The average American farmer is 60 years old. That means that in the next decade, a lot of land in the country is going to be changing hands.
During this hour of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with Graham Merriweather, director of a new documentary called Farmers for America, which features more than 20 farmers across the country.
Chuck Wirtz is a row crop and livestock producer in West Bend, and he and his son are a part of the film. He and Kate Edwards, a farmer at Wild Woods Farm and land access coordinator at Renewing the Countryside Land Access Hub, also join the conversation. Edwards says that land access issues are important to talk about.
"There's so much to land access," says Edwards. "It's not just knocking on a neighbor's door and asking, 'Can I lease or rent this land?' There are readiness issues, technical issues, personal issues."
"Everything tells you to Google it these days, but you really need someone to talk you through the process."
Edwards and several farm organizations are hosting screenings of the documentary along with panel discussions and networking events for young farmers across the state during the month of February. Find more information here.
