AUDIO: Katie Bishop – The Land Connection
The organic grain mentorship coordinator with The Land Connection says the struggling economy is taking its toll on many specialty growers.
Katie Bishop says it’s important that producers, no matter their size, form a relationship with their local Farm Service Agency office.
“FSA also has micro loans, so you don’t have to be a large operation.” She says, “Those types of funds can help everything from operating expenses and equipment to land or farm infrastructure.”
She tells Brownfield, “Regardless of your size or how long you’ve been in operation for, if you’re a specialty crop farmer, it’s a great idea to figure out where your FSA office is for your county, apply for a farm number, and just tell them what you’re doing.”
Bishop says that FSA relationship can also make producers eligible for federal aid distributions like the recent billion-dollar Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program.
