of branching out into blueberry plant propagation for selling, expanding our bees and maximizing what we could do with our little piece of earth.

One day I saw an announcement for the Kentucky Farm Service Agency (FSA) Microloan program.  I contacted the FSA office for an application. The application process informative, organized, helpful and painless. And Farm Loan Officer Tracy Bailey called and met with us right away.

Looking back over these past two years, we find ourselves very grateful to God for the opportunity to expand our farm and take hold of opportunities that we most likely would have had to pass up if not for the FSA’s Microloan program.

What we found most helpful were the people behind the program. Tracy Bailey, as well as others in the office, really made the process friendly and smooth. The interest rate and payment terms have been key in helping us to grow into our farm vision.

Kim and Jeff Essig

USDA is proud to see the progress that farmers and ranchers are making in their daily operations with the help of the Microloan program. To date, USDA has issued more than 4,900 Microloans totaling $97 million. The microloan program is part of USDA’s StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Initiative, our commitment to growing economies, increasing investments and creating opportunities in poverty-stricken rural Kentucky and 19 other states.

The Essig family started with blueberries and later expanded to include blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Finding Success with Next Generation Farmers

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Ed Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, on April 8, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Under Secretary Ed Avalos (left) listens to Carlos and Greg Chavez explain the ongoing effects of drought on farms in Texas. Greg, a next generation farmer, has worked to increase the sustainability and success of his family farm by implementing new technology and irrigation methods that decrease water consumption.

Not everyone goes to work every day knowing that they will be inspired by the people they meet—I’m very fortunate in that way.  From the federal agencies that I oversee to the farmers and ranchers I visit with, I am truly inspired by their dedication to serving the American people and their commitment to the success of rural America.  And many of the issues that they work on or face in their daily lives are the same issues that we are all concerned with—sustainability and conservation, short-term and long-term stability, and making sure our children and the next generation have paths to success.

During a recent visit to the Texas Panhandle, I stopped to have breakfast and visit with the father and son team who run the Chavez family farm.  Carlos and Greg Chavez farm 3,600 acres of corn, wheat and cotton, and run 1,200 head of cattle on winter wheat.  Greg, the son, has focused his attention on implementing new crop watering techniques, leveraging technology and conservation practices to combat the inherent dryness brought on by the strong Panhandle winds.

Working with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on this effort, Greg’s changes involve using a low nozzle-to-ground-height ratio to water his crops.  By reducing the distance the water falls, less evaporation occurs.  This means more water reaches the soil.  In an area that had single-digit inches of rainfall in both 2011 and 2012, finding more efficient ways to get better results and better crops—while using less water—is vital to the long-term success of the family farm.  As a next-generation farmer, Greg is constantly looking to new methods and new technology to boost the efficiency and sustainability of the farm.

Across USDA, our agencies and programs are also focused on projects that help support the next generation of rural Americans.  Through the Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) program administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we are helping encourage young and new farmers to apply technology and expand the variety of crops grown.  One SCBG project in Nebraska offered students hands-on classes and workshops that focused on growing and selling fruits and vegetables instead of traditional cash crops.  The coursework included business and marketing plans, and resulted in at least 50% of the students planning to pursue further education in agriculture.

Another project—this time in Pennsylvania—supports a partnership between the state Department of Agriculture and AgChoice Farm Credit to help increase the chances of long-term success for young (below age 35) and beginning farmers (those with less than 10 years of experience). Over the next couple of years, they will offer these next-generation farmers scholarships to participate in the AgBiz Masters course. The course is a two-year learning process designed to provide sound business concepts and financial management skills for agricultural businesses. By creating business-aware, fiscally-minded farmers and ranchers, Pennsylvania hopes to increase the number of new farms and cost-savings for existing farms.

These are just a few examples of how I am inspired by all of the hard-working people who are helping ensure the future of American agriculture. At USDA, we will continue to support next generation farmers like Greg Chavez as they look to make their farms and businesses more sustainable.  And we will continue to work with states and communities across the country to support the next generation of American farmers and ranchers.

