Producing a valued commodity, working on the land, being your own boss—these are all things that make farming a new version of the American Dream for a lot of young adults.

Given that the average age of the American farmer is 58, that’s not a bad thing.

That’s why the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Committee works with several programs that help beginning and young farmers get established in the industry. 

Virginia’s Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition Program has been in development since late 2010, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave Virginia Tech a $748,000 grant to get the ball rolling. Organizers have worked to build relationships among current and would-be farmers, farm groups, Virginia Cooperative Extension agents and agriculture players such as the VFBF Young Farmers Committee, one of the coalition’s founders. They also have created a whole-farm planning curriculum designed to address the unique circumstances beginning farmers face in Virginia.

The Certified Farm Seekers program is a collaboration between VFBF Young Farmers and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, funded in part by the Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition and VDACS. It is a self-guided program that provides individuals seeking farming opportunities with tools to successfully demonstrate their farming commitment and vision to interested landowners. After completion, participants will be expected to produce a resume and business plan and demonstrate on-farm experience.

The program is for beginning farmers as well as transitioning or established farmers. One of its most exciting incentives is elevation in the Virginia Farm Link Database. Farm Link is an online database designed to bring landowners together with those interested in gaining access to farmland and farming operations in Virginia. Participants who are certified receive special designation in the database, increasing their chances of being contacted by a landowner.

Other incentives include a one-time professional business plan review, social and networking opportunities and possibly cost-share assistance.