From staff reports National Farmers Union Vice President of Advocacy Mike Stranz recently gave updates on the latest trends regarding the Census of Agriculture report. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the 2022 report in February.
While speaking at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters’ Washington Watch event in Washington, D.C., Stranz said, “Those trends in the Ag Census are not encouraging. The total amount of farmers who have gone out of business since 2017 are clocking in at about 150,000 just in the five years of the census was really shocking.”
Farmers across the country are aware of the importance of encouraging the next generation to pursue farming and ranching, he said.
“We saw some trends related to that baked into the census, and I think there are some glimmers of hope there in how we can foster that and encourage some growth,” he said.
Stranz emphasized NFU’s goal of utilizing education programs to promote progress, especially the organization’s Beginning Farmer Institute which was established in 2011.
“We have our Beginning Farmer Institute applications that are being accepted right now,” he said. “So if you are a beginning farmer, rancher or even thinking about getting into farming and ranching… you could be part of a cohort of about 20 other similarly situated people across the country.”
Stranz added that the 10-week program usually consists of about 10 days of in-person programming at an NFU convention, traveling to Washington for events, educational opportunities along with virtual meetings.
To apply to the fall 2024 Beginning Farmer Institute by the July 1 deadline, visit www.eventcreate.com/e/bfi.