Donald Arrant, staff member at Glynwood Farm. Photo by Sara Forrest.
The average age of farmers in the Hudson Valley was 57 years old in 2007 (according to our analysis of data from the most recent Census of Agriculture), up from 55 years old in 2002.
But, we saw an increase in the number of farmers under the age of 25.
For farming to survive, it must be a viable career for a new generation of farmers. Getting some “new blood” into the profession is essential, and equally critical is equipping those farmers with the skills to survive as businesspeople, particularly as our agricultural economy continues to transition.
Glynwood, in collaboration with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, plans to pilot a course on farm budgeting, business planning, and financing in the spring of 2011. We hope that the success of this effort will lead to a range of collaborative program offerings on farm management training.
Dave Llewellyn, Glynwood's CSA Manager. Photo by Sara Forrest.
In preparation, our CSA Manager Dave Llewellyn has been exploring resources that will help us do that. He recently attended a meeting of the USDA Beginning Farmer Learning Network, and files this report:
The summer is really giving way to autumn as of this writing. Some of our heat-loving crops are slowing down and we’ve begun distributing cool weather crops like spinach, leeks and arugula. Several weeks remain in the CSA season with lots of great food to come – winter squash is curing in the greenhouse, while cabbages and broccoli are growing in the field.
