WE ARE LOSING FARMS AND FARMERS EVERY DAY

Never before in our history has such a small percentage of our population been involved in farming, and never before has so much farmland and so many farm businesses been slated to change hands in the very near future.

America’s farm population shrank from 32 million (or 30% of the population) in 1920, to 2 million (or less than 1%) in 2012. And not only are fewer people farming, but the farm population is aging, with the average age of farmers at 60 - almost retirement age.  

A recent report co-written by Oregon State University, Portland State University, and RFC entitled: The Future of Oregon's Agricultural Land found that up to 10.45 million acres of Oregon’s total 16.3 million acres of farmland may change hands in the next 20 years.

We are facing a new era in which fewer family members are ready and willing to fill retiring farmers' shoes, and many beginning farmers are first generation farmers who are not in a position to inherit a farm. Yet many Oregon farmers (up to 80% according to the study) don’t have a plan to pass on their business and their land to family members or unrelated farmers when they retire or die. Without a succession plan, a farmer is much less likely to pass on a viable farm businesses to the next generation.

WE SEE A SOLUTION

RFC is working with a broad spectrum of organizational partners to assist beginning farmers in developing their business plan and model, gaining access to land and capital, and getting one-on-one business coaching to ensure they are ready to succeed. 

The looming mass transition of farmland in Oregon is both an unprecedented challenge and an opportunity to transform the field of agriculture to become more equitable, resilient and life-sustaining. Many new farmers entering the field are pursuing regenerative farming methods - a critical component of slowing and adapting to climate change. We also have an opportunity to make careers in farming more accessible to more people. 

Currently, only 3% of farm owner-operators in Oregon identify as a race other than white. This is due in large part to the legacy of Oregon’s racist Donation Land Claim Act and Black Exclusion Laws of the mid-1800s.These laws set into motion over a century of institutional racism most notorious for stealing land from Indigenous communities and excluding Black people from living in Oregon, continuing well into the 1990s with redlining and exclusionary lending policies. Many barriers still exist today in providing equitable access to land and capital for non-white farmers in Oregon, underscoring the need to undo the legacy of systemic racism in agriculture

Action is needed on several fronts to increase access to farming opportunities for first-generation farmers and Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) farmers, including assisting retirement-age farmers and ranchers with planning for succession. To support an intentional intergenerational transition of Oregon’s farms and farmland, RFC hosts trainings and workshops on succession planning, and facilitates inter-generational networking spaces. We are also working with farm service providers and food system partners to create additional programming and resources to assist farmers and ranchers with the personal, financial and logistical elements of succession planning.

And, we are sharing stories of successful farm succession and transfers. We are sharing the hope that we can bridge this gap. That beginning farmers can succeed and retiring farmers can pass their farms and businesses on to the next generation and retire with dignity. 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE

The Future Farms Program has evolved over time. In addition to ongoing activities, past accomplishments include: 

Research: In 2016, Rogue Farm Corps, Portland State University, and Oregon State University authored a groundbreaking study on how farmland is changing hands in Oregon and how vulnerable this land is to conversion from agriculture. The report, titled The Future of Oregon’s Agricultural Land[i], has since been shared with numerous partners, stakeholders, and farm service providers. In 2019, RFC conducted a gap analysis studying the barriers to land access for beginning farmers and the challenges of non-familial farm succession, with the goal of increasing opportunities for first-generation farmers, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) farmers, and other farmers from historically marginalized communities to enter the field of farming. 

Education: RFC has given over 100 presentations on the threats of farmland conversion and how to mitigate them to almost 4,000 people, including 2,000 farmers and ranchers. These events included 34 workshops for farmers and ranchers on succession planning, conservation easements, and/or accessing land and capital to start a farm business.

Policy: RFC helped pass the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program, which establishes a state program for working lands conservation easements, assisting farmers and ranchers with preserving their land for agriculture by protecting it from development and other non-farm uses.

Storytelling: In 2019, RFC published 19 stories both in print and online[iii] in the Capital Press[ii], “The West’s Ag Weekly” news source since 1928, to educate the newspaper’s readership about why and how to plan for succession, and to provide inspiration and success stories. The column also shared resources to help with succession planning and conservation, encouraging readers to take the next step in succession planning and conserving their farmland in perpetuity.