YF Conference
SAVE THE DATE: 2012 Young Farmers Conference will be held December 12-14, 2012
2011 Young Farmers Conference: Reviving the Culture of Agriculture
Young farmers. Usually they’re defined as under 35. But being a young farmer is really more a state of mind and being part of a movement with shared values about sustainable agriculture than being confined to an age bracket.
Young and beginning farmers are new to the field (some quite literally). They seek experience and hunger for knowledge. They are in need of capital and land and other tangible resources to make their journey practical and successful. They are idealistic, motivated by the desire to create a more equitable, regional, diverse and sustainable food system that fosters community and human and environmental health. They are ambitious and innovative. They are both back-to-the-land and high-tech. Feet on the ground, head in the sky, they live simply but want to change the world.
They are the future of farming.
The 2011 Young Farmers Conference, held December 1 and 2 at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, convened some 250 young and beginning farmers from 24 states and five countries for intensive workshops and demonstrations, conversations and dancing. Part of the Center’s Growing Farmers Initiative, the conference is unique in scope and reach, bringing together thought leaders and creative practitioners in the sustainable agriculture movement with farmers eager for ideas, information and connection.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be unpacking some of the ideas and people behind the young farmers movement. So check back in with us from time to time. In the meantime, read here about innovations being pioneered that are changing the face of small-scale farming.
Slideshow 2011 YFC:
Voices from the 2010 YFC:
Workshop at the 2009 Young Farmers Conference. Photo: jordanstudio.com
