young farmers
Indiana School Farm Teaches Urban Farming, Entrepreneurship
December 15, 2015 | AJ Hughes
A student at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy handles chickens inside their coop at the school’s farm. (Photo courtesy Lynda Bodie/Thea Bowman Leadership Academy)
Gary, Indiana, known for being the birthplace of Michael Jackson and home to massive steel plants, now has a high school with an urban farm program.
Last year, students at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary started the urban farm. It’s founded and operated under the principles of a business plan written as part of an entrepreneurship and personal finance class curriculum. Read More
Women in Food: Leah Penniman, Food Justice Farmer and Educator
May 27, 2015 | Rose Egelhoff
Soul Fire Farm, Courtesy Leah Penniman
The connection crackles slightly as I pick up the phone.
“Hello?”
A couple thousand miles away in Oaxaca, Mexico where she is currently working on a Fulbright, Leah Penniman replies. Though I am nervous to speak with someone whose work I greatly admire, Leah’s humor and openness quickly puts me at ease. Read More
10 Places to Learn to Be A Farmer Across the Nation
March 24, 2015 | AJ Hughes
Students at the Merry Lea sustainable farm in Indiana are seen working at the “kitchen farm”. (photo courtesy of Jon Zirkle/Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center)
The average age of American farmers is 58.3 years, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Young farmers are needed, and those who are inexperienced have a variety of farmer training programs (many of them focusing on sustainability) to choose from.
- Oregon’s Rogue Farm Corps runs an internship program for beginning farmers called FarmsNext. This full-season offering trains new farmers and ranchers in sustainable agriculture. Those enrolled in the program gain up to 1,500 hours of hands-on training from a mentor, 75 hours of classroom time, local farm tours and independent study opportunities. Rogue Farm Corps runs four chapters across the state: Rogue Valley, South Willamette, Portland and Central Oregon. The organization was founded in 2003 by farmers in the southern part of the state who saw the need to provide education to those new to agriculture.
Young People in Food: North Dakotans Hannah and Jonathan Moser Bring Local to Big Ag Country
December 15, 2014 | Trish Popovitch
Hannah and Jonathan Moser. Photo courtesy of Forager Farm.
After graduating college, Hannah and Jonathan Moser learned the mechanics of CSA management while working on a vegetable farm in Australia. Then the couple came home to North Dakota and decided to give it a try for themselves, launching Forager Farm.
The farm consists of approximately three acres of growing space on a large family cattle ranch. The Mosers completed their first growing season in October, using intensive growing, diverse crops and sustainable methods. Very quickly, Forager Farm has emerged as a leader in the local community’s sustainable local food scene.
In a state with very few CSA programs in place, the concept of a local food movement remains a fringe idea. In order to promote and gain support for consumer supported agriculture in the region, the Mosers had to first educate people as to what the need. Using her storytelling skills and a degree in PR and marketing, Hanna uses the web as a platform for growing awareness in her community. Read More
Young Leaders in Ag: Sophie Ackoff Unites Young Farmers For Change
November 10, 2014 | David Sands
Sophie Ackoff. Photo courtesy of Samantha Larson.
If you want change, you need passion to make it happen. Sophie Ackoff, who works with the National Young Farmers Coalition helping young farmers help themselves, has bushels of it.
As the coalition’s national field director, she travels the country bringing together folks who are beginning careers in ranching and agriculture to organize for a better environment to do their vital work.
“At NYFC, we believe there should be fewer barriers to starting a farm business in the United States,” Ackoff tells Seedstock. “As a coalition of farmers, we are identifying the barriers we face, fighting for the policy changes we need, and bringing farmers together, in person and online to learn, to share and build a stronger community.”
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