From The Tennessean
As the average age of farmers hovers near 60, younger people in Tennessee have been signing on to farm apprenticeships, attending organic conferences and even enrolling in a young farmer program through the Tennessee Farm Bureau. While the federal government says 87,000 farms were lost from 1997 to 2002 — not just to bankruptcy but also to aging out — young people are embracing a model of small diverse farms even among the challenges farm life brings.
“People don’t really take young people seriously when they say they want to farm,” Nancy VanWinkle said. “The reality of the situation is we need local food sources and a new generation of farmers. A lot of people want to farm, and it’s a very real desire.”
Read the whole article here at TheTennessean … very good.
Image courtesy The Tennessean
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