HAMMOND, Minn. — America’s farms have hit a critical point. With most of the food and fiber producers being over the age of 55, the rate of retiring producers is significantly disproportionate to the rate of emerging farmers. Coupled with this dilemma, the loss of farmland in the U.S. to poorly planned developmental sprawl and foreign investors is pointing toward impending crises. To make matters worse, increasingly rare farmland is becoming nearly impossible for emerging farmers to access due to exorbitantly high real estate prices and crushing debt.
The Farmland Access Hub and Renewing the Countryside, along with partners Marbleseed, Land Stewardship Project (LSP), Region Nine Development Commission, Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and others, are working to remedy these issues by creating educational and networking opportunities for landowners and farmers around farmland transition. To bring people together for learning and discussion — as well as to draw attention to farmland owners interested in transitioning their land with a positive community legacy — the Hub is planning a cluster of regional Landowner/Landseeker Meet & Greet events in Minnesota and Wisconsin this September. These events are free and open to landowners, landseekers, and service providers. Each event will highlight financial and technical resources available in that area of the state.
Event Schedule (click the RSVP link for details about each gathering):
Montgomery, MN
Sunday, September 10, 2:00-5:00pm My MN Farmer, 35100 191st Ave., Montgomery, MN, 56069
RSVP: Meet & Greet—Montgomery, MN | Farmland Access Hub
Ripon, WI
Tuesday, September 12, 1:00-5:00pm Vines & Rushes Winery, 410 County Rd. E, Ripon, WI, 54971
RSVP: Meet & Greet—Ripon, WI | Farmland Access Hub
Elk River, MN
Tuesday, September 12, 1:00-5:00pm Oliver Kelley Farm, 15788 Kelley Farm Rd., Elk River, MN 55330
RSVP: Meet & Greet—Elk River, MN | Farmland Access Hub
Wadena, MN
Tuesday, September 12, 1:00-5:00pm Green Island Preserve, 850 Scheer Dr. NE, Wadena, MN 56482
RSVP: Meet & Greet—Wadena, MN | Farmland Access Hub
The primary goals of these events are to:
- Support and bring attention to farmland becoming available to emerging farmers.
- Provide technical and financial education by engaging with service professionals suchas loan officers from Compeer and Farm Service Agency (FSA), real estate attorneys, and agents from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
- Introduce and improve clarity on the support provided by the Farmland Access Huband the Farmland Access Navigator program.
- Provide education about farmland transition techniques such as alternative models oftransition, easements, and other resources available to preserve farmland for the future, and technical support for both landowners and landseekers entering a transition agreement.
- Boost community knowledge and participation on issues surrounding farmland access.
The events are free but require advance registration. For more information and to register, visit www.farmlandaccesshub.org/events.
About the Farmland Access Hub
The Farmland Access Hub is a consortium of partners working together to solve the issue of farmland access in the upper Midwest. Regional hubs, led by Renewing the Countryside (Minnesota), Marbleseed (Wisconsin), and Practical Farmers of Iowa (Iowa), oversee the Farmland Access Navigator program which provides one-on-one support to beginning and emerging farmers seeking land tenure. For more information, visit www.farmlandaccesshub.org and follow @farmlandaccesshub on Instagram.
— Farmland Access Hub