A Small Loan Builds Big Tradition on a Family Farm

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by John T. McComb, Loan Officer, South Carolina Farm Service Agency, on April 3, 2014 at 3:00 PM

William and Thomas Anderson in their current soybean field.

This post is part of a Microloan Success feature series on the USDA blog.  Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

It is often stated that it is hard to start a farm and become a farmer.  You do not have to tell that to Anderson Brothers Grain, LLC.

William and Thomas Anderson of Anderson, S.C., are not only brothers but young, beginning farmers.  At the ripe old age of 18 and 20, the brothers farm 180 acres of small grains–something they have been doing since 2008 when they were teenagers farming 40 acres with assistance from their father Phil Anderson and grandfather William Martin.

Being that young with little collateral and no credit history proved a challenge for the brothers.  They didn’t want to rely on their parents or grandparents to secure financing.

They had enough equipment to plant and harvest their crops, but they were in dire need of additional grain storage to use for the 2013-crop year. A neighboring row crop farmer suggested the brothers contact the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) about a Microloan.

USDA’s Microloan program allows beginning, small and mid-sized farmers to access up to $35,000 in loans using a simplified application process, and up to seven years to repay. USDA is focused on increasing opportunities for farmers and ranchers and has made several modifications to farm loan programs, including making Microloans to beginning farmers and veterans exempt from direct loan term limits.

Within a week, the brothers were able to secure and close a USDA Microloan to purchase a 10,000 bushel grain bin with auger.  The grain bin was constructed by end of May, just in time for harvest season.

“With the wet weather this year, had we not had the grain bin, we would have left half our crop in the field,” said William. “The back log at the local gain storage facility caused an eight to 12 hour wait to unload.  We would have never gotten all our crop harvested without the additional on farm storage.”

Within a week after applying for a Microloan, the Anderson brothers were approved and purchased a 10,000 bu grain bin with auger.

According to William, the grain bin paid for itself this year. Without it they would have lost much more grain due to the tight harvest season.  Although the brothers were not entirely happy with the 2013 production, they did manage 61 bushels per acre in a year plagued by wet conditions during harvest time.

“This is a great example of how FSA can fill a need when commercial lenders cannot; and where FSA can facilitate the growing of our nations next generation of farmers,” said Farm Loan Manager Bob Parris.

To date, USDA has issued more than 4,900 microloans totaling $97 million. Visit the FSA website to learn more about our farm loan programs.

William and Thomas Anderson were able to secure a $35,000 Microloan after local and commercial lenders wouldn’t take a chance on the young farmers.

S.C. Farmer Still Growing Strong after 92 Years, 6 Decades, and 1 Microloan

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Tanya Brown, Writer/Editor, Farm Service Agency, on April 1, 2014 at 4:00 PM

This post is part of a Microloan Success feature series on the USDA blog.  Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

For Malachi Duncan life as a farmer is anything but boring. At age 92, he’s going strong and ready to do more.

“I was out on the tractor trying to locate a cow,” said Duncan, who farms 43 acres of his family’s land in Union, S.C.  It’s the same land he used to plow with mules before planting cotton, peanuts and corn.

“Back then, we didn’t have any tractors,” said Duncan. “Now, that was hard with long hours.  But we farmed to survive.”

Duncan, a proud farmer for six decades, left the farm during World War II to serve in the U.S. Army in Europe under the command of General George S. Patton. Duncan made his way through France, Germany, Italy and Africa before returning to study economics and history at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C.  He went into the teaching profession and became a Baptist minister with Bethel African Methodist Episcopal church.

Today, Duncan is retired from teaching and ministering.  He’s farming his land, which includes six cows that roam 40 acres of pasture.  His son helps with day-to-day chores.

Last year, when Duncan wanted to buy a bush hog and fertilizer, he talked to Farm Service Agency Loan Officer John McComb about a Microloan.  USDA’s Microloan program allows beginning, small and mid-sized farmers to access up to $35,000 in loans using a simplified application process with up to seven years to repay.

