Courtney working to pass new bill to help young farmers
Jul. 29—Workforce shortages are the most significant limiting factor for America's farmers, ranchers and the agriculture industry today.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average age of American farmers increased from 2012 to 2017 and the number of U.S. farmers over the age of 65 now outnumbers those under 35 by a margin of 6 to 1. That widening gap reveals a crisis of attrition in American agriculture, as more and more farmers are retiring without new farmers coming into the field.
Many young farmers have difficulty breaking into the agriculture field if they have student loans. Banks often will not give them a loan to purchase farmland if the prospective farmer has student loans.
That is why Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT 2nd District) and Glenn Thompson (R-PA 15th District) are advocating for the House and Senate to pass the Young Farmer Success Act. This is a bill that would help America's young farmers manage their student loan debt by making them eligible for the existing Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007 and provides debt forgiveness for qualifying applicants. If Courtney and Thompson's bill is passed, young farmers would see the balance of their student loans forgiven after making 10 years of incomebased payments. Susan Mitchell, founder and owner of Cloverleigh Farms in Columbia, said at a press conference held by Courtney on Thursday afternoon that this bill would help young farmers get started in the agriculture field.
"As a beginning farmer myself, I have a lot of friends in agriculture who have very significant student loan debt and while that may not stop you from starting to work on a farm it certainly may hinder your opportunity to create your own farm business and actually continue as a full-time working farmer," she said.
Paul Larson, president of the Connecticut Farm Bureau, noted that this bill, if signed into law, would help to replenish the workforce in the agriculture field, as many farmers are retiring.
"Every farmer I've spoken with has talked about their concern for the future of their farm, their concern for the availability of an adequate labor force," he said.
Larson added that a college degree is important to have for many farmers, as it gives them an education regarding technology that is used in today's agriculture industry.
"To be able to gain the experience and learn about the cutting edge technology that's out there, that all agriculture is working with today, you need that college degree," he said. "Quite honestly, it's that debt that many of these students are incurring while going to college that has become a real drag on their potential."
Bonnie Burr, assistant director and department head with the department of extension in the University of Connecticut's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, sees a lot of young people that are eager to enter the agriculture
COURTNEY, Page 4
