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More Young People Are Becoming Farmers (axios.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: "For only the second time in the last century, the number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest Census of Agriculture," the WashPost's Caitlin Downey reports in a front-pager with the lovely headline, "A growing movement." 69% of the surveyed young farmers had college degrees -- significantly higher than the general population.
Unless someone gives you a productive farm what sense does it make to acquire one? A farm is like a roulette wheel. Once in a rare while you hit a jack pot but usually something bad ruins your season. Drought, bugs, wilt and fungus and all kinds of changing laws and tax rates stack the deck. So not only must a farmer fight the obvious problems but new farmers also have to pay off mortgages, pay for major machinery etc..Farming is a hard path to survive. Odd ball types of farms may do better than traditional farms. In my area some farmers get by with sidelines that are gimmicks such as selling dwarf goats that are usually kept as pets or odd ball chickens or baby pot belly pigs. Collecting honey for curb side sales can add to the till. And if you have enough room for a horse barn and path you can make a buck keeping other peoples' horses or even have a catfish farm.