Disclaimer

Content provided on this site is for general educational purposes and should not be considered legal advice.

You are here
Home » Topics » Starting a Farm

Starting a Farm

In 1992, Congress established real estate loan assistance targeted at beginning farmers and ranchers. (7 U.S.C. 1922) Since that time, many programs have been established to further increase the amount of funding and land available to new farmers and ranchers. The 2014 Farm Bill created and enhanced several USDA farm programs aimed at beginning farmers.

In recent years, just over 20 percent of family farms have been classified as beginning farms. A common challenge facing beginning farmers and ranchers is finding available land and securing financing to lease or buy the property. Financing programs exist for farmers to access funds both from public and commercial credit sources. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes direct and guaranteed farm loans.

Farm Service Agency programs include:

Adapted from Beginning Farmers and Ranchers at a Glance, Economic Brief No. EB-22, January 2013.

A beginning farmer is defined as a farmer or rancher who has not operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 years. This 10-year requirement applies to all operators, defined as members of an entity who will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm or ranch.

Adapted from Beginning & Disadvantaged Farmers.

Legal

2014 Farm Bill
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Federal Digital System.

 

Agriculture Tax Center
Internal Revenue Service.

 

Fair Labor Standards Act
U.S. Government Publishing Office. Federal Digital System.

 

Agricultural Law Information Partnership

Access Tools
Vermont Law School. Center for Agriculture and Food Systems.
Business Organizations
National Agricultural Law Center.

 

Farmland Access Legal Toolkit
Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. Vermont Law School.

USDA

Beginning & Disadvantaged Farmers
USDA. Economic Research Service.

 

FarmAnswers.org
Center for Farm Financial Management. University of Minnesota. USDA.
Small and Mid-Sized Farmer Resources
USDA.
Small Farm Funding Resources
USDA. NAL. Rural Information Center.

 

Start a Farm
USDA. NAL. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
USDA New Farmers
USDA.

 

Other

Beginning Farm Center
Iowa State University. Extension and Outreach.

 

Beginning Farmer
ATTRA. The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

 

Farmer's Tax Guide. IRS Publication 225
Internal Revenue Service.

 

Legal, Tax and Regulatory Information
New England Small Farm Institute.

 

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
Tufts University. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

 

Online Resource for Farmers, Researchers, and Policy Makers
Beginning Farmers.