Cultivating a Career

Young and beginning farmers are turning to agriculture and farming as a way to connect with the land and as a viable and important career path.

I did not grow-up thinking that I wanted to be a farmer. In fact, my teachers and adult role models associated agriculture and farming with those lacking other career choices. Honor students did not become farmers; they became doctors, engineers or lawyers. This mentality has been prominent for my lifetime and previous generations, and is reflected in the average age of the American farmer which is now close to 60 years of age. Students and children are continuing to be taught that farming is not a reputable career. Success is linked to income, prestigious college training and employment with advancement opportunities leading to higher pay and more time off. At least this is the message I received growing up in rural North Carolina and what shaped my future decisions and goals. However, I believe many young people are now questioning this logic and are coming back to the land with passion and energy.

Rachel Fussell in Vermont Tech's Vegetable Garden. Photo by Isaiah McKeown

Rachel Fussell in Vermont Tech’s Vegetable Garden. Photo by Isaiah McKeown

In recent years agriculture has experienced a gradual renaissance towards small diversified farms and away from large monoculture agriculture. With the help from many influential figures in the food movement, the current inspiration for many new farmers is to diversify and pursue a whole systems approach to agriculture. Young people and beginning farmers are looking for alternative routes to enter the food system and agriculture. I believe my own meandering path towards diversified agriculture is becoming the new normal for young farmers.

In high school I was led to believe that there were basically five careers to choose from; they included becoming a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, a policewoman or a firefighter. So I entered college thinking I had everything figured out, or so I thought. My life plan was to earn a degree in environmental policy, go to law school, become a successful environmental lawyer and then be happy and rich for the rest of my life. Of course most of this plan has not happened for several reasons. First, I attended a college with a working farm that required all students to participate in chores and where I was exposed to a farming lifestyle. The second event that hit me was the beginning of the Great Recession. With unemployment at an all-time high, I realized that the American Dream I had visualized for myself was not going to be as easy to obtain. I also acknowledged that sitting behind a desk for 40-plus hours a week was not as appealing as working outside with the land. So I switched gears and turned away from law, towards environmental science and agriculture.

With a degree in environmental science and agriculture I was able to secure an AmeriCorp position with the Polk County Office of Agricultural Economic Development in North Carolina. Through this job I created a local food campaign, took organic vegetable production courses, and learned about the economic and policy side of being a farmer. During this time I lived on a small chicken and organic vegetable farm in exchange for several hours of work each week. I learned to raise and process chickens for market, produce value-added products, and was exposed to life and work on a farm in a rural community. However, when my time in Polk County came to an end I decided to follow the advice of those older and wiser, and headed off for the big city, Washington D.C., to work in the food policy world. I only made it 4 months before I decided that the city was not the place for me. This experience, although rough, cemented in my mind that I wanted to work the land not the desk.

Vermont Tech's Vegetable Production Plot. Photo by Rachel Fussell

Vermont Tech’s Vegetable Production Plot. Photo by Rachel Fussell

This led me to Vermont in search of farming opportunities. I chose Vermont for several reasons including; the low population density, the most farmers market per capita, the farmer-friendly policies and the beauty of the working landscape. Even though I was unemployed for several months and had no friends or family in the area, I refused to give up easily. I eventually found work as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with Vermont Technical College. I am helping to run the vegetable production program, aimed at training students to grow produce for   a small CSA and direct sales to Sodexo, the college’s dining hall service. I am able to work with an amazing team of people within Vermont Tech’s new Institute for Applied Agriculture and Food Systems where we are designing short courses for beginning farmers. My journey into the rich world of agricultural has been meandering and never without hurdles or self-doubt. My journey makes working with the Ag Institute and helping students navigate the murky waters of young adulthood an exciting and meaningful field.

Throughout Vermont and New England I am witnessing a resurgence of farmer training programs. Vermont Tech’s Ag Institute is an innovative program that seeks to provide young and beginning farmers with the tools they need to succeed in the field of agriculture. As Chris Dutton, the director of the Institute, has said, “With the Institute for Applied Agriculture and Food Systems, we are able to provide specific, pro-active courses taught by industry experts that allow students to quickly and effectively develop important skills. We’re excited to offer these new opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds that are interested in learning more about maintaining a sustainable food system.”

Vermont Tech, along with many other Vermont colleges and organizations, is on the forefront of providing alternative methods and new ways for students to gain agricultural skills. The University of Vermont offers a season-long Farmer Training Program, NOFA-VT runs the CRAFT program for seasoned apprentices and Vermont Farm-to-Plate has created working-groups focusing on agricultural education and farmland access to name a few.  There are groups and organizations all over New England working together to increase the pool and interest of new farmers in creative ways.

With the average age of farmers nearing 60 it is important to begin training the next generation of farmers. New programs are being created each year for both beginning and experienced farmers, with almost all of these programs overflowing with eager students waiting to attend. The trend is encouraging with more young people looking at farming as a profitable and valuable career choice. We still have a lot to work ahead of us, but programs like the one at Vermont Tech that I have had the ability to take part in are promising. As Barbara Kingsolver once said, “Whatever lofty things you might accomplish today, you will do them only because you first ate something that grew out of dirt.”

 

Avatar of Rachel Fussell

Rachel Fussell

Rachel Fussell is an AmeriCorps VISTA member working with Vermont Technical College as their Food Systems Coordinator. She helps manage the college's two-acre vegetable garden and works to increase local food in the college's cafeteria and in the community. For more information on agricultural programs offered at Vermont Tech please contact Melissa Neilson, Student Resource Advisor, at mneilson@vtc.edu or 1-800-442-8821 extension 1677.

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