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Re: How ya gonna keep 'em down on the nursery?

FRIELSTER@aol.com wrote:
What starts that fire?

I just have to jump in with what may seem off-topic: teaching young farmers. I've spent years of my life doing just that and am currently writing a manual for on-farm mentors of "young" farmers, so am in touch with a fair number of people and programs who are educating the next generation..

I have a couple of observations: As a group, organic farmers have seen enormous changes in the demographics of farm apprentices in the last decade. Thirty to 20 years ago, there were so many applicants that farmers could pick and choose their trainees. But the numbers started to thin about 10 years ago, until now, there is intense competition for good applicants. And, as someone else mentioned, a good many of these people are career-changers, people who have become dissatisfied with what they are doing and who have bought a farm and want to grow something--produce, livestock, or a niche crop such as mohair or goat cheese--for their livelihood.
In the past, few apprentices had relevant degrees because so few schools taught much besides what we call "conventional" ag (meaning farm systems that depended on synthetic inputs), if they taught any sort of practical ag. Today, more colleges and universities are teaching practical agriculture and many more are teaching from an organic, or at least a "sustainable" approach. This means that the people who are coming to farmers during or after their university years have a better grounding than they once did.

A second major change has occurred in what apprentices want to learn. They were once focused almost entirely on technique--how to build soils, manage pests, do post-harvest handling, and so on. But today, while they want that sort of practical, hands-on education, they are equally interested in learning about the business side of running a farm. It's as if some hundredth monkey of an ag student suddenly passed on the understanding that producing a quality product is only half the battle--selling it at a profit and running your farm efficiently are where the true challenges lie.

Again, this makes them much more gratifying to teeach.

So even though the ranks have thinned, the remaining apprentices seem a much more realistic, well-grounded group than they once were. As for encouragement: the best impetus for interest in farming is the continuing growth of farmers' markets, CSA farms, and organic aisles at the super market. Small farmers are beginning to make living wages. They aren't getting rich, but the decision to become a farmer is no longer a simultaneous decision to live a life of poverty.

Miranda Smith
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