The 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey results released earlier this month underline the challenge for beginning farmers to have access to land.

A tenth of the 911 million U.S. farmland acres outside of Alaska and Hawaii is slated for ownership transfer in the next five years, not including farmland that is in or is expected to be put into wills. Landlords expect to keep or put nearly 48 percent of these acres in trusts. This means that only a small percentage of farmland will be available for new entrants into the farming sector over the next 5 years, and with increasing farm real estate values nationwide, finding affordable land to start or expand a farm will continue to be a challenge.

New farmers will need to continue to find creative ways to access farmland — including working with land trusts, such as SILT land-sharing with other farmers, or seeking secure lease terms with long-term rental arrangements.

Read more here – https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Newsroom/2015/08_31_2015.php