About Northeast New Farmers
What is a new farmer?
There are a number of terms and definitions that apply to this sector:
- According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), a beginning
farmer is one who has operated a farm for ten years or less. This definition
is used for USDA beginning farmer loan programs. Several loan programs
further require that a beginning farmer must have at least three years'
experience.
- A young farmer is a farmer under the age of 35. The Farm Bureau and Farm
Credit have young farmer programs. A young farmer may be working with the older
generation on the family farm.
- The term next-generation farmer is used to describe young people who will
be the next generation of farmers. Sometimes the term specifically suggests
the next generation of the family to take over an existing farm.
Several Northeast organizations* working with new farmers propose
a broad definition of a new farmer. This definition includes people
who have started farming (described above) and those who have not yet
begun to farm. We developed a typology that further describes different
categories of new farmers.
- Prospective farmers have not begun to farm.
- "Recruits" might consider a career in production agriculture, for
example students in vo-ag high schools.
- "Explorers" are investigating a farming future, and may be gathering
information.
- "Planners" have made a choice to pursue some sort of commercial
production agriculture, but are not actually farming yet.
- Beginning farmers also fall into several categories.
- "Start-ups" have been farming for three years or less.
- "Restrategizing" farmers are making adjustments in their fourth
to seventh years.
- "Establishing" farmers are stabilizing in years eight to ten of
the beginning farmer phase.
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