Transcript:

Starting a new farm can be hard – especially for young people.

Polanco: “And staying in farming is harder.”

Vanessa García Polanco of the National Young Farmers Coalition says most farms in the U.S. are passed from one generation to the next, and land is expensive. So to join the industry, young people who do not inherit property must have access to credit – and many are already saddled with student loan debt.

So often, young farmers operate on tight margins and cannot afford crop insurance. And that puts them in a precarious spot if a severe storm or drought strikes.

Polanco: “More established farmers, they will have more capital, they will have land tenure, so for a young farmer who experiences any climate shock or climate event, it just becomes more risky.”

And the blow may be too severe for them to recover.

For example, Polanco says her group’s Texas chapter was hit hard by a severe winter storm in 2021.

Polanco: “The chapter had like 20 people, and most of them stopped farming, and we literally had to close the chapter down.”

To give new farmers a better chance of success, the coalition is advocating for federal programs that help them access land and capital. So more young people can start farming – and stay afloat – even if disaster strikes.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media