LEXINGTON, KY. - Farming has been a major industry in Kentucky, well, since there was a Kentucky and despite tough economic times for everyone, farm cash receipts have managed to stay above the $4 billion mark for the past four years.
With that said, getting into farming may not be the easiest of ventures. Even if you have the land and expensive equipment, it's a tough business, but a University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension program recently got a monetary boost that will help beginning farmers get a better start.
Through a nearly $750,000 USDA grant, Cooperative Extension will be able to offer a comprehensive training program for beginning farmers and those contemplating becoming a farmer.
The program called "A Common Field" will be a two year course offered in 20 different areas of the state and will be a partnership between UK and Kentucky State University. Lee Meyer, extension professor, and Jennifer Hunter, extension associate in the UK Department of Agricultural Economics, are the co-principal investigators on the grant.
"This really started with interest from farmers and county extension agents. They recognized the problem of farmers like having to sell their farms as they got older and retired," he said. "They needed enough money to retire on, and having to sell their farms to get the money."
A couple of other scenarios Meyer explained in coming up with the idea of the program included farmers not having a succession plan and younger generation farmers trying to take over but the farm wasn't a good enough business to support a second family.
"We did a workshop last year about transitioning into retirement or passing it on to the next generation or finding someone else to farm their land so that's what really led to this beginning farmer program," he said.
The grant came through in October and the next step is to bring in 10 or 12 groups of extension agents for training sessions in a couple of weeks said Meyer.
"They will put together clusters of beginning farmers who are interested and then help coordinate the program at the local level," he said.
Beginning farmers as defined by the USDA, are those who have been farming for 10 years or less but Meyer emphasizes that doesn't necessarily mean a young farmer. In Kentucky, about 20 percent of the 85,000 farmers in the state are beginning producers according to the USDA's Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) for 2005-2007 for the Appalachian region.
"What we anticipate are two groups, one will probably be second career farmers, those who have been in another career and want to come back and farm,¥ he said. "If you look at the data it is mostly young people who are beginning farmers, but there is another group of middle aged people and I think that is neat because those people will bring some other experiences like business experiences that will help them get off to a different start."
ARMS information notes the average age of a beginning farmer is 49 years old as compared to 57 for the farm population.
Besides recruiting new farmers, there will also be a mentoring component to the program that will recruit and train experienced farmers to participate and help these beginning farmers learn the ropes.
Meyer said that programs such as this will also be important to rural communities to survive and maintain their character.
"If you look up in the northeast, there is a lot of rural land but it's not in farming anymore. It's become woods and while it's valuable as a timber resource, there are no fertilizer dealers anymore, no grain elevators, no stockyards and those add to employment levels and keep rural communities active," he said.
UK was one of 29 universities and agriculture organizations from across the country chosen by the USDA to receive this funding.
"Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability," said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan. "The training and education provided through these grants 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."
Hunter said the course will cover topics such as enterprise evaluation, land-labor resources, nutrient management, farm record keeping, agriculture water quality plans and marketing plans, among others during its first year.
"The main educational component will be a 12-session, face-to-face program; a fairly traditional type extension program where we'll go out to multi-county areas and deliver a series of topics," she said.
Harold Benson, director of the land grant program at Kentucky State University said this is a way for the two institutions to work together to help make sure these new farmers are successful.
"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 trial by fire," he said. "To put it simply, we want to be the best helping hand that we can be and to get these farmers to the point where they are assured that they can be a success."
Meyer also said he feels once started, the program will be able to sustain itself some way.
"It is my philosophy that when we have these programs that are grant-funded, those funds help get something started and gets the resources needed. If this is really successful, we are going to find a way to keep doing it. This is what we do in extension, we respond to these needs," he said.
For more information about the program or to express an interest in enrolling, contact the local Kentucky Cooperative Extension office. ARMS information was provided by Ani Katchova, assistant professor, University of Kentucky Agricultural Economics Department.