CLARIFICATION: Updated to add that some states have enacted regulations restricting the purchase of farmland by corporations; these laws vary in stringency and effectiveness. (March 20, 2023 3:45 p.m. MST)

The growing value of agricultural commodities is attracting deep-pocketed financial investors - like Bill Gates - and pushing land ownership out of reach for many, particularly beginning farmers and farmers of color.

Savi Horne, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Black lawyers' Land Loss Prevention Project, said since the start of the pandemic there has been more pressure for financial institutions and investors to acquire land, further driving up costs and complicating the struggle for racial equity in agriculture.

Horne contends the hefty price tag for good farmland is one of the biggest challenges. Average U.S. farmland prices increased 7% from June 2020 to June 2021, and 12% from June 2021 to June 2022, according to data from the USDA.

Horne's experience backs those figures up. "Most recently I heard from farmers who were looking two years back, in which they were saying that it was under $1,000 per acre, but now in that community, it's like about $3,000 to $5,000."

Costs are much higher in states like California, but "The financial industry is in the market for farmland" in a big way in the South, according to a deep dive into who's buying up agricultural land from the National Family Farm Coalition with a focus on the Mississippi Delta.

While some states have enacted regulations restricting the purchase of farmland by corporations, these laws vary in stringency and effectiveness. There are currently no federal laws specifically addressing the purchase of farmland by financial institutions, said Horne.

She makes the case that it is in the public's best interest to create a vibrant and diverse small farm sector, and suggests that the federal government could help by proactively purchasing farmland to level the playing field among farmers.

"Making land available, acquiring land and making it available - low cost to no cost to next-generation farmers if they're really serious about growing next-generation capacity to grow food and to participate in rural communities," Horne said.

She adds, Black farmers in particular face multiple land-loss threats, including the legacy of federal government discrimination in farm lending, and the lack of legal protections for the collective landownership form known as "heirs' property."

When a farm has been owned and/or shared by an extended family for multiple generations, the various heirs may lack clear title if formal probate was not processed completely with each successive owner's death. Those legal proceedings over generations of ownership can be expensive, complicated and time-consuming. If all the heirs can't prove legal ownership, there is a danger of losing the property.

Historically, this legal quandary occurs more frequently for Indigenous, Black and people of color communities whose families faced greater institutional challenges.


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A small Pennsylvania community is hoping Congress will remember the needs of rural areas as lawmakers negotiate the final, contentious debt ceiling deal.

Jamie Kinder, mayor of Meadville, said larger cities tend to get more attention and funding from federal and state governments, and small rural areas like hers are more likely to be left out. She added her town has benefited from Bipartisan Infrastructure Act dollars, which have funded projects and programs in the community.

Kinder contends federal funding for small, rural areas must continue.

"We have used that federal money; we bought a fire truck," Kinder pointed out. "That's what helped us be able to bring the EMS service into Meadville. We don't have a lot of money, we have no way of bringing in revenue for a city, right? They tie your hands at the state level. So, the only way you get money in a city is through property tax."

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Pennsylvania is expected to receive about $13.2 billion over five years in federal funding for highways and bridges. In Meadville, road resurfacing on one major street is part of more than $12.5 million in state work scheduled this year by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Kinder emphasized Meadville relies on funding from the federal government, noting her town's economic needs are just as great as those in larger cities and suburban areas.

"We are a small community of 13,000," Kinder said. "And just because we are small doesn't mean that our citizens aren't worth as much, right? So, we want to make sure that we're giving the same opportunities to rural places as we are big cities and urban places."

Kinder added the town has also received grants to purchase ambulances and equip the fire station and historic Market House with solar energy. Meadville has also created a climate action plan focusing on its future.

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State grants could bring high-speed internet access to nearly 15,000 Washingtonians.

The State Broadband Office is awarding $121 million to 19 projects largely designed to ensure broadband for rural communities.

Director of the Washington State Broadband Office Mark Vasconi said an even greater number of communities will need to be served after this round of grants.

"We received over $300 million worth of requests," said Vasconi. "So, I think that shows the need that's out there and, frankly, we were glad that we were able to award the projects that we did."

The state has a goal of ensuring every Washingtonian has access to 150 megabits per second speed internet by 2028.

According to the latest Federal Communications Commission broadband map, 93% of Washingtonians have access to internet with speeds of at least 100 megabits per second.

Vasconi said internet availability will equalize access to services for the people who live in Washington.

"You have access to services, access to information that you otherwise would not have," said Vasconi. "It's really essential in order to conduct your daily life, whether that be health care information, educational information, banking information."

Funds are going to counties and electric co-ops - as well as the Spokane Tribe, which is receiving about $3.4 million. The state is funding the project with investments from the federal Coronavirus Capital Project Fund.




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Young farmers in the United States face extensive structural barriers affecting their mental health, according to a new survey from the National Young Farmers Coalition.

A lack of affordable health care and housing as well as access to land is taking a toll on farmers just starting their career, as well as farmers of color.

Jac Wypler, farmer mental-health director for the National Young Farmers Coalition, said mental decline can lead to poor decision-making and higher risk of injury.

"Farmer mental health truly can lead to farms being less viable," Wypler pointed out. "Farmers being less capable to do the work of the farm, as well as leaving the farming profession."

Wypler noted low pay for farmworkers and even food insecurity are also leading to farmer burnout. Advocates have created a bilingual mental health hotline for farmers at 1-800-FARM-AID and are cultivating a growing network of young farmer leaders working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

The 2018 Farm Bill was the first to direct funding toward farmers' mental health and advocates are hoping the 2023 Farm Bill will offer even more.

Wypler acknowledged Americans' appreciation for farmers and the challenges they face grew during the pandemic, but stressed continued support is needed.

"A functioning healthy food system requires healthy farmers and farmworkers, and that includes their mental health," Wypler contended.

Cultivemos, a network for farmer and farmworker well-being in the Northeast, has regranted federal dollars to more than ninety organizations working to improve farmers' mental health through training and peer mentoring.


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