Republican lawmakers are seeking to create a “farmland link” program that would help connect potential buyers with agricultural land.
Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, this week began circulating a cosponsorship memo for the legislation, LRB-3225/1 and LRB 4320/1, which would create the program.
It would be organized under DATCP’s Farm Center, and the agency would establish and maintain the program. It would help connect farmland owners with prospective buyers that plan to use the land only for ag purposes, with a goal of supporting new or beginning farmers.
Under the legislation, the Farm Center would be able to help with farmland transfers and work with nonprofits to identify potential participants, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. The center would also publish educational resources for the program.
DATCP would be required to operate a public website for the program and make annual reports to the governor and certain legislative committees about the farms, acres and users in the program for the prior year.
“Wisconsin agriculture is at a crossroads with an aging farming population and increasing challenges for young and beginning farmers to access land,” the lawmakers wrote. “Meanwhile, thousands of acres of farmland remain underutilized or risk falling out of agricultural production altogether.”
The number of farm operators in the state fell from 110,347 in 2017 to 105,920 in 2022, according to a UW-Madison report from last year. At the same time, the median age of these farmers rose from 56 years to 56.7 years, an increase of 1.3%.
Report authors note this may seem modest, but it represents a broader shift in the makeup of the state’s farming community. From 2017 to 2022, the number of farmers ages 34 or younger rose 1.6% while those ages 34-44 rose 10.3%. But farmers in the 45-54 age range declined 25.6% over that period while the number of farmers that are 75 and older increased by 22.4%.
The memo notes more than 30 other states have similar farmland link programs.
“By creating a structured and state-authorized farmland matching service, we can help preserve our agricultural heritage, promote intergenerational transfer of farms, and support the next wave of Wisconsin farmers,” authors wrote.
The cosponsorship deadline is 5 p.m. Monday.
See the bill text.
