Secretary Johanns advises aspriring farmers
"If you go back over the entire history of farm policy, you'll never find anything as forward-looking for beginning farmers," Johanns said of the proposals.
The assistance programs include increased direct government payments in a farmer's first year, easier access to loans for beginning farmers who want to borrow from the government and a 10 percent set-aside of conservation funds earmarked especially for beginning farmers.
Johanns spoke at a round-table discussion for young and beginning farmers before addressing the annual conference of the Iowa FFA at the Iowa State Center.
Biofuels made from crops and plant residues are setting the stage for a promising future in agriculture, said Johanns, who was raised on a dairy farm near Osage.
"I don't believe I've ever been more excited about agriculture for young people," he said.
He advised the young people who attended the round-table discussion to look at niche markets that sell unconventional products directly to consumers, and to stay up to date on technology and developments in agriculture.
"The only guarantee I can give young people is that agriculture is going to change," he said.
Some of the young people in the round-table discussion expressed frustration with high farmland prices and land rental rates that many see as a barrier to entering farming.
Johanns urged retiring farmers to look at transferring farms over time to young farmers.
The advancing age of many farmland owners also can be seen as an opportunity for young people who want to take over a farm, Johanns said.
"You can't take the deed to heaven," he said. "There are some demographic factors out there we have to come to grips with."
Putting young farmers back on the land is important for many reasons, Johanns said.
Young families put kids in school, buy household goods from local businesses and add to the local economy.
"Ending up with one farmer per county is not a good social dynamic," Johanns said. "Whatever we can do to help that young person get involved with production agriculture is very, very important for rural America, smaller communities and the country."
