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June 2005
Keeping Young
Dear Friends,
If you are only as young as you feel, Cedar County farmers should feel pretty good. According to the most recent statistics, Cedar County has some of the youngest farmers in the state.
Of course when we talk about the farming population, youth is a relative term. If you ask a twenty-year old, they might say that the average farmer around here – at just over 49 – is pretty old. But for those of us who have passed up the "Big 4-0", 49 doesn’t sound bad.
And when you consider the average age of farmers around the state is close to 54 years with many counties averaging around 58 or more, Cedar County farmers are spring chickens. In fact, only three counties have farmers whose average age is less than 50.
They say that youth in an industry is a sign of vitality, so family agriculture in particular needs new blood to stay healthy. When I was in high school, planning to return to our family farm as a career, a lot of farmers I knew told me, "Why in the world would you ever want to farm?"
There have been days I asked myself that same question, but for the most part, I’ve never regretted turning a deaf ear to those comments. I learned from my parents to love the farm. I can’t think of any better life than to raise my family around a safe, healthy and caring community.
I think many young people are realizing that fact. After tasting what they thought would be the good life elsewhere, some are returning home to our area small towns and farms to raise their families in an environment with good schools, active churches and lots of creative spirit.
We often lament that there just aren’t many young farmers or that our communities lack young folks, but in the same breath we complain about how bad farm life is financially and how little opportunity there is in small town Nebraska.
We farmers have a tendency to verbally complain – sometimes rightfully - about the weather, prices and the high cost of inputs. What we don’t verbalize enough is how much fun it is in Spring to watch baby calves playing on a warm, green hillside. We don’t talk often enough about the thrill of combining a bumper crop, hearing the multitude of corn ears thumping into the machine.
Our high school students are in tune to that. If all they hear is how boring and bad life is here at home, over time they get that message and don’t recognize all the good things they will miss when they leave.
We living here need to be a little more balanced and upbeat if we are going to attract our brightest and best back home to the farm or on our Main Street.
"Children will naturally be drawn to our passion," writes Joel Salatin, Virginia farmer and author in his book Family Friendly Farming. "Enjoying our farm vocation is one of the keys to creating that magnetic draw that will keep children near."
So as land, farms and family businesses are handed on to another generation, let’s celebrate those assets you can’t mark with a dollar sign. Roll out the welcome mat for future young farmers, business leaders and laborers who want to someday make Cedar County their home. If we do that, we’ll continue to foster the youngest, most vital farms and communities in the state.
Talk with you next week.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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