--- description: Intended as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for beginning farmers, it promises the full range of financial and technical support title: The Government Wants Young Farmers To Hit the Hay (Literally) image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5dc0a2d9a3de41a/69869930810bbb4546c9256b/usda-young-farmer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Diet & Nutrition](/tag/dietnutrition/) ## Diet & Nutrition Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Government Wants Young Farmers To Hit the Hay (Literally) by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 25, 2014 4:58 PM CUT  Andrew Isaacson watches from the cockpit of a tractor in a corn field as screens show where he has fertilized at the Little Bohemia Creek farm on June 17, 2014 in Warwick, Md. Andrew Isaacson watches from the cockpit of a tractor in a corn field as screens show where he has fertilized at the Little Bohemia Creek farm on June 17, 2014 in Warwick, Md.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 25, 2014 4:58 PM CUT The USDA has launched a [New Farmers website](http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/newfarmers?navid=newfarmers "undefined") targeted at young people struggling to get their start in the agriculture industry. The site brings together in one place a number of programs already available to newcomers: It can help young farmers get off the ground with a variety of loans from the Farm Service Agency, which often provides critical resources to those who are unable to get help from traditional lenders. It provides crop insurance for a fruits, vegetables and grains. And through the Transition Incentive Program, it can facilitate transfer of farmland from retiring farmers to new and socially disadvantaged farmers and vets. What’s more: Aspiring organic farmers can find help with the cost of certification—which is especially relevant, as organic farmers are younger on average, and the market for organic foods [shows no signs of slowing](http://time.com/97949/organic-food-sales-on-the-rise/ "undefined"). They can also get help with land conservation and soil health. As the American farm population ages out (the average is now 58), it is increasingly critical that a new generation is in place to produce our food. “We must help new farmers get started if America is going to continue feeding the world and maintain a strong agriculture economy,” said U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden [in the announcement](http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2014/06/0131.xml&contentidonly=true "undefined"). If the site proves useful to those getting their start, it just might help launch the next fleet of farmers. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2921514/usda-new-farmers-website/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2921514/usda-new-farmers-website/"},"headline":"The Government Wants Young Farmers To Hit the Hay (Literally)","datePublished":"2014-06-25T16:58:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:37:16.754Z","description":"Intended as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for beginning farmers, it promises the full range of financial and technical support","url":"https://time.com/2921514/usda-new-farmers-website/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Agriculture","USDA"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5dc0a2d9a3de41a/69869930810bbb4546c9256b/usda-young-farmer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5dc0a2d9a3de41a/69869930810bbb4546c9256b/usda-young-farmer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-IT-FARMING","caption":"US-IT-FARMING","creditText":"Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2921514/usda-new-farmers-website/","name":"The Government Wants Young Farmers To Hit the Hay (Literally)"}}]}] ```