Loans, grants help a new generation of farmers take the field
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has money available to help a new generation of farmers continue America’s agricultural tradition.
COURTESY PHOTO/ZOE RICHARDSON/UNSPLASh
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | May 29, 2025 3:53 PM
SPOKANE VALLEY — As many as a third of farmers in the United States are over the age of 65, according to a study by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Farm Financial Management. Many of these have family members to pass their farms on to, but in order for American agriculture to continue, a new generation of farmers is needed.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has assistance available for beginning farmers or those who are returning to the field after an absence, according to an announcement from the USDA. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers farm ownership and farm operating loans to farmers and ranchers who have trouble obtaining commercial credit from a bank, according to the announcement.
“Farming and ranching is a capital-intensive business and FSA is committed to helping producers start and maintain their agricultural operations,” Geremy Nelson, FSA Acting State Executive Director in Washington, wrote in the announcement. “FSA loans are designed to make sure that everyone has access to credit. Last year, FSA in Washington obligated $32.9 million in loans to beginning farmers and ranchers.”
Those loans come in two forms: ownership loans and operating loans. Ownership loans may be used to buy or enlarge a farm, build or improve buildings, improve soil and water conservation and pay closing costs. Operating loans may go to purchase livestock, poultry, farm equipment, fertilizer, and other material; for family living expenses; refinancing debts; paying hired farm laborers; installing or improving water systems for home, livestock or irrigation use; and other similar improvements.
The loans also come through two methods. Direct loans come straight from the USDA and can be for as much as $600,000 for an ownership loan or $400,000 for an operating loan, according to data from the USDA. Guaranteed loans are made through a participating private lender and max out at $2,251,000 for either ownership or operations.
To qualify as a beginning farmer, an individual must have operated a farm for less than 10 years and must not own a farm greater than 30% of the average farm size in the county. The applicant must participate substantially in the operation, according to the announcement. If the applicant is an entity, all members must meet these requirements as well as being related by blood or marriage. At least one member of the entity must have three years or more experience in the business operations of a farm.
The FSA also has a special program to assist with down payments in purchasing a farm, according to a fact sheet from the USDA. This program can also be used by retiuring farmers to transfer their land to the next generation. The borrower must be able to come with a down payment of at least 5% of the purchase price and the rest can be obtained from a private commercial lender and guaranteed by the FSA.
In addition to the loans, the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program offers grants for education, training and mentoring for beginning farmers and ranchers, according to the CFFM.
The BFRDP is administered through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and can fund services relating to:
• Basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices.
• Innovative farm, ranch, and private, nonindustrial forest land transfer and succession strategies.
• Entrepreneurship and business training.
• Technical assistance to help beginning farmers or ranchers acquire land from retiring farmers and ranchers.
• Financial and risk management training, including the acquisition and management of agricultural credit.
• Natural resource management and planning.
• Diversification and marketing strategies.
• Agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veteran farmers and ranchers.
• Farm safety and awareness.
• Food safety and recordkeeping
“For over a decade, this highly successful initiative has provided competitively awarded grants to community organizations, state extension services, academic institutions, and producer groups to support and train new farmers and ranchers across the country,” the NIFA wrote on its website.
More information is available from the Farm Service Administration at bit.ly/FSAbeginningloans, the Center for Farm Financial Management at www.farmanswers.org,and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture at bit.ly/BFRDP.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.