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 advisor-navigators, and
a website.
The Illinois FarmLink team is addressing farmland access
challenges in three ways. First, the program empowers farmers to be more effective and knowledgeable in their access searches. This is done through the navigators’ free
advising sessions as well as education programs and presentations. Second, the program seeks to directly connect
farmers and farmland owners through the website’s online profile system, networking
events, and promoting farmers and farmland opportunities in our monthly email
newsletter. Third, Illinois FarmLink provides access to the best land access
resources from around the country and has begun developing its own unique
resources that address topics not covered by other organizations’ resources.
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.
In the coming year, Illinois FarmLink will also launch a
statewide working group of organizations with the common goal of addressing key
land access challenges in the state in coordinated
ways. The program is also committed to "living" equity that will root
the program in the principles of justice, diversity, equity, and belonging.
To build further awareness of Illinois FarmLink and its services,
we will be advertising the program extensively (in print, radio, and online) and
conduct outreach to our networks of partners and farmers.