New
Ohio Program Helps Young Farmers
By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Roughly 10 percent of small-scale farmers across
the nation leave the industry every year. With a new program called Begin
Farming, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Assoc. (OEFFA) is trying to help
beginners confront the challenges that comes with running one’s own farm.
According to USDA figures, there are 27,000 beginning farmers in
Ohio alone. A beginning farmers is considered one who has been on the land less
than 10 years. On the down side, the average age of farmers in Ohio is 56 years
old, and that is of concern to OEFFA program coordinator Kelly Henderson and
others in this field.
“What this means is we’ve got a retiring group that is going to
be leaving farming here real soon,” Henderson said. “And we’re trying to get
some of these beginning farmers on the land that these retiring farmers are
going to be vacating.”
While there are a few programs for first-time farmers across the
state, this OEFFA-led program not only helps younger farmers purchase the land,
but also pass along knowledge from more experienced farmers.
“That’s necessary,” Henderson said, “because family-owned farms
are finding out that children aren’t necessarily interested in keeping up the
trade. A lot of this interest in farming is coming from folks who are either
coming on as a second career farmer, leaving previous occupations, or folks who
are coming from the city who are really interested in a new lifestyle.”
While many city dwellers give much thought to earning a living
off the rural landscape, that transition is not an easy one, Henderson says.
“Business planning and financial management, as well as how to
access farm land and capital, are skills young farmers need to learn to be
successful,” Henderson said. “And training Ohio’s next generation of farmers
needs to start early.”
There are two courses available within the Begin Farming program
and both courses are for aspiring young farmers: an In-Depth Apprenticeship
course and a Farm Dreams course. Both are offered during the fall of 2017 and
fall of 2018.
With the In-Depth Apprenticeship course up to nine aspiring
farmers will work on one of two central Ohio certified organic farms. In
addition to this paid position, they will attend off-farm educational
workshops, tour additional farms and connect with other apprentices and farmers
through networking opportunities. Apprentices who complete this program receive
a farm dreams course scholarship.
The Farm Dreams course is designed to help people clarify what
motivates them to farm, get their vision on paper, inventory their strengths
and training needs, and get perspective from an experienced farmer.
“Beginning farmers face significant hurdles, including attaining
knowledge, skills and experience in production practices, along with acquiring
the fundamental business planning and financial management knowledge and
skills,” Henderson said. “These programs will help give these people the
support they need to understand what it takes to get into farming and grow
their businesses.”
For more information about OEFFA’s programs, either as a new
farmer or an experienced farmer, contact Kelly Henderson at kelly@oeffa.org or
call 614-421-2022, ext. 213.
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