Where is farming’s next generation?

Farming is an established industry and way of life in Virginia.

But some Virginia farms’ futures could be in peril as farmers begin to think about retirement. If a new generation doesn’t step up to keep producing fresh, safe foods for their communities and the nation, we stand to lose things many people take for granted.

Those include access to seasonal, safe, fresh foods and the benefits of open green spaces.

In Virginia, the average farmer is 56 years old—slightly older than the national average. The share of U.S. producers younger than 35 declined from 15.9 percent in 1982 to 5.8 percent in 2002, and more than 70 percent of the state’s farmland is expected to change hands in the coming decade.

With that in mind, Virginia Farm Bureau offers a Young Farmer Program to support current and potential farmers younger than 35 and encourage any young adult with an interest in agriculture. The program offers educational, networking and leadership development opportunities that can make a difference to young ag professionals.

Farm Bureau also has worked with Virginia’s Office of Farmland Preservation to give farm families options for keeping their land and keeping it in production. Resources available include:

• workshops to help farm families start the communication needed to map out a transition plan;

• the Virginia Farm Link Program, which helps retirement-minded farmers and younger prospective farmers find each other to discuss mentoring, rental and other transition arrangements; and

•  information on local purchase of development rights programs, in which landowners sell development rights to their property, generating revenue that can help them retire while keeping a farm in production.