Beginning Farmers or Ranchers (BFRs): Challenges and Opportunities

In statute, a beginning farmer or rancher (BFR) refers to a farmer or rancher who has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years. This statutory definition applies to most of the farm support programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). One exception is USDA’s Federal Crop Insurance Program, which for most types of policies offered defines a BFR as a farmer or rancher who has not operated a farm or ranch for more than five years. A June 2024 Senate Agriculture Committee hearing identified barriers to entry, growth, and profitability for BFRs. These include barriers to accessing federal government support, agricultural commodity support programs, agricultural base acres, farm credit, agricultural land, capital assets and technology, and markets. Extensive agricultural research corroborated these findings. This report describes some of the challenges facing BFRs and highlights selected USDA programs established to address their needs. Although BFRs generally are eligible for all USDA programs, recent farm bills have provided targeted support addressing the specific needs of BFRs and other types of historically underserved producer groups. For example, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334) reauthorized and expanded existing support and provided additional support for BFRs. USDA programs and provisions supporting BFRs are found under most titles in the 2018 farm bill. Congress has provided additional targeted support for BFRs in annual Agriculture appropriations acts and in ad hoc emergency spending laws. During the 118th Congress, some Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have indicated continued support for BFRs and have proposed provisions that would expand BFR support as well as amend the existing BFR statutory definition in a future farm bill. As Congress debates the next farm bill, it may consider additional changes to how BFRs are defined in statute and how BFRs may be supported under USDA programs.