Guest guest Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Going back to the land Young people moving in to fill agricultural niches By Schweitzer, Globe Staff | May 7, 2005 BURLINGTON, Vt. -- There were no glitzy PowerPoint presentations, no assurances of high-tech riches. But they came by the dozens to a student center, young women with cat-eye glasses and young men sporting sideburns, to learn how to finance a Deere tractor and market a crop. Farming is cutting edge, even hip, among a growing corps of ambitious 20- and 30-somethings. ''It's totally the new thing, " said Tilton, a 25-year-old Mount Holyoke College graduate who attended a recent conference to prepare for buying land to till. ''There is this sense that we don't have to do investment banking or IT and work in a cubicle all day. We can live a more hands-on life. " As family farms are swallowed up by corporations and housing developers, young men and women, some from suburban backgrounds and families with no agricultural ties, are filling the void. They are opening small niche operations in Vermont and elsewhere in New England to grow hydroponic tomatoes and raise free-range chickens. Some are going back to the land to escape corporate culture, farming specialists say. Some of the young farmers and farmers-to-be say they are motivated by a sense that farming can save the world or at least some corner of it. While Peace Corps volunteers of decades past sought to aid African countries facing famine, these young people see a dire state of agriculture in the United States. Many of the young farmers and college students studying for a life in farming said they worry that as family farms are sold to large agribusinesses, food has been corrupted by chemicals and produced with exploited migrant workers. They also say that sales of onetime farmland to housing developers are worsening sprawl and that with small-scale farming they can begin to reverse those trends. ''You hear about all these terrible things in the world, and you're told to go out there and change them, " said Ian Irwin, 22, who plans to raise cattle after graduating from the University of Vermont. ''This is an enjoyable way to do our part. " But if they are idealists, the young farmers are also business-savvy. They toss around corporate catch-phrases such as value-added and diversified. They have business plans and have taken accounting classes. Unlike farming of another generation, when producing and getting a crop or animal to market were primary tasks, the smaller enterprises require more of their owners. Because they often operate without middlemen or employees, the farmers must oversee production, marketing, sales, and distribution. Pappas, 26, a onetime music major at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., who grew up in Tenafly, N.J., and Dave Demarest, 25, a graduate in environmental science from the University of Vermont who grew up outside New Haven, have become minor specialists in any number of agricultural and business fields. The pair joined forces two years ago to grow Reishi mushrooms that they use to brew an earthy-tasting iced tea, which is flavored with maple syrup and cranberry or lemon juice. They call it VTea and hope to sell 50,000 bottles this year in Vermont.ADVERTISEMENT They work on Demarest's property, 51 acres he bought three years ago in the town of Underhill, near Burlington. They prepare the mushroom seeds in a sterile lab, planting them in hemlock logs laid cross-hatch style under tree cover. But they also prepare and bottle the tea. They market it. They seek prospective buyers on the Internet. They deliver it by truck to local stores. And they sell it at farmers markets and fairs. The infusion of young people into farming is a trickle compared with the mass departure of family farmers. The average age of American farmers rose to 55 in 2002 from 50 in 1978, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Just 5 percent of farmers in 2002 were between the ages of 25 and 34, government numbers show. The aging of the American farmer, agriculture specialists say, is due to global trends that have made middle-sized farms, the sort operated by families throughout much of the 20th century, unprofitable compared to bigger, more efficient operations. Many young farmers are entering the agricultural market at the other end of the spectrum, with small enterprises that sell products directly to local stores and farmers markets, rather than to wholesalers. The products they grow tend to appeal to a relatively small but growing group of health-conscious, educated, and well-off consumers who will pay more for organic lettuce, low-spray apples, and locally produced milk. The entry into small-scale farming by young people is evident on both coasts. But Vermont, with its limited land mass and tendency toward smaller farming plots, is at the forefront of the movement. Enrollment in agriculture classes at the University of Vermont is up, particularly those aimed at teaching business skills. