Where Are All the Young, Hot Farmers?

It seems like scientists, non-profits, and even students consistently receive government grant money. Small farmers, however, rarely see Uncle Sam reach into his wallet and hand them a fat wad of dough. That discrepancy could be poised to change through a relatively new program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

According to the Obama Foodorama blog, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced that the agency would give $18 million in grant money to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), an initiative that helps teach newbie farmers the skills they need to run a successful ag venture. The USDA dispersed the dough amongst 40 organizations, which will dole out advice to agricultural novices. "Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges, and these efforts will help provide the training needed to ensure these producers become profitable and sustainable," Merrigan said yesterday at Colorado's Ollin Farm.

Sustainable, profitable, — yes, farms need help becoming both of these things. But allow me to put bluntly what's hidden in Merrigan's professional-sounding speech: Farming is getting old — in a quickly-approaching-death's-door kind of way — and we've got to find a way to sexy up the occupation.

The average age of the U.S. farmer today is 57 years old. While 57 is by no means ancient, it is approaching retirement age, especially for a manual labor-intensive field like farming. These small farmers need a next generation to pass the pitchfork to — and they're just not finding it.

There's a myriad of reasons why Gen Y'ers just don't seem to be interested in tilling the soil for a living. For one, it's ridiculously hard work. Folks who farm full-time wake before dawn, spend the day doing manual labor beneath the blazing hot sun, get little sleep or time to relax, and typically don't make much money. Not exactly an alluring option for many when compared to a cozy corner office with a 401K and paid vacation time.

There's also the fact that America's farm and ranch land is pulling a disappearing act. According to American Farmland Trust, the country loses about two acres of productive farmland to development every minute of every day. Good luck becoming a new farmer if you can't find a plot to plow.

But what's probably the biggest obstacle to carrying on the small, family farm tradition is consolidation in agriculture. Multiple small farms continue to morph into behemoth mega-farms that choke out the little guys. In 1935, America boasted 6.8 million farms. Today the country contains a mere 2.1 million. We're not growing any less food (in fact, we're producing significantly more), so that huge disparity shows the stranglehold industrial agriculture has on America's farming system.

Family farmers face an uphill battle when it comes to competing with corporate megafarms, and many are losing the fight. Earlier this year, America's longest-run family farm was put up for sale. Small dairy farmers, cattle ranchers, and poultry producers get paid less and less for their goods because of monopolies among food processors and distributors. Decreasing amounts paid to farmers paired with increasing operation costs oftentimes bring difficult economic troubles to small mom-and-pop farms, and they just can't compete with industrial operations. Day after day, more small-scale ventures bite the dust.

Given the serious obstacles facing small farmers, it's easy to see why the next generation might be turned off from the field entirely. The thing is, we need these kinds of farms in order to create a truly sustainable, environmentally sound food production system. Without them, consumers will have no veggies to buy but GMO, pesticide-loaded produce that's trucked all over creation. Initiatives like the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program should be applauded, and I hope to see more like them in the coming years. Without these kinds of programs, America's aging, small farm system just might head dangerously close to extinction.

You can help small, family farms stay alive by ensuring that there's land left for them to farm. Sign American Farmland Trust's petition asking Congress to protect farm and ranch land from development.

Photo credit: The Welsh Poppy via Flickr