Yamhill Valley Grown, Your Guide To Local Food | Seite 22

Aging Farmers and The Next
Generation
Friends of Family Farmers helps grow
Oregon’s small farmers
It goes without saying: no farmers, no food. And yet,
even in a state like Oregon, where more than 38,000
farmers and ranchers raise in excess of 220 different
agricultural products to make agriculture the state’s
second biggest industry, our farms and farmers are
in jeopardy.
Our farmer population has been aging. The average
age of Oregon’s farmers and ranchers is 58.5. Many
farmers and ranchers are, and will be, retiring in
coming years. According to the Oregon Department
of Agriculture, nearly 50% of Oregon farmland is
expected to change
hands over the next
decade. Since not
all young people
want to or know
how to transition on
their parents’
operation, many of
these family farms
will be left without
anyone to farm
them, and could be
at
risk
of
development,
consolidation, and/
or out-of-state
ownership.
One solution to this problem is for young and
beginning farmers to take on stewardship of
Oregon’s farm- and range- land. However a number
of barriers stand in their way. Farmers find it
extremely difficult to find high-quality land for sale,
and to qualify for and afford financing for the
purchase of land and equipment. Furthermore, many
aspiring young farmers do not come from farming
families, and so they require education and training.
And since farming can be an emotionally-draining
profession with long, brutal hours, slim profit margins,
and nature’s make-or-break fluctuations, every
farmer needs the resiliency offer by their fellow
farmers and mentors.
Friends of Family Farmers has been tackling these

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issues head-on. Among FoFF’s programs is the
Next Generation Program, including the following
tools for farmers just starting out:
* iFarm is an online matchmaking service for
landseekers and landholders. Beginning farmers
can search for land for lease or sale or for
partnerships, and owners of agricultural property
can offer their property for any arrangement that
suits them. For more information, visit:
http://www.ifarmoregon.org.
* Online resources are av