Dispatch from the National Young Farmers Conference

Guest blogger Andrea Davis Cetina of Quarter Acre farm shares her experiences at the National Young Farmers Conference at Stone Barns Center.  Andrea's trip was supported by the Farmers Guild Scholarship Fund.

I left my home in the early morning hours carrying a suitcase filled with sweaters, boots, and a heavy coat. I drove through the heaviest rainstorm we’ve had in years.  As the sun rose, I boarded  my plane heading east.

I always look at farmland when I fly. I can’t help but imagine what type of farm it is? What do they grow and who are the farmers?  But this time it was really relevant because I was flying across the whole country just to go to the National Young Farmers conference.  

From high above you can get a sense of not only the size of the field, but how they irrigate, their distance from town, and their farm community (i.e. neighbors).  The majority of farms I saw out my airplane window were mostly growing corn using center pivot irrigators, which make the fields a circle shape. These look very different from my farm community in the North Bay and from the farms I learned on in the east coast. The plane landed in White Plains, NY a suburb of New York City. I didn’t see any farms as I drove to the hotel.   

The next morning as I got on the school bus that was being used to shuttle people from the hotel to the conference, I surveyed the other riders, who were mostly under forty. I think I may have been one of the oldest people there! Everyone was wearing work shoes, coats that were a bit dusty, well worn pants, and their hands had seen dirt.  Though I didn’t know anyone, I felt extremely comfortable because I knew these were my people, people who live and love farm life.

As we neared the Stone Barns Center we were all peering out the window, eager to see the fields and the emerging awe-inspiring stone buildings.  As we got off the bus we were ushered into the beautiful facility that is an old stone barn converted into a hall and meeting space.

The main hall, known as the Hayloft, was filled with about 200 agrarians eating breakfast.  I met fellow farmers and farm workers from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, New Mexico, Arizona, and even a few from California.  

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My first workshop was Profitable Market Gardening presented by Jean-Martin Fortier, who explained in great detail how he and his wife along with a few employees efficiently grow on a 1.5 acre farm. (Ah, small acreage farms are so close to my heart!) They have found their profitability lies in growing high quality produce in close spacing on permanent beds.  They only use hand tools and a walking tractor.  The session was packed, with many people holding his recently published book. (I’ve got it on my Christmas list, please Santa!)  I think he is the Eliot Coleman of our generation. (Oh, Eliot was at the conference too.)

Next up was Stealing Supermarket Savvy presented by Maria Rojas and Christopher Wayne of FARMroots, NYC Greenmarkets technical assistance program.  They cut through the basic farmers’ market “marketing 101” techniques and delved much deeper.  They explained their process and results from a study they conduct on farmers’ market customers’ behavior. They went on to explain how farmers can leverage this information to provide better services and increase sales.  Here are some of my favorite take always:

• Customers are drawn to layers; make use of all 3 dimensions (height, width, and depth).
• Buying sweet spot is between the customer’s waist and shoulder.
  

• Reduce shopper anxiety by making clear directional flow in your booth.

It was then time for lunch, which included a presentation by Lindsey Lusher Shute of the National Young Farmers Coalition.  She introduced the organization’s new campaign to add farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. She explained how farming is a public service and the federal government should provide incentives to young people interested in pursuing agriculture, as is the practice in other careers that are critical to our nation’s well being.

I was lucky enough to snag a consulting session on Building a Useful Business Plan with Shiloh Avery and Jason Roehrig of Tumbling Shoals Farm.  The session was limited to only 4 people so we were able to ask tons of questions relating to our personal businesses.  They emphasized that you are writing a business for yourself, so know thy self!

After that I had another consulting session. This time I met one-on-one with Benneth Phelps of the Carrot Project to go over my cash flow projection.  She helped me hash out the best actions for my short term and long term goals.

The day ended with a delicious dinner where the great David Orr gave the keynote address. He spoke about the importance of optimizing the whole system and not just the parts.  My favorite quote was, “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”

It was hard to sleep that night since I had all these ideas and to-do lists forming in my head.

After another tasty locally sourced breakfast, a fellow farmer and I had a consulting session with the trailblazing Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons.  We had an enlightening discussion about land leases, contracts, easements, and more.  She suggested the best ways for a farmer to protect their business.  She pointed out that the gold standard is to be the land owner, which is unfortunately out of reach for most farmers.  Another option for land security is to have a long term land lease which can give the farmer reliable access to land but requires good and open communication with the land owner.  Once you think a lease is ready to be sign it’s a good idea to take it to an agricultural attorney to review it.  Also you need to have an exit plan in place in case you need or are forced to leave the land.

Then I went to a workshop on Farm Mechanization Tools for Increased Efficiency presented by Richard Wiswall.  He explained how to determine if you should invest in new equipment using a cost/ benefit analysis. He went over the various tractor impediments to keep your labor costs low.

My last workshop was Cultivating a Sustainable Life with Sustainable Agriculture presented by Monte Skarsgard.  He discussed how to partner with other farms to provide steady diverse product directly to your customers year round. He also emphasized the use of online software for organization and implementation of delivery to customers.

The conference ended with a closing address from Fred Kirschenmann.  He talked about the need for cultural transformation to a new economy that values the work for the common flourishing of life.  The importance of a food system based on memory, trust, and connection operates on the basis of shared values. He stated that “moments of challenges are also moments of opportunity;” that really struck me as it perfectly describes my farm this growing season.

Farmers make up less than 2% of the US population, which explains why I, like many others, did not grow up farming.  As one studies to become a farmer not only do you need to learn how to produce food but you must learn the ins and outs of running a business.  Conferences like this help farmers understand the importance of business, marketing, and labor costs, as well as provide the farmer with the mentors, resources, and encouragement to take on the challenge of mother nature and the market place.  People are turning to farming as a career for many reasons; but without various business skills and access to small farm resources a farming career won’t last long.

“Sometimes things that seem crazy are actually visions of the future” - Fred Kirschenmann