Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Soll, M.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
Legal Aid of Nebraska
1904 Farnam Street, Suite 500
Omaha, NEBRASKA 68102-1938

LEGAL AID OF NEBRASKA`S BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The purpose of the Legal Aid of Nebraska Beginning Farmer and Ranchers Development Program is to increase the number and enhance the sustainability of farm and ranch enterprises in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and the eastern Colorado StrikeForce area. The project will provide education and skills to beginning farmers and ranchers, including but not limited to socially-disadvantaged producers including women, with focused outreach to returning veterans; deliver business succession planning to beginning farmers and ranchers engaged in transition with established landowners; and provide information for beginning farmers interested in small-scale, direct marketing operations. The project will address the following Priority Topics for Standard Grants: 1) financial and risk management training (including the acquisition and management of agricultural credit); 2) diversification and marketing strategies; 3) assisting beginning farmers and ranchers in acquiring land from retiring farmers and ranchers; and 4) agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veterans.Program Need: The target audience includes all Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and eastern Colorado transitioning landowners, beginning farmers and ranchers and prospective beginning farmers and ranchers, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. LAN will provide additional outreach to veteran farmers and ranchers in this region.Since the early 1980's, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado have experienced a dramatic decline in the numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers and an increase in the number of landowners over the age of 65. According to the 2012 US Census on Agriculture, in these states, the number of operators age 65+ is at least triple the number of operators age 35 or under.StateNebraskaSouth DakotaColoradoWyomingNumber of operators 65+13,1778,55112,3623,632Number of operators ≤ 354,7472,8891,909722Elder farmers control half of all farmland but have few plans to transfer their land to another generation and rarely plan to retire; a study conducted by Iowa State University demonstrates that over 70% of retiring landowners have made no succession plans. Beginning farmers need land but lack the skills and wherewithal to procure it; they have little experience in the business planning or financial management necessary to start farm businesses in newly competitive markets.Nevertheless, Nebraska is the only state in America's heartland that has seen an increase in its new farmer population. The beginning farmer population in Nebraska has increased by 9.8% over the past five years, compared to significant losses in neighboring target states including a 3% loss in South Dakota, 4% loss in Wyoming, and 20% loss in Colorado. Part of this trend may be due to the fact that Nebraska has many state resources available for beginning farmers - including state income tax incentives for leasing agricultural assets to new farmers, property tax exemptions for beginning farmers, and an energetic network of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and interested stakeholders who share resources and information about beginning farmer initiatives and programs. LAN has been at the forefront of these innovative models for decades and will provide outreach, especially in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado, to connect beginning producers with LAN's successful beginning farmer and rancher programs.

OBJECTIVES: Major Goals: Legal Aid of Nebraska's major goals under this project are to increase the number and sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers in Nebraska, South Dakota, eastern Colorado, and Wyoming. Legal Aid of Nebraska goal is to educate about and, when possible, facilitate inter-generational transfer of land and/or farm enterprises through estate and management succession planning strategies and use of business entities, but also assist those prospective and beginning farmers and ranchers interested in direct marketing, local food production, and novel enterprises. As such, Legal Aid of Nebraska's will strengthen its existing foundation of services in Nebraska and South Dakota, expand its services into Wyoming and eastern Colorado, and broad its target audience by including veteran populations. Legal Aid of Nebraska will incorporate into its existing services the following:materials, education, and training on novel enterprises, small-scale marketing and local food endeavors, state and federal beginning farmer programs, and tax issues with use of entities;a one-stop-shop online web portal for resources, links, blogs, and webinars;expansion of the Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers to include members with a mission to increase the number and sustainability of veteran farmers and ranchers;in-person activities, yearly conferences, and networking opportunities aimed at active-duty and veteran farmers and ranchers; anda statistical review of the Nebraska Beginning Farmer Tax Credit and Personal Property Tax Exemption.Objectives:Total of 3,780 beginning farmers will take some action;Increase number of beginning farmers in the targeted states by 378 start-ups/individuals;Increase participation in Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers by 4 organizations/individuals dedicated to increasing number and sustainability of veteran farmers and ranchers;Workshops (12) in Year One of project, 14 workshops in Years Two and Three of project;Roundtables (4) in Year One of project;One-on-one clinics (20) in Year One of project, 15 clinics in Years Two and Three of project;At-home mentoring sessions (20) in Years One, Two, and Three of project;Increase number of views of dedicated one-stop-shop website, with 8,116 views in Year One, 10,550 views in Year Two, and 13,716 views in Year Three of project;Veteran farmer and rancher annual conference, 1 conference each in Years Two and Three of project, with 50 participants per conference;Veteran farmer and rancher in-person activities (3) with 20 participants each in Years Two and Three of project; andStatistical analysis (1) of Nebraska Beginning Farmer Tax Credit and Personal Property Tax Exemption.