portunities for Military Veterans grant to give business training to aspiring farmers who have served in uniform .
“ The program is now expanding from Northern California to Southern California ,” she says , “ and we ’ re happy to see it grow .”
The land ’ s future bounty
Paintings of the Golden State ’ s farmland usually feature broad , rolling hills and sweeping valleys that reach for the end of the horizon . The reality is less romantic , at least for newer farmers . Most of those vast expanses of land are already spoken for . Property availability is one of the biggest challenges for bringing a new generation of farmers into the fold .
Some believe the only way around this dilemma is harnessing crop innovations within much smaller spaces . Soil Born Farms in Sacramento County has been showcasing the ways urban agriculture can be a path forward for the Capital Region . The nonprofit also runs an in-depth apprenticeship program that gives entry-level farmers all the tools they need to hit the ground hoeing .
Soil Born Farms started as a small farm in Sacramento and has grown into a 55-acre operation over the last two decades , growing mixed produce , fruit and flowers in Rancho Cordova . Its co-founder , Shawn Harrison , is a first-generation farmer who was a product of an apprenticeship program in Santa Barbara . Several years ago , Harrison teamed up with the Center for Land-Based Learning to create an accredited farmer training program at Soil Born Farms .
“ The beauty of what we ’ re doing is it involves a combination of technical classroom training and paid on-the-job training ,” Harrison says . “ It ’ s learning the ins and outs of farming . They ’ re involved in every aspect of the work with us , from the greenhouses to planting , cultivation to sales . … Ultimately , we ’ re trying to give them a cross section of experience so they ’ re employable .”
The California Farm Bureau Federation ’ s Young Farmers and Ranchers program , a statewide program based in Sacramento County , is working on a similar initiative with aspiring farmers between the ages of 18 and 35 . The bureau offers leadership training and industry farm tours . Program Director Stephanie Younger points out that most open space across California is currently kept that way by agriculture . Given that , and given the fragility of global food supplies revealed by the pandemic , Younger says it ’ s essential California has grassroots efforts to find its next stewards of the land .
“ Sometimes farmers don ’ t preach their own importance ,” Younger says . “ While we need to be realistic about how hard the profession can be , I think we also need to be really encouraging of people who are interested , stressing the good parts , including how fulfilling it can be .”
Harrison agrees on how high the stakes are . “ With populations growing and resources getting scarce , every community can find itself in a really insecure situation ,” he says . “ And this is a problem across the country that we should be trying to solve , unless we want to turn over our food security to someone else and be at the mercy of those forces .”
Scott Thomas Anderson is a veteran reporter based in California . Anderson balances his hard news focus with cultural writing and travel journalism . He ’ s also the writer and producer of the “ Drinkers with Writing Problems ” podcast . On Twitter @ STA _ reporter and Instagram @ scottanderson _ journo .
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