Living the Dream

 Farming is hard work. No one who has ever made a living through farming would argue otherwise. Ever hear that old joke, “What do you call it when a farm is willed to your children?” “Child abuse.”  As the average age of the American farmer continues to climb upward, currently topping out at fifty-eight, it is increasingly vital to the future of farming that we reignite the interest and passion for farming in our young people. Slowly, through school gardening programs, internships, and youth farming conferences the tide is starting to turn. Agrarian passion is showing up in the most surprising of places. Whereas one would expect the main interest to come from rural settings the opposite appears to be surfacing. The urban longing for a simpler life has made rural chic very much accepted and popular. The demand for fresh, local foods in cities across the nation has resulted in a resurgence of rooftop gardens. But turning posh into true passion will require capturing that enthusiasm and channeling it into a movement of first generation farmers. It starts with a dream. Let’s help them turn that dream into a working reality.