Utah farmland is extremely expensive, and only increasing in value. In 2025, Utah cropland value soared by 9.7%, by far the highest rate in the nation. This presents a major challenge for aspiring farmers.
“One of the greatest bottlenecks we know is making sure that small farmers have access to land to grow food,” said State Rep State Representative Jennifer Dailey-Provost in early February to a crowd of agricultural activists gathered at the State Capitol.
Dailey-Provost said she thinks state government has a major opportunity to lend small farmers support in this area.
“I can't magically create more land," she said, "but I do think that the legislature could play a very important role in helping farmers purchase land for small farming operations.”
That’s why Dailey-Provost has proposed HB0451. She explained the service her bill would provide for new farmers.
“It pulls on some funding inside the budget to create a loan/grant fund," Dailey-Provost said, "and so the intent is to provide a grant, partially to help people with a down payment on land up to 20 acres.”
HB0451 is a modification to the pre-existing Agriculture Resource Development Fund. It allows the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to grant or loan money to help small farmers purchase up to 20 acres of land or farm equipment.
Dailey-Provost said one key characteristic of the bill is that it would pay for itself.
“What I love most about it is that if we can get it done the way it is drafted, self-sustaining," she said. "We don't have to go beg the legislature for money every year.”
The bill hasn’t made it to the floor for a vote yet, but Dailey-Provost thinks that the issue HB0451 addresses is already receiving major attention from her fellow lawmakers.
“I really think that right now, we've got amazing recognition from not just an increasing number of legislators," said Dailey-Provost, "but all legislators, how critical this is.”