In previous posts, we have shared information about the renewed interest in farming and reported that approximately 78% of new farmers did not grow up on a farm. We also mentioned the need for more new farmers, with the number of farmers retiring and increasing demand...
I grew up during the time that farmers were just embracing the power of commercial fertilizer. After World War II, munitions plants were converted into fertilizer plants, which pulled nitrogen from the air to produce ammonium nitrate fertilizer that greatly increased...
Written by SMADC Intern Mark Dattilio. “Alright, everybody on the wagons! The tour is about to start and we have a lot to see”. I was as giddy as a school girl. I couldn’t get this stupid, ear-to-ear grin off my face. Meeting Joel Salatin, a man whom I had come to...
Last week, we discussed who will be our new farmers. In short, we concluded that they will be a more diverse group than those retiring. There will be more women. They will operate smaller farms. More will have off-farm employment. Most will not have grown up on a...
Last week, we discussed the need for new farmers. Not only are we seeing a greater market for locally sourced foods, but a high percentage of farmers are already at retirement age and there are 6 times more farmers over 65 years of age than those who are less than 35....
Never have we experienced this situation before- a shortage of farmers! In a 1787 letter to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will, in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals and...
