support your local (young) farmer!
October 7, 2008
Young People Going Back to the Farm
(From:WNYC)
“US Department of Agriculture census figures show the number of people under 35 who are operating small and medium-sized farms increased 14 percent between 1997 and 2002, the latest year data was available. In a less scientific fashion, Greg Swartz has noticed the youth wave, too, at his group’s 26th annual conference. Swartz is the executive director of NOFA, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York.
We broke a really great record in the past year with more than 1,000 attendees. and historically, the attendees were gray…gray haired. We saw an amazing number of younger folks that were interested in becoming farmers, that were beginning farmers already and that were interested in activist and advocacy roles that are needed to build a local food system.”
