Brent and Michelle Arp say that farming is in their blood. Brent’s 85-year-old father still farms on the more than 120-year-old farm where both he and Brent grew up. Michelle was raised around dairy cattle and once named the Iowa State Dairy Princess. Today, the couple farms about 600 acres of grain in Eastern Iowa and raises hogs and cattle. But even for a generations-old farming family with established roots in Iowa, it has been difficult for the Arps, small farmers, to acquire land of their own.

“It’s about impossible out here anymore. The price has just gotten outrageous for good farm ground around us,” says Brent, regarding the circumstances facing small farmers.

Increasing interest from investors for development, corporate land buyers, limited supply, and population growth are driving up the cost of land in the Midwest. In the Arps’ area, Brent says outside investors have bought several farms as security for their retirement plans. And those that have inherited land— those without mortgages—tend to accumulate more acres. This drives land prices up and out of reach for first-time buyers like the Arps.

The Arps rented farmland for about 20 years before they were given the opportunity to buy it. The owners offered the sale because their children did not want to return to the farm. The Arps are still in the process of buying—and they both still hold off-farm jobs to make ends meet—but say that the opportunity was too rare to pass up.

“When we were thinking about buying it, we were going back and forth like, this is crazy. We’re never going to be able to do it,” says Brent. “But we took a chance.”

And it has worked out for Brent and Michelle. In 2022, they started raising pigs for Niman Ranch, a specialty meat company offering a guaranteed price for their pork in exchange for high humane and sustainable farming standards. This gave the Arps financial stability to remain a small farm while investing in their future.

Read the full article about the future of farming by Emily Payne at Food Tank.