After graduation, students join the world of suits and ties, graduate schools, or in some cases, return to the family farm.

For students wanting to return to farming or for those interested in the business side of farming, Beginning Farmers Network, a student group, offers advice and information.

Derryl McLaren, state executive officer for the Iowa Farm Service Agency spoke to the group this week about beginning farmer loans and the past, present and future of farming.

Students involved in the group expressed concern about not having land to farm in their area. These students said a few farmers were running up the price of land and making it very difficult for beginning farmers to establish themselves in farming.

Despite the difficulties beginning farmers face, McLaren said he is confident about the future of farming.

“Agriculture needs you,” McLaren said. “There’s a real need for farm operators. There’s a future in farming, and the land will be farmed. We need a new generation that will understand that.”

Dustin Bollig, president of Beginning Farmers Network and junior in agricultural studies, said in some cases, he thought there was a problem with having too much land.

“We’ve been picking up land left and right in our area,” Bollig said.

“I’m not sure where all these acres are going to go.”

McLaren made a point to encourage youth to return to their roots and farm, despite the financial challenges beginning farmers and their parents may face in the first few years.

“Sit down with your parents and decide where you want to go with [farming],” he said. “There’s lots of things to take into consideration, but your family will bend over backwards for you. There’s no greater pleasure than to have three generations on a farm at once.”

McLaren said the Farm Service Agency wanted to help beginning farmers, and encouraged students to visit their local Farm Service Agency office once they figured out what they wanted to do in farming.

Although loans are available through the Farm Service Agency for beginning farmers, there are a few hurdles applicants must clear first, he said.

To apply for a loan, applicants must not have operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 years, McLaren said. In addition, applicants cannot own a farm greater than 25 percent of the average farm size in the county, must meet eligibility requirements of the program he or she is applying for and must have been actively engaged in a farming operation for three years, he said.

Nearly every farmer has some sort of outside income to stay financially afloat, which can mean anything from a seed dealership to Social Security, said McLaren, a former state senator.

“My salary from the [Iowa] State Senate put two kids through college and put a car in the garage,” he said.