While the five-year Census of Agriculture won't be available until next year, increases in "enrollment in university agriculture programs" and "interest in farmer-training programs" show a growing number of 20-to-30-year-olds are taking up farming, Dinesh Ramde of The Associated Press reports.
Utah State University is among the universities seeing growth in its agriculture program. "In total, from spring 2008 to fall 2011, the College of Agriculture had one of the largest double-digit increases in enrollment over the last three years," writes Kevin Opsahl of The Herald Journal in Logan, Utah. Janet Anderson, associate dean of the college, says the economy, sustainability and the college's recruiting initiatives may all contribute to the increase. (Read more)
In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture started giving money to universities and nonprofit groups to help train beginning farmers. The first year, the grants help train 5,000 people and the USDA estimates more than twice as many benefited this year. Faye Jones, who works with new farmers in Wisconsin, says she sees as many as 100 people on "some farm tours where would-be farmers can learn and share information," Ramde reports.
Young entrepreneurs typically cite two reasons for turning to farming: lack of job security in the corporate world and a growing demand for locally grown and organic foods, Ramde reports. Laura Frerichs, 31, of Hutchinson, Minn., and her husband own their own organic farm and believe that while it won't make them rich, they can definitely "earn a living" farming.
Frerichs told Ramde, there is "growing consciousness around locally grown foods, around organic foods . . . in the Twin Cities, there's been great demand for that." Many young farmers are even promoting their agricultural products by blogging, tweeting and using other social media. (Read more)
Utah State University is among the universities seeing growth in its agriculture program. "In total, from spring 2008 to fall 2011, the College of Agriculture had one of the largest double-digit increases in enrollment over the last three years," writes Kevin Opsahl of The Herald Journal in Logan, Utah. Janet Anderson, associate dean of the college, says the economy, sustainability and the college's recruiting initiatives may all contribute to the increase. (Read more)
In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture started giving money to universities and nonprofit groups to help train beginning farmers. The first year, the grants help train 5,000 people and the USDA estimates more than twice as many benefited this year. Faye Jones, who works with new farmers in Wisconsin, says she sees as many as 100 people on "some farm tours where would-be farmers can learn and share information," Ramde reports.
Young entrepreneurs typically cite two reasons for turning to farming: lack of job security in the corporate world and a growing demand for locally grown and organic foods, Ramde reports. Laura Frerichs, 31, of Hutchinson, Minn., and her husband own their own organic farm and believe that while it won't make them rich, they can definitely "earn a living" farming.
Frerichs told Ramde, there is "growing consciousness around locally grown foods, around organic foods . . . in the Twin Cities, there's been great demand for that." Many young farmers are even promoting their agricultural products by blogging, tweeting and using other social media. (Read more)
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