Friends of Family Farmers, an Oregon nonprofit that supports small-scale and beginning producers, will soon have a new website that will help farmers find land, advice and other support.
The site, oregonfarmlink.org, goes live May 24.
The intent is to serve as an information portal for the next generation of farmers, said Molly Notarianni, an organizer with Friends of Family Farmers.
The site will help link aspiring farmers to landowners who have land for sale, lease or rent. It also will carry job listings, partnership opportunities and a resource library to help with training, equipment and financial resources.
The ultimate goal is to keep farmland in production for another generation, Notraianni said.
She cites some familiar statistics: The average age of Oregon farmers is nearly 60. With many nearing retirement age, it’s projected that up to half the state’s farmland could change hands over the next decade.
To Friends of Family Farmers, that represents “a looming crisis around who will grow our food and who will own the land in the future,” the group said in a news release. The organization advocates on behalf of what it considers “socially and environmentally responsible family-scale farmers and ranchers.”
The new website replaces Friends of Family Farmers “iFarm” land link program, which has been in place since 2009. For more information about the organization, visit www.friendsoffamilyfarmers.org.