A New Direction for an Old Way of Life

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Small farms have been on the out for decades as younger generations leave town for urban lifestyles with more financial promise. But as we have seen recently in Michael Pollan’s books (The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food) as well as the work of so many others, the tragic consequences of agribusiness have spurred a reactionary movement, which is now in full swing. The demand for sustainably produced and organic food is going up, and as a result of this increasing awareness, young people are moving back to the farm. And they’re changing how it’s done.
 
Recently the Web site Midwest Farm Connection launched, matching people with farm jobs, internships, equipment postings, and business and marketing advice. It has an attractive design and a smart, user-friendly interface. A couple of similar sites have popped up in recent years, but MFC takes it a step further by anticipating what young farmers will want and using the younger generation’s tech savvy. It’s like Spot.us, the local journalism site that allows consumers to contribute to funding of stories they want to see reported in their local area; and Kiva.com, the humanitarian micro-lending site that connects users by allowing people to lend money to someone in places like Cambodia or El Salvador.
 
MFC is just one manifestation of the growing reality that, like Converse Allstar on the brink of insolvency back in 2001, organic farming has become definitively hip. The average age of American farmers is 52; for organic farmers, it’s 46. And most new farmers under 35 are heading for organic operations.
 
These new websites like MFC come hot on the heels of RFD-TV, “Rural America’s Most Important Channel,” launched in 2000, which airs 24-7 “agriculture, rural lifestyle, equine life, and traditional music and entertainment.” The broadcast is specifically for rural, farming communities. Virginia Heffernan at The New York Times had an interesting take on it a couple months ago: “As tempting as it may be to shun any farming show that doesn’t play to the bourgeois fantasy that all the world’s food should be grown on an organic patch one mile from the city center—a crop of warty black heirloom tomatoes tilled by Alice Waters herself—you really should, when confronted with RFD-TC, just look and learn.”
 
So, if there are savvy Web sites and at least one whole TV channel dedicated to farming, what other additions are young generations bringing to the old way of life? What about climate change? I would be curious to know what perspectives on climate change young farmers and ranchers are bringing to the industry and how that will change the practice. Does the younger generation engage in more no-till farming than their older counterparts because they have grown up knowing that tilling releases CO2 into the atmosphere?
 
I’m interested to see how small farmers continue to use emerging technological networks to the industry’s advantage. Maybe the Internet is more conducive to small farming than anyone ever imagined. 
 
Read more from YPNation on how the job front for today's young professionals is evolving.
 
(Photo credit: Scott Bauer; USDA)