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps -- a nonprofit that traditionally assigns workers, ages 16 to 24, to woods restoration of state parks -- will establish a farming component next year in response to demand. Young people crammed the recent conference in Burlington entitled, ''Young Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Local Foods. " The movement is different from the 1960s swell of back-to-the-earth hippies who piled into Vermont to escape urban unrest and the Vietnam War. The new ranks of farmers, specialists say, are not dropouts from society, but rather seek closer connection to society through farming. ''These are young people who are interested in community development, " said Jane Kolodinsky, who heads the College of Agriculture and Life Science's department of community development and applied economics. Many are helping one another. There is a growing network of small-production farmers who band together in ventures known as community supported agriculture that lock customers into purchases before harvest. Some share distribution, bottling, and other facilities. Farmers are also aligned with activists behind other causes, such as conservation, ecological repair, and fair trade. Nonetheless, the rigors, many know, are daunting, and failure rates are high. Tilton, for one, is conscious of the challenges. She is quick to point out that she has no land, little money. Yet asked what sort of farming she plans, she rattles off: ''Organic, well-diversified, no meat. " Farming holds her future, said the daughter of an interior designer and oncologist, a product of the Delaware suburbs. ''It's a rejection of Seven jeans and the Ugg boots, " she said referring to the designer jeans and footwear of the moment. ''And that's OK. You can also be pretty hip with dirty fingernails. " Schweitzer can be reached at schweitzer@.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Hello EOHarm, Sunday, July 24, 2005, 4:22:27 PM, you wrote: > There are 25 messages in this issue. > Topics in this digest: > 1. FW: Boston Globe > From: " Deb Gordon " <dgs@...> > 2. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " redhead60707 " <redhead60707@...> > 3. Re: FW: Boston Globe > From: " Fournier " <@...> > 4. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " McCarthy " <john-mccarthy@...> > 5. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " schaferatsprynet " <schafer@...> > 6. Re: Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: Max Salinas <msalinas@...> > 7. RE: Pigeons vs People > From: " " <fd3martin@...> > 8. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " McCarthy " <john-mccarthy@...> > 9. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " nevergiveup883 " <ynot2@...> > 10. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " nevergiveup883 " <ynot2@...> > 11. Re: Boston Sunday Globe Flutie story > From: " Sue " <sffkeller@...> > 12. Boston Globe article re: Flutie > From: " Deb Gordon " <dgs@...> > 13. Re: Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: Ginger <@...> > 14. GREAT Boyd Haley article in Lex (KY) Herald-Leader > From: " colinsmom99 " <ampoyner@...> > 15. Re: Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " Holly Bortfeld " <maximom@...> > 16. Fwd: RE: Pigeons vs People > From: Vera <sircarlito@...> > 17. RE: Pigeons vs People > From: " G. King " <drking@...> > 18. RE: Pigeons vs People > From: " M. Webster " <jwebs94@...> > 19. Profits and the development of drugs-Opinion (vaccines too) > From: " redhead60707 " <redhead60707@...> > 20. Re: March on CNN > From: " redhead60707 " <redhead60707@...> > 21. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > From: " schaferatsprynet " <schafer@...> > 22. RE: Pigeons vs People - Another View > From: " G. King " <drking@...> > 23. Flood CNN---Fwd: CNN Reply > From: teresa <redhead60707@...> > 24. Re: Flood CNN for Thimerosal inaccuracy---Fwd: CNN Reply > From: " redhead60707 " <redhead60707@...> > 25. Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosol for his son's > From: " Pamela Leigh " <pamelaleigh@...> > ________________________________________________________________________ > ________________________________________________________________________ > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 12:24:05 -0400 > From: " Deb Gordon " <dgs@...> > Subject: FW: Boston Globe > A friend of mine in Boston forwarded this to me. Have any of our groups > been in touch with Flutie? They've got the ability and the desire to " raise > funds for research " . > > _____ > Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 11:39 AM > dgs@... > Subject: Boston Globe > > Deb, > > The Sunday Globe has a long feature story about Patriots quarterback Doug > Flutie and his son Dougie, who is autistic. > > True > <http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2005/07/24/true_mea > sure_of_qbs_heart_found_at_home/> measure of QB's heart found at home - The > Boston Globe - Boston.com - Patriots - Sports > > a couple of interesting excerpts: > > Two months passed. Dougie barely spoke at all now. The only time he managed > to articulate much of anything was to repeat what Laurie said to him. Laurie > went back to the doctor. She mentioned Dougie's symptoms developed shortly > after he had his