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Young and underserved farmers tell Senate committee they lack access to credit, insurance and USDA support
Summary
First-generation and small-scale farmers described barriers to credit, low crop-insurance uptake and disruptions from a USDA funding freeze that, they said, is harming grants and local office services for beginning operators.
Young and underserved farmers and their advocates told the Senate Agriculture Committee that access to credit, relevant insurance products and timely USDA reimbursements remain major barriers to entry and stability.
Cedric Rowe, a first-generation organic peanut, hemp and vegetable grower from Albany, Georgia, said he did not inherit land and relied on the Farm Service Agency to purchase his first acreage. Rowe told senators he was denied an early microloan despite a sound business plan and described gaps in insurance availability for specialty and small-scale producers: "Only 10 whole farm policies were sold in Georgia last year. 83% of the farmers in Georgia do not have crop insurance," he said.
Why it matters: Committee members said the aging average of U.S. farmers and the rate at which land is changing hands make equitable, accessible USDA programs—including targeted loan terms, insurance on-ramps and functioning local offices—essential to preserve agricultural opportunity for new entrants and underserved groups.
USDA funding freeze: Senator Cory Booker raised concerns that a USDA freeze on signed-contract reimbursements has left nonprofits and young farmers without funds they expected, hampering planting and local services. Rowe said the freeze has meant that "we don't have anyone to talk to when you go to these local FSA office or USD offices" and that contracts and reimbursements are paused, forcing some producers to cancel plans or reduce operations.
Policy requests: Witnesses and senators discussed proposals to increase microloan limits, remove arbitrary eligibility windows, create pilot programs for preapproved direct farm ownership loans, and improve NAP or create a revenue-based NAP option as an on-ramp to whole-farm revenue protection. Senators also requested that the committee consider incentives for agents to sell policies to small and specialty producers.