“He started farming over 60 years ago when farming as a minority in the Deep South was a tough business,” said McComb, who assisted Duncan through the short loan process.  “He’s one of the newest Microloan customers, but he has likely seen more changes to American agriculture than most of our customers.”

Duncan said the microloan provided the small amount needed. “They were wonderful and courteous and explained everything I needed to know and what they expected of me,” he said.

Duncan said he has seen more than just physical changes, but the way of life has changed. From the way people raise their children to the way people farm. “People aren’t as compassionate as they used to be,” said Duncan, who raised four children and has eight grandchildren and, as he puts it, “heaven only knows how many great-grandchildren.”

The advice he gives new farmers today? Education is the key. “Farming is big business now. You have to understand it, expose yourself to it and be involved,” said Duncan. “Go into it because you love it. You will only get out of it what you put into it.”

USDA is proud to see the progress that farmers and ranchers are making in their daily operations with the help of the Microloan program. To date, USDA has issued more than 4,900 Microloans totaling $97 million.  The microloan program is part of USDA’s StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Initiative, our commitment to growing economies, increasing investments and creating opportunities in poverty-stricken rural communities like Union County, South Carolina and 19 other states.

Visit the FSA website to learn more about our farm loan programs.

Microloan Helps South Dakota Man Transition from Desk to Farm

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Tanya Brown, Writer/Editor, Farm Service Agency, on March 27, 2014 at 5:00 PM

David Hoff left his job to return to the farm and help his father. The Microloan helped Hoff acquire operating inputs when other lenders wouldn’t take a chance on him.

This post is part of a Microloan Success feature series on the USDA blog.  Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

For David Hoff, farming was in his blood.  It had been 14 years since he worked on his family’s South Dakota farm.  He went off to college, earned a degree in business, landed a position in sales and, over the next 10 years, held leadership positions in sales for several companies.  But he had been thinking long and hard about returning to the 2,000 acre farm and rejoining the family operation.

Then in 2012, Hoff received the sad news of his uncle’s death.  His uncle had farmed with Hoff’s father in Hutchinson County, S.D. for years.  That’s when Hoff decided to return and help his father with the farm.

“This was a big change for us. I was used to bringing home a paycheck every two weeks and now that was going to change in a big way,” said Hoff. “There are no guarantees in farming and you can’t write down what you are going to make each year. My wife likes to have a clear plan and that was a challenge for her to overcome.”

“I explored various options such as putting all the inputs on my credit card and obtaining financing through some other source,” said Hoff. “But those options weren’t an option.”

The high interest on the credit cards would cut into his profits or could potentially lower his credit rating, while commercial lenders wouldn’t take a chance on someone 14 years removed from the farm.  So it was difficult for the new farmer to come up with the money to pay operating inputs.

Then one day Hoff’s father, Joe, took a routine trip to the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office where he learned about USDA’s Microloan program. The program allows beginning, small and mid-sized farmers to access up to $35,000 in loans using a simplified application process with up to seven years to repay.

“My father discussed my options with an FSA loan officer and found out that the Microloan was a perfect fit for my operation,” said Hoff. “The $30,000 loan allowed us to pay for farm related expenses as well as cost of living support until I was able to market my alfalfa, corn, and soybeans and generate income.”

Now in his second year, Hoff graduated from the Microloan and received an operating loan to purchase equipment and help farm 300 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa in 2014.

“My ultimate goal is to continue the family farm. My dad turns 65 this year and slowly wants to step back. I say slowly because he is not quitting farming, but I am taking on a bigger role this year and eventually will make majority of the farm operation decisions,” said Hoff.  “There is no way I could have made this career change without the full support of my wife and I couldn’t have started farming without my mom and dad’s support and guidance. I don’t regret it at all and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

USDA employees are proud to see the progress that farmers and ranchers are making in their daily operations with the help of the Microloan program. To date, USDA has issued more than 4,900 Microloans totaling $97 million. Visit the FSA website to learn more about our farm loan programs.

David Hoff was used to getting a paycheck every two weeks. That changed when he moved back to the farm. The FSA Microloan helped him with cost of living expenses until he was able to sell his crops.