The number one challenge beginning farmers face is find and securing
affordable, appropriate farmland. To address this issue in Illinois, The Land
Connection’s project, “Land Access Solutions for Illinois’ Next-Generation
Farmers,” has launched a farmland access program for the entire state –
Illinois FarmLink – with a director, three farmland access navigators, and
a website.
The Illinois FarmLink team is addressing farmland access
challenges through three types of services. First, the program provides free advising services as a way to give farmers customized advice and ideas that will help farmers take useful next steps for their situation. Second, the program directly connects farmers and farmland owners through the website’s online profile system, networking
events, promoting farmers and farmland opportunities in our monthly email
newsletter, and direct matchmaking. Third, Illinois FarmLink provides education and resources to boost knowledge and insight for farmers.
Because farmland owners are so fundamental to the farmland access
success and because farmland succession can make or break farmland’s future
availability to farmers, Illinois FarmLink offers those same three groups of services
to farmland owners as well. Illinois FarmLink has also begun partnering with
other organizations around succession planning education programming so that farmland owners will be able to make wise, informed succession plan choices.
In the coming year, Illinois FarmLink will also convene a
statewide coalition of organizations. farmers, and farmland owners with the common goal of addressing key
land access challenges in the state in coordinated
ways. The program is also committed to making sure it provides the services and resources people of all backgrounds and financial assets will find useful.
To build further awareness of Illinois FarmLink and its services,
we will be advertising the program extensively (in print, radio, and online) and
conducting outreach to our networks of partners and farmers.