By 2015, an estimated 42% of Iowa families will retire, according to the 2009 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. What happens to that land could change forever the future of Iowa's landscape, environment, and food production. One of PFI members' top priorities is getting beginning farmers on the land with the goal that Iowa family farms will continue generation after generation, providing wholesome food, a good living for families, healthy soil, clean water, and vibrant rural communities. The Next Generation program is designed to help PFI's beginning farmer members thrive and help farm families transition their farm to the next generation. To that end, PFI is an open, supportive community that promotes profitable, ecologically sound, and community enhancing approaches to agriculture and hopes to see these values passed on through this intergenerational land change.
The goal of Practical Farmers of Iowa's "Find A Farmer" website is to promote conversations between landowners and beginning farmers. We know how hard it is to access land, and we want to help in anyway we can. While we acknowledge that this site cannot fix this tremendous challenge by itself, we encourage beginning farmers to add this site as one of the tools in their toolbox. Participate in our farmer-to-farmer programming to build your network and improve your chance for finding farming success.
Landowners
PFI member landowners want to support sustainable agriculture and want to leave a legacy on the Iowa landscape. Find A Farmer will help landowners find beginning farmers who use farming practices that are in agreement with the landowner's values. Landowners interested in assisting beginning farmers with a lease or purchase of land can use this site to browse for beginners.
Landseekers (Beginning Farmers)
This website strives to provide beginning farmers with land lease and purchase options around Iowa. Find A Farmer is only part of a suite of programming to serve beginning farmers (more than 550 in our Iowa network alone) so that Iowa farms may continue generation after generation producing healthy food, ecosystem services, and profits to farm families.
Beginners are encouraged to attend FREE online seminars or "Farminars" on-farm field days, in-person workshops and at our annual conference to gain more skills by learning from PFI member farmers.
Practical Farmers of Iowa defines a beginning farmer as someone who has 10 or fewer years experience managing his/her own farm business.
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