Agriculture is one of those industries that can easily be stereotyped. Unfortunately, some of those stereotypes include being older, stubborn, conservative and not “well-educated.” The painful reality for Farm Bureau is that we have more members above the age of 85 then we do under the age of 30. The average age of the farmer is somewhere around 70 years old depending on which study or report you find.
The good news is that, over the last 18 months, county Farm Bureaus all over Ohio (and across the United States) have begin searching every cornfield, cow pasture and berry patch to find these younger, independent and determined individuals that want to investigate farming further, as well as network with others like them. Fortunately, Geauga County Farm Bureau has a Young Agriculture Professionals group that was started last winter and they have put together awesome programming for this year. The Geauga County Farm Bureau Young Ag Professional’s next function is entitled “Money Management for Young Farmers” and will take place on Thursday April 16 at Cleats in Chardon at 7 pm. Guest speakers include Jamie Pittman from PNC Bank and Kim Skala of the Skala Nationwide Agency.
Agriculture land is at a premium and hands-on experience in the business is hard to come by unless you go to Ohio State, ATI (Agriculture Technical Institute in Wooster) or go out of state. To be blunt, most young folks in my generation aren’t lining up to work 10-15 hour days in the heat, rain and cold with animals, crops, vegetables and produce that will need constant care and attention to survive in northeast Ohio. These individuals aren’t particularly excited about jumping into an industry that is involved with an evolving door of local, state and federal regulatory concerns (this is where a Farm Bureau membership is handy). The bad news is that we have a lot of farmers in Ohio and across the United States going out of business and not enough coming IN.
Some of the programs are educational and informative, while others are just downright intended to bring out some family fun. Although the Young Agriculture Professionals group is marketed for those in the age range of 18-35, the opportunities provided and ability to network with other like minded folks has no age limit at all! Regardless of your farming experience or status, as long as you have an interest, you are certainly welcome to attend.
If you’d like to attend, please contact the Geauga County Farm Bureau office at 440-437-8700 or by email at Geauga@ofbf.org. If you’d like to see what other events we have coming up, please “like” our Facebook page, and to become a member, please visit our online application at www.volunteers.growwithfb.org.
This story is brought to you by Geauga County Farm Bureau
Author: Ty Kellogg
Ty Kellogg has been the Organization Director of the Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Trumbull County Farm Bureau for just shy of two years. His primary duties include management of the four-county Farm Bureau office, assisting volunteers with membership drives, programs that promote agriculture and engaging the public in agriculture and community policy development. Born, raised and living in Geauga County, Ty can also be seen playing music throughout northeast Ohio, running, hunting, fishing and helping his parents on their farm.