Por Teresa Hoffman, ex miembro del personal
Con una edad media de casi 60 años para los agricultores estadounidenses y con millones de hectáreas que se espera que cambien de manos en los próximos años, los veteranos militares tienen un papel fundamental que desempeñar mientras la nación busca a la próxima generación de productores.
To do so, veterans will need assistance overcoming barriers, such as accessing land and the lack of assets or cash flow to purchase land, equipment, and farm inputs.
Access to credit is an important component of most farming operations, especially for new and beginning producers.
Farm Service Agency (FSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), offers a variety of loan programs, including providing access to much-needed credit. FSA offers both direct and guaranteed loans.
In 2018, FSA loan programs had a monumental year, as obligations to all farmers reached a record $1.1 billion. Of those, veteran farmers received $82.1 million from FSA and $76 million from third-party providers.
There are also conservation loan programs available through the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, with preference given to veteran farmers who support conservation on their farming operations.
Additionally, changes in the 2018 farm bill seek to improve outreach to veteran farmers and expand eligibility for various programs.
Para garantizar que Estados Unidos pueda mantener una industria agrícola multimillonaria y apoyar a las comunidades rurales, nuestras políticas deben crear oportunidades para la próxima generación de quienes pretenden producir nuestros alimentos y fibras.
