CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE

CAREERS IN AGRICULTUREA renewed interest in farming, ranching andfood business entrepreneurship is influencingthe professional decisions of people young andold across the country. Farming and ranchingoffers opportunities to develop innovativebusinesses and generate income while workingoutside on the land. Growing and sellingfood, educating students, or training aspiringfarmers helps producers feel a connectionwith the broader community. And off the farm,cutting-edge entrepreneurs are developing newfood infrastructure and plotting creative waysto reach new markets.First Lady Michelle Obamavisits MA’O Organic Farms inthe Waianae area of Hawaii,the largest Native Hawaiiancommunity in the world andone of the most economicallychallenged communities in thestate. MA’O is a 24.5 acre certifiedorganic farm that is primarilyrun by area youth who participatein the Youth Leadership Training(YLT) internship.63 KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASSThis groundswell of interest comes on theheel of a long decline in the number of farmersand ranchers at work in America. Since 1980,our nation has lost over 200,000 farms9 dueto retirement, low market prices, and otherfactors. The exodus has left many ruralcommunities with dwindling populationsand fragile economies. We need to reversethis trend for young members of existing farmfamilies and bring new people into agriculture,including young people, immigrant and refugeefarmers, military veterans and others.For many new farmers, local markets are alogical starting place. Some are naturally drawnFAST FACTS· In 2009, USDA funded 29Beginning Farmer and RancherDevelopment projects thattrained more than 5,000 newproducers in the first year. In2010, 40 projects were funded.The projects operate in 40 states.· Since taking office in April 2009,Deputy Secretary KathleenMerrigan has presented to over25 colleges and universities acrossthe country, helping to educateyoung people about the food andfarm industries and opportunitiesto work “in the field.”to the scale of these markets, while others seethem as the first step in a scaling-up strategy.When farmers enter the local market, theymay choose to locate near population centersand produce high-value crops for urbanpopulations. Economically viable farms are astrong buffer against development pressure onthe edge of cities, which threatens not just open

space but also our nation’s capacity to produce food for agrowing population.A recent Oglala Sioux Tribal Youth Summit in SouthDakota celebrated National Farmers Market Week. TheOyate Omniciye - Teca Bliheceya Waecuŋ farmer’s marketheld in the village of Red Dog (Manderson, SD) is supportedby the Lakota Ranch Beginning Farmer and RancherProgram, a partner of USDA’s Rural Development.April Jones owns and operates a24-acre certified organic farm nearRidgefield, WA. She provides vegetablesto more than 30 families every week.But farming involves a lot of uncertainty, and theweather is only the beginning. New farmers frequentlylack access to training and technical assistance; manystruggle to get credit and gather the resources needed topurchase land and equipment. Access to land is a majorchallenge: the average cost of farmland has doublednationally over the last decade.10 And finding ways toaccess storage, cooling, processing, and distributioninfrastructure can be difficult for all farmers involved inlocal markets. (For more information on infrastructurebarriers and projects that are overcoming them, see theInfrastructure section of the KYF Compass.)ON THE GROUND: KYF AND THE NEW FACEOF LOCALAlthough not all new entrants will sell their food locally,USDA has recognized the significant role that local andregional market opportunities play for the recruitmentand retention of new farm and food businesses. As partof the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative,several USDA agencies have come together to publicizeopportunities and develop new resources for beginningproducers and businesses selling locally. Some ofUSDA’s work on this issue includes:Preparing new farmers. One of the key programssupporting new farmers and ranchers, many of whomsell locally, is the Beginning Farmer and RancherDevelopment Program (BFRDP), administered byUSDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In2009, USDA funded 29 BFRDP projects at organizationsaround the country that in turn trained more than 5,000beginning farmers and ranchers in the first year of thegrant. In 2010, 40 projects were funded. Together the64 KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASS

CASE STUDYPreserving Farmland and Growing New Farmersin Butte County, CAMany projects funded through the Beginning Farmerand Rancher Development Program train newproducers to take advantage of local and regionalmarketing opportunities. For example, in Butte County,California, the Northern California Regional Land Trustreceived a grant in 2010 to help beginning farmers andranchers increase sales in local and regional markets.In its first year, the Land Trust formed a tri-countytechnical advisory committee that includes countyagriculture commissioners, university professors,economic development agency representatives, farmers,Land Trust staff, and farm credit personnel; conducted65 KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASS10six technical workshops for new farmers and rancherson topics ranging from accessing credit to successfuldirect marketing; and is developing a program tomatch new producers with available farmland. “Wewere working hard to protect the region’s farmland butrealized that without a new generation of farmers and astrong local food system, there would be no one to workthe land, protected or not,” said Noelle Ferdon, Directorof Local Food Systems for the Land Trust. “It’s our goalto bring resources to beginning farmers and ranchers sothey can help protect the rich agricultural history ofour region.”

