LEXINGTON, KY - Even city dwellers know that farming is a tough way to make a living. It's tough to hang onto a farm that's been in the family for generations, or to start farming without an agricultural background. Add an uncertain economy and it's no wonder that the number of people who work in farming has been steadily declining.
That trend may reverse a bit in Kentucky, where new farmers and would-be farmers will be getting a helping hand, beginning early in the new year. The state's two land grant schools, the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University, have been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to train beginning farmers.
The USDA is funding the program at 29 universities and agricultural organizations. The result of a new USDA initiative "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food," it's the first major program targeting new farmers.
"Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability," said Deputy U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan.
Merrigan said that such critical training "will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers as they work to feed people in their local communities and throughout the world."
Kentucky's new whole farm management education program, A Common Field, is a two-year course, offered in different areas of the state, including educational meetings at county extension offices and on-site farm demonstrations.
First year topics for A Common Field include evaluation of different crops and types of farms, land labor resources, nutrient management, farm record keeping, agriculture water quality plans and marketing.
During the second year participants will work with mentor farmers from groups such as Kentucky Women in Agriculture and the Kentucky Beef Network who have similar farming interests as class participants.
Principal investigators on the grant are Dr. A. Lee Meyer, extension professor, and Jennifer Hunter, extension associate in UK's Department of Agricultural Economics. They are working with Dr. Harold Benson, director of the Land Grant Program at KSU.
"This is an opportunity for two institutions to bring together their resources for the betterment of a clientele that desperately needs good, unbiased research and support in these days of trail by fire," Benson said of the program.
Hunter has received inquiries from county extension agents all across the state. She expects that A Common Field will be "a program that meets producer needs and responds to the diversity of Kentucky agriculture."
A free online version of the curriculum is also being developed. This resource will be available to anyone and as a supplement for the program's participants. "I really see that as one of the lasting legacies of this project," Meyer said.
The cost to participate in the two-year program is $100. Participants must be high school graduates, but can be of any age. "We expect a significant portion of the participants to be farming for a second career," Meyer said.
As for the number of participants in the program, Meyer said, "We plan on 10 multi-county clusters of about 30 each in each of the two cycles."
The best part of the new program is "the opportunity to bring a diverse mix of new, energetic farmers into the sector," Meyer said. "Young folks will bring creative new ideas and second career farmers will bring experiences and skills from their first careers. They'll be resources to Kentucky rural communities, and add to the food products coming from Kentucky farms."
Beginning farmers-defined by the USDA as those with ten or less years of experience in farming-should contact their county Cooperative Extension agents if they are interested in participating in A Common Field.