First Land: Creating a Farm for the Future

According to the 2007 US Census of Agriculture, less than two percent of labor force in the nation is in agriculture; the average age of principal farm operators was 57 years in 2007, and more than a quarter of all US farmers were 65 years or older. In order to support the emergence of the next generation of farmers, we, as agricultural researchers and educators, need to provide them with pathways to economic as well as environmental and social sustainability. Based on the data collected from our multi-state, multidisciplinary research project on beginning farmers, funded by the Southern Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE), this paper examines the critical role that “land” plays in paving these pathways. We will first present multiple narratives used by beginning farmers that illustrate their understanding of the dynamics of finance capital in agriculture. Using the “economic map” as both a methodological and theoretical tool, we will then discuss the key patterns of how these beginning farmers position diverse financial/economic actors as critical resources for, or hindrances in, shaping their farming practices. We will also explore in these narratives how the concepts of “sustainable farming” and “economic viability” are articulated to guide their practices.