Posted on Sep 1, 2022
There aren't enough young farmers. Congress is looking to change that
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https://www.npr.org/2022/09/01/ [login to see] /farm-bill-not-enough-young-farmers-congress
Bobbi Wilson is about to kick off her first farming season, prepping the soil to yield ripe tomatoes and potatoes next year. Her plan: to start a small farm market — which she hopes will also include other produce like onions, beans, strawberries and corn — and to eventually expand to grow flowers and raise poultry.
For Wilson, this has been 10 years in the making. The 32-year-old living in southern Oregon fell in love with farming during a year off from college, when she worked on a northern Arizona farm in exchange for housing and food.
Wilson does not come from a farming background, and she spent years trying to figure out how to access land. Ultimately, she opted to lease part of her mom and stepdad's property. If it wasn't for this, she said, she wouldn't have any options.
"I think there's kind of this phrase of like 'marry it or inherit it' kind of thing — like, that's the way that people access land, and that's not something that was previously accessible to me," she said.
Bobbi Wilson is about to kick off her first farming season, prepping the soil to yield ripe tomatoes and potatoes next year. Her plan: to start a small farm market — which she hopes will also include other produce like onions, beans, strawberries and corn — and to eventually expand to grow flowers and raise poultry.
For Wilson, this has been 10 years in the making. The 32-year-old living in southern Oregon fell in love with farming during a year off from college, when she worked on a northern Arizona farm in exchange for housing and food.
Wilson does not come from a farming background, and she spent years trying to figure out how to access land. Ultimately, she opted to lease part of her mom and stepdad's property. If it wasn't for this, she said, she wouldn't have any options.
"I think there's kind of this phrase of like 'marry it or inherit it' kind of thing — like, that's the way that people access land, and that's not something that was previously accessible to me," she said.
There aren't enough young farmers. Congress is looking to change that
Posted from npr.org
Congress
Farming
Agriculture
Posted >1 y ago
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Good luck Destroying family farms on one hand and then trying to fix it with the other.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."For now, those who want to get into farming can look to groups like land grant universities and nonprofits, which have created training programs to teach them how to stand up a successful business.
Wilson, the new vegetable farmer, helps train and advocate for prospective young farmers through her work with the National Farmers Union as well as Rogue Farm Corps, an Oregon-based program.
"We are helping to ensure that the future of farming is in good hands. The U.S. farming population is aging, and here in Oregon we expect two-thirds of our agricultural land to change ownership in the next 20 years," Wilson said. "Breaking down barriers to entry and ensuring that new farmers succeed is more important than ever if we want to make our food system more equitable, resilient and life-sustaining for generations to come."
..."For now, those who want to get into farming can look to groups like land grant universities and nonprofits, which have created training programs to teach them how to stand up a successful business.
Wilson, the new vegetable farmer, helps train and advocate for prospective young farmers through her work with the National Farmers Union as well as Rogue Farm Corps, an Oregon-based program.
"We are helping to ensure that the future of farming is in good hands. The U.S. farming population is aging, and here in Oregon we expect two-thirds of our agricultural land to change ownership in the next 20 years," Wilson said. "Breaking down barriers to entry and ensuring that new farmers succeed is more important than ever if we want to make our food system more equitable, resilient and life-sustaining for generations to come."
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