With the average age of the American farmer exceeding 58 years, the necessity to usher a new generation into agriculture is also giving way to opportunity across the nation. Over the last eight years, USDA has engaged its resources to provide greater support to new farmers in a variety of ways, including a host of outreach activities to improve access to land, capital and technical assistance that are designed to develop a diverse and empowered next generation of farmers.

Just last week, we announced 37 projects funded in part by USDA to help educate, mentor and enhance the sustainability of our next generation of agriculture leaders. Abstracts for this year’s projects, which represent an investment of $17.8 million funded through USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), can be viewed on our website. Through programs like BFRDP, which since 2009 has invested more than $126 million in projects targeting new and beginning farmers and ranchers, USDA is prioritizing support for a new generation of farmers who are ready to step into the wide world of agriculture, many of them for the first time.

At the same time, we are working to dispel the perception that a career in agriculture can only mean being a farmer or rancher. Every year, nearly 60,000 jobs become available in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environmental fields, but only about 35,000 students are expected to graduate with degrees in these fields each year. Of these, almost half will be in management and business, and more than a quarter will be in STEM. You can read more about how the federal government is teaming up with strong partners like Archer Daniels Midland to help students find their niche in American agriculture in a joint op-ed written by Secretary Vilsack and ADM Chief Human Resources Officer Michael D’Ambrose in the Ames Tribune.

Join us throughout the month of August as we tell the important story of eight years of progress toward a more equal and inclusive USDA. Follow along on usda.gov, on the USDA blog and by using #USDAResults, or catch up on Chapter VIII on our Medium site.

Throughout the month you can join us as we tell the important story of eight years of progress toward a more equal and inclusive USDA.