Wanted: Beginning Farmers
With the average age of Missoula County's producers at 57 - up from 49 in 1982 - we need beginning farmers and ranchers. But we don't need just any crop of young producers. Agriculture is a tough business, and the situation demands that the next generation of farmers and ranchers know how to produce and market food, as well as balance the books and manage a viable business. Who will be the next generation of farmers and ranchers? Where will they gain the prerequisite experience, knowledge and skills?
Incubator Farms: the concept
One strategy to help educate aspiring producers and establish their businesses is an incubator farm. The basic concept is that the program hosts and trains farmers as they grow food, share equipment, establish their markets, and learn from their mistakes, successes and fellow producers. Then, once their businesses are viable, they spin off of the incubator farm and find their own land.
Thank you to Paul Hubbard for his work on these studies.
