Dive Brief:
- USDA announced that it has made $18 million in funding available to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), administered by USDA's National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
- The funding will be put toward educating, mentoring, and promoting the sustainability of future farmers and ranchers.
- USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden calls the BFRDP, "critical for cultivating the next generation of farmers and ranchers, who will be integral to sustaining America's agricultural future."
Dive Insight:
Beginning farmers and ranchers will learn a variety of concepts and techniques from the programs funded by the USDA's contribution, including but not limited to basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices; entrepreneurship and business training; natural resource management and planning; and farm safety and awareness, among other relevant topics.
This funding follows reports that an aging farmer population is threatening the future of the U.S. food supply.