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  • From: "Mary E. Embleton" <mary AT oz.net>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: who will farm
  • Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 10:10:40 -0800

Title: SANET-MG archives -- January 2001 (#279)

Patrick,

 

There are currently a number of programs throughout the US that are actively working to “link” beginning farmers with agricultural landowners.  Most programs were developed in the mid- to late- 1990’s and are operated by both public and non-profit organizations.  The programs have several common elements:  all have the goal of fostering viable and sustainable farm transitions.

 

Eighteen “farm link” programs currently exist in 20 states, including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.  Farm link program representatives formed the National Farm Transition Network which serves as a clearinghouse for information on programs and strategies to link beginning farmers and retiring farmers/ag landowners.  The Network is based at the Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University and can be accessed via the web at www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/bfc/national.  

 

Here in Washington we recently started the Washington FarmLink program (visit us online at http://wafarmlink.org ).  We provide a matching service (farmland seekers with farmland owners), a clearinghouse of information on a wide variety of topics (e.g. farm business and estate planning, farm product marketing, access to financing, leasing, etc.) as well as access to technical assistance.  We launched the program in June, 2000, and have had nearly 200 inquiries about the program since that time.  We currently have about 60 enrollees (i.e. they completed a questionnaire regarding the specifics of their desire to farm or the specifics of the farmland they have available) and have conducted two all-day workshops (about 40 participants each).  We have made two successful links.  Unlike similar programs, we currently have a higher percentage of landowners enrolled than beginning farmers. 

 

In short, there is a lot of interest and we continue to foster an environment in which small scale agriculture can be economically viable and sustainable.

 

Regards,

 

Mary Embleton

Washington FarmLink

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Stine [mailto:patricks AT ccrtc.com]
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2001 4:38 AM
To: market farming
Subject: who will farm

 

 


 

snip

"A quick question.  I frequently see projects and posts regarding the preservation

and promotion of family farms and farming.  I am very aware that the farm community is

 aging and that very few of their children are choosing farming as a career.

 This begs the question, "If we preserve family farms and farmland who will farm it?"

 

Are there programs which are actively and successfully recruiting a new generation

of farmers?  What segment of the population is interested in farming?

 What kind of farming are they interested in?  Are there people who would

like to farm but are being put off by attitudes or other obstacles?  Would reduction

in scale make farming entering into farming less threatening?  What are the barriers

to new farmers who are not from a traditional farm background?"

 

 

    I can only speak for myself, but it seems that the major obstacles seem to be attitudes toward farming (hard

work for little or no pay) from family and friends, cost of getting started and the old boy network against anyone new

starting to farm (especially if it isn't the normal grain farm or feedlot set-up)

    My wife and I are in our early 30's and grew up on farms, we are farming 10 acres currently. We raise veggies

and free range layers, we are adding pastured broilers and grass fed feeder steers this year. Our families were/are

farmers and they were even against us starting this enterprise.

    I think most new farmers are going to have an uphill struggle due to

1. they are behind the learning curve compared to farm raised kids

2. they are most likely moving into a new area and don't have the network of connections to help them

3. if they are an unconventional farm the neighbors will be leary of them

4. the USDA and land grant colleges are always saying get bigger (should say get better)

5. Most banks don't want to loan money for new farms

   

And if they are a small farm and raise unconventional crops for that area (veggies, organic, pastured livestock, etc.)

and they make a go of it, they will still have several of the older farmers in the area to deal with ( you know the guys,

always grumbling ) that feel that they have wasted their lives listening to the ag schools and USDA about going to a

monoculture (all grain or feedlot etc) and to get bigger so that they can make a living on the few cents profit they

make on each unit.

    Just my two cents.

    Patrick


 

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