immunization shots. She was referred to a neurologist, who > recommended the boy be admitted to New England Medical Center. > > According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 166 children develop some > form of autism, ranging from mild and somewhat high functioning (like Dan > Marino's son) to severe. The number is staggering, and Bill Flutie does not > understand why there hasn't been a more urgent look at the preservative > containing mercury that is used in immunizations. > ''You've got to shake your head at it, " Bill said. ''Dougie is a normal > little boy, then after the shots he's not? Autism is reaching epidemic > proportions. I wish someone like Doug, with so much visibility, could > pressure the government to do something. > ''I'm afraid to discuss it with Doug. It's so personal. It's a tough > subject. It upsets them, sometimes. " > Doug and Laurie have struggled with this issue. They, too, believe the > immunizations are the cause of Dougie's autism, even though no studies have > proven a direct link. > ''The government will never admit it, but we've got a big problem, " Doug > Flutie said. ''They did a study. Great. Happy for them. But there's no doubt > in my mind we need to get the mercury out of these shots. > ''We can't get into the lab ourselves and prove it, so we're trying to raise > funds for research. > [This message contained attachments] > ________________________________________________________________________ > ________________________________________________________________________ > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 16:28:57 -0000 > From: " redhead60707 " <redhead60707@...> > Subject: Re: Doug Flutie blames thimerosal for son's autism > A few comments: My daughter is 12 and I will ALWAYS seek out > treatments to get her better. How can you think your child is happy > when he cannot let you know his finger is stuck in a vent or a b-ball > hoop and he doesn't eat, or smile. I'm glad that thimerosal and the > vaccine connection came up but for them to say it is too late for > their child and not to do something about children still being exposed > to harm here and in other countries bothers me. I imagine that it is > controversial for them but they could bring so much exposure to this > story..not to mention money for research. His wife brought up a good > point too..most people do not have that kind of money to do/buy > whatever for their child. The fact that they spent so much money on a > stroller for a 13 year old when many are struggling to buy > chelation/supplements/HBOT/DAN docs, tells me that they are ok with > just accepting autism. And I am not. The neurodiversity group will > love this story...maybe it was his thimerosal vaccinations but his > parents love him just the way he is. > >> > ________________________________________________________________________ > ________________________________________________________________________ > Message: 3 > Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 12:31:57 -0400 > From: " Fournier " <@...> > Subject: Re: FW: Boston Globe > I'll be speaking with their Exec. Dir. tomorrow. > > Boston Globe > > Deb, > > The Sunday Globe has a long feature story about Patriots > quarterback Doug Flutie and his son Dougie, who is autistic. > > True measure of QB's heart found at home - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Patriots - Sports > > a couple of interesting excerpts: > > Two months passed. Dougie barely spoke at all now. The only time > he managed to articulate much of anything was to repeat what Laurie > said to him. Laurie went back to the doctor. She mentioned Dougie's > symptoms developed shortly after he had his immunization shots. She > was referred to a neurologist, who recommended the boy be admitted to New England Medical Center. > > According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 166 children > develop some form of autism, ranging from mild and somewhat high > functioning (like Dan Marino's son) to severe. The number is > staggering, and Bill Flutie does not understand why there hasn't > been a more urgent look at the preservative containing mercury that is used in immunizations. > ''You've got to shake your head at it, " Bill said. ''Dougie is a > normal little boy, then after the shots he's not? Autism is reaching > epidemic proportions. I wish someone like Doug, with so much > visibility, could pressure the government to do something. > ''I'm afraid to discuss it with Doug. It's so personal. It's a > tough subject. It upsets them, sometimes. " > Doug and Laurie have struggled with this issue. They, too, > believe the immunizations are the cause of Dougie's autism, even > though no studies have proven a direct link. > ''The government will never admit it, but we've got a big > problem, " Doug Flutie said. ''They did a study. Great. Happy for > them. But there's no doubt in my mind we need to get the mercury out of these shots. > ''We can't get into the lab ourselves and prove it, so we're > trying to raise funds for research. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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