Matchmaking for farmers?
I don’t know about you,
But I’m picturing …
a fellow in his finest overalls,
a gal in gingham,
Cupid’s …
pitchfork?
Come what may …
(dare I say?)
A roll in the hay!
Okay, enough, enough!
As it turns out,
Matchmaking for farmers is all about land:
Who needs it?
Who has it?
And, can we create a connection?
The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is determined to make it happen via their new website, Farm Lease Connection.
“When we started this program, we did sort of jokingly refer to it as ‘eFarmony,'” Marilyn Anthony, PASA’s eastern region director, told NPR.
Anthony is something like,
well …
like an agricultural speed-dating coordinator.
“It’s her job is to convince landowners that organic farming would be a good way to utilize their land, and to convince skeptical organic farmers that leasing is the most affordable way to expand their business,” explains NPR’s Emma Jacobs. “She hosts events where landowners and aspiring farmers can meet each other in an informal setting and see if they’d like to do business.”
See what I mean?
According to the Farm Lease Connection, access to land is the number one barrier to farming for new and beginning farmers, so they hope to facilitate access to land for people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to farm due to the high cost of land ownership and lack of initial capital.
Parcels of land as small as one-quarter acre up to hundreds of acres can qualify for the program.
If you live in Pennsylvania and are determined to make your farming dreams come true, visit the Farm Lease Connection’s Farmers page to get started.
Similar programs are cropping up across the country. To dig into resources for your area, visit American Farmland Trust and the International Farm Transition Network.
American Gothic by Grant Wood, 1930. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
This sounds like a great thing for all interested parties. Way to go.
It’s is going to be a very practical help to PA residents who are negotiating living on a farm or preserving land for the future. Every state needs such a go to place, in my opinion.