The head of the Nebraska Farmers Union says ongoing volatility in the ag economy is making it difficult for young producers to get started.
John Hansen says he fears what that means for the future. “Beginning farmers are getting pushed the hardest because they have the most amount of debt and the least amount of equity to offset it.”
He tells Brownfield that makes transition planning is becoming more difficult. “The expected cash flows that were going to be there to support them are gone and so then it becomes difficult for folks trying to take over where it’s not going to work anymore and the folks trying to transition.”
Hansen says depending on how long the ag economy sits at its current level it could force out an entire generation of producers.
He says Nebraska’s Beginning Farmer Program has helped many get started farming since it’s creation in the 1980s. He says it recently expanded eligibility requirements to help meet the current price environment.
