Small Town News

FARMING AND YOUR FREEDOM

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Helping to pass the torch from old to young-down on the farm

The old passing the torch to the young. It happens in all walks of life in America, yet when it happens in farming, it's a rarity, one to be nurtured and supported.

Overwhelmingly, the number of farmers 75 years of age and older has increased in the U.S. In fact, it has increased by 20 percent from 2002 to 2007. Just six percent of the nation's farmers are under the age of 35!

Clearly, the family farm is endangered by these statistics. There seems to be a disconnect between the tradition-rich profession (way of life) of farming and the fast-paced younger generation, that multi-tasking, computer-based bunch that seems more at home on a virtual farm than on a real one.

Not to worry. Folks are working on the problem and they are getting results.

The problem is that farming as a business is capital-intensive. It takes a lot of money to get into it and a lot of money to stay in it, way of life notwithstanding. Young folks tend to find it difficult to come up with the kind of money necessary to start farming. And, if they are well-educated these days, that means an added burden of student loans to pay off. Again, a threat to the family farm.

Such organizations as the National Farm Transition Group are busy trying to mentor potential young farmers. It has ten requests for young farmers to be mentored for every retiring farmer available. The organization tries to match up the retiring producer with the right young person so that the mentoring process will lead to positive results.

Mentoring programs for young farmers are important in both the cultural and economic areas. While having older farmers pass on their culture as family farmers is highly important for the continuation of farming as we know it, their advice and support financially is even more important. Young people, loaded with loans as they are, find it daunting to face the high cost of farming start-up. For many, it means a retreat to safer career havens. With farming, as the old by said, "you gotta wanta!"

Farm mentoring programs try to bridge the gap between today's 50-6-year-old farmer and the future farmer by pairing them up in special programs designed to see if they mesh. If they do, these older farmers who don't have heirs ready to take over the tractor seat and farm office, can establish partnerships.

Later, it is hoped, the older farmer, upon retirement, will sell or rent his land to the younger farmers, keeping him and his family on the land.

Mentoring or pairing programs, whether by governments or by private means, are not the final answer to the continuing loss of family farms, but they can go a long ways toward shoring up the bulwark, giving young and old a chance to work together for the common goal of staying on the land in complicated and expensive times.

Making partnerships work can be dicey, so as many steps as are taken forward, many will be taken back, but overall, the success of pairings and mentorships is big and growing each day.

I'll see ya!



Copyright 2009 The Kalona News, Kalona, Iowa. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2009 The Kalona News Kalona, Iowa. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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