Por Cody Smith, ex miembro del personal
La ley agrícola es el principal mecanismo mediante el cual nuestro gobierno invierte en las comunidades rurales de todo el país. Sin ella, nuestros agricultores vivirían en la incertidumbre y nuestras comunidades carecerían de acceso a alimentos y otros recursos esenciales. La incapacidad del Congreso para aprobar una nueva ley, o una prórroga de la legislación vigente, ha generado ansiedad entre los jóvenes de las zonas rurales respecto al futuro.
Expiration leaves our nation’s beginning farmers and ranchers without access to resources they need to be successful in an aging profession. In 2017, the average age of a farmer was 58 years old. As these farmers hang up their boots, young people must be equipped to handle this transition.
Serious challenges like diminished access to land and capital, an absence of trusted networks, and limited knowledge of available resources can, and are, blocking their entry into the industry.
Before the farm bill expired – taking away funding and the USDA’s authority to administer it – the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program helped budding agriculturalists overcome these barriers. The Senate draft farm bill offered a new approach, the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Program, that would make a mandatory investment in the next generation. But, lawmakers failed to negotiate and pass a final 2018 farm bill in time.
A farm bill expiration is disheartening to young people across the U.S. because it sends a message that Congress failed to support them. Letting these programs expire shows young people that Congress has other priorities – none of which include the next generation of farmers.