Young farmers inFlorida participate inthe New and BeginningFarmers TrainingProgram to learnskills that will helpthem start successfulfarming operations.69 projects are located in 40 states and serve beginningfarmers and ranchers across the entire nation. Trainingactivities include webinars, conferences, on-farmfield days, and work with mentor farmers; many ofthese activities focus on tapping into local marketopportunities. Read more about BFRDP’s successes here.Seniors from Calvert High Schoolin Texas visit USDA as part of asenior trip sponsored by the “Ag inthe Classroom” program. ActingUndersecretary for Farm and ForeignAgricultural Services MichaelScuse spoke to students, parents andchaperons about careers at USDA.66 KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASSProviding space to share knowledge. TheCooperative Extension Service offers programs onthe campuses of more than 100 land-grant collegesand universities and in county and regional officesthroughout the country. They are developing tools forlocal producers, providing training, and helping farmersnetwork with and learn from one another. Read moreabout how Extension is supporting beginning farmersengaged in local food production on the KYF blog.The Cooperative Extension Service’s online system,eXtension, makes the technical expertise of Extensionagents available to all.USDA is also helping build the knowledge base for newfarmers and the institutions that serve them by fundingresearch efforts in the field. For more information, seethe Local Food Knowledge section.Online resources are also available. The Field Guide tothe New American Foodshed, a new website developedwith funding from USDA’s Risk Management Agency,helps beginning farmers, ranchers and entrepreneursinterested in local and regional marketing find businessplanning tools and learn from their peers. This guide anda wealth of other resources are collected at Start2Farm.gov, a curriculum and training clearinghouse for newfarmers developed by USDA and the American FarmBureau Federation.Helping new farmers access land for local foodproduction. 40 percent of farmers are now locatedin metro counties, according to USDA’s AgriculturalResource Management Survey. Through its website,

CASE STUDYA Young Farmer Stewards the Land in New HampshireIn New Hampshire, USDA’s Natural ResourcesConservation Service is helping beginning farmerMeghan Bickford of Diamond B Farm in New Durhamimplement a number of sustainable practices through theEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program. With NRCSsupport, Meghan established a rotational grazing planfor her herd of Belted Galloway and Angus cattle; builta ground gutter and grassed waterway to treat barnyard“This farm is really a 4-H projectthat got out of hand,” says MeghanBickford, 22, who manages a farmin New Durham, NH. Read moreabout Meghan’s conservation effortswith USDA’s Natural ResourcesConservation Service.67 KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASS11runoff; and is implementing a forest stand improvementplan. Although developers are keenly interested in thefarm’s real estate, Meghan has instead expanded localsales through Facebook and word-of-mouth relationships,securing a year-round group of local customers dedicatedto supporting the farm as a community resource and asteward of the environment.

Hillside Farmers Co-op in Minnesotais helping Latino farmers plan farmbusinesses and cooperatively marketpastured poultry and other products.MISSISSIPPI’S WINSTON COUNTY SELF-HELP COOPERATIVEUSES A MENTORSHIP MODEL TO TRAIN YOUTH IN FARMING.Click here to watch the videoblog, inter-agency collaboration and meetings withexternal stakeholders, KYF highlights USDA resourcesavailable to maintain farmland near cities, whereproducers can take advantage of nearby urban markets toincrease their revenues. For example, USDA’s Farm andRanch Lands Protection Program, administered by theNatural Resources Conservation Service, helps secureland under pressure from development so that farmscan continue to exist on the urban periphery. NRCS alsosupports beginning farmers, including those producingfor local markets, by sharing the cost of practices toprotect soil, air and water as part of the EnvironmentalQuality Incentives Program. Beginning farmers areeligible for a higher cost-share from NRCS to implementthese practices than experienced farmers. Finally,the Farm Service Agency’s Transition IncentivesProgram provides retiring farm operators with incentivepayments for selling or leasing some of their expiringConservation Reserve Program acreage to beginning orsocially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who canthen sustainably graze or farm the land.Farm mentorship programs are another way to helpnew farmers access land. For example, in NorthfieldMinnesota, Hillside Farmers Co-op is pairing newLatino farmers with established producers who rentout their land for crop and poultry production. With thehelp of a 2010 Small Socially Disadvantaged ProducerGrant from USDA Rural Development, Hillside Co-op isexpanding its mentorship and training programs for newfarmers and developing a cooperative business plan todevelop local free-range poultry markets.Making access permanent through farm ownership.Through USDA’s Farm Service Agency, beginning farmersand ranchers qualify for specific farm loans designedto assist people with limited farming experience in68 KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASS