As a tyke , you might have had a play set with a tractor , a barn , some animals , and a orotund , virile farmer figure wearing boilersuit and a straw chapeau . You probably also had a story rule book that project a gray - hairy , snowy , male farmer with a piece of straw hang from his mouth and a housedress - fag out wife by his side . This is what society differentiate us a farmer looks like .
There for sure are Farmer out there who correspond the “ traditional ” American granger pic , but many others are out there , too . I ’ve long recognize that the farmer stereotype of yore is n’t an totally accurate picture of the people work land , growing solid food and caring for animals , and now I have some proof .
The New - Generation FarmerMidAtlantic Farm Credit recently partnered with Temple University on a study about who they ’re calling “ the new - generation farmer . ” The study was true self - serving , as MidAtlantic Farm Credit require to learn more about their client floor , but the outcome are interesting for all of us .
The new - generation husbandman , according to the study , is :
I ’d take a good guess that many of these unexampled - generation farmers also come down into the family of “ beginning husbandman , ” which the USDA defines as someone who has control his or her farm or ranch for 10 years or less — it ’s as simple as that . I ’m happy to account there ’s no mention of trailer - driving skills , sex or pick of article of clothing .
This novel - generation farmer — a verbal description that fits me and possibly you — is being supported by beaucoup de offset - James Leonard Farmer programs . It make me question which issue forth first : the new coevals farmers or the programs to draw and quarter in these farmers ?
Cultivating New FarmersMore start sodbuster and rancher programs exist now than ever before , andthe USDA cites many reasonsfor this phenomenon :
If you find yourself in the syndicate of new - generation / beginning farmers , your are among the17.2 percent of farmerslike you . ( This act is down from 38 percent in 1982 and 26 percentage in 2007 , accidentally . ) It ’s a tough smirch to be in — land is n’t precisely an easy professing or hobby and certainly not one you may master . I went looking for beginning - farmer support , and it turn out there ’s a whole passel in the way of financial support , didactics and networking .
You have USDABeginning Farmers and Ranchers Loans , education and resources through Cornell University’sNortheast begin Farmers Project , a directory of resources from USDA National Agricultural Library’sStart 2 Farm program , USDARural Youth Loans(if you ’re starting really young ) , program through theNational Young Farmers Coalition(which actually means “ beginning ” when it aver “ young ” ) , and many programs offered by farming brass and concerted extensions in every state . With the passage and gradual implementation of the2014 Farm Bill , there are even more beginning - farmer opportunities coming down the throughway .
The USDA programs are politics plan , so it does n’t matter whether you fit the “ traditional ” farmer or “ new - propagation ” farmer demographic : Missing out on these is like overleap out on a paycheck you ’ve earned . And as a farmer , you might not be realise a giant paycheck otherwise , so take advantage !
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