Jerry Cosgrove Urges Greater Assistance to Young, First-Time Farmers

NEW YORK, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Young farmers are facing many obstacles in establishing and growing their operations. From a lack of land to a lack of capital, they must overcome a variety of hurdles before enjoying the fruits of their labor. Jerry Cosgrove, an agricultural expert, knows that these farmers need more support. As such, he is encouraging people to assist the next generation of farmers in several ways.

NewarkAdvocate.com reports that a recent event has shed light on the needs of today's young farmers. Hosted by Granville High School environmental classes and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's Heart of Ohio Chapter, this event gathered several young farmers in an effort to showcase the challenges that these professionals face in today's world. The hurdles they must overcome to create viable farms and successful businesses are many—and Jerry Cosgrove, agricultural expert, is bent on improving the odds of their success. As such, Jerry Cosgrove is urging people and politicians to show their support.

The aforementioned article asserts that, "Shopping at local farmers markets, joining community-supported agriculture food subscription suppliers, and urging local and national legislators to support policies and programs supporting beginning farmers were suggested as ways to help them." Given the long list of challenges that young farmers face—lack of capital, lack of land, lack of professional mentors, etc.—every bit of support that today's newest farmers receive is a major milestone.

The event that took place considered the fact that farmers have to feed more people than ever before. With a booming population, the strain on farms to produce high quantities of food has never been stronger. But with little support, the next generation of farmers is going to find it exceedingly difficult to keep up with demand.

Jerry Cosgrove asserts that this is an issue that needs to be addressed on a variety of levels. First, people need to support local farmers in any way that they can. The aforementioned farmers markets are wonderful places to shop for locally grown foods. However, this alone is not going to make things easier for today's young farmers. Jerry Cosgrove is calling for the government to get involved in an attempt to make the key items farmers need—land and money—more accessible.  

"Younger farmers need greater access to training and mentoring, capital, and land," commented agricultural expert Jerry Cosgrove. "It is time for all levels of government, as well as philanthropy, to step up and develop policies and programs that create a pathway for these motivated young farmers to farm on their own. We need changes to national farm policy and the tax code that break down barriers and create incentives to provide more opportunities for the next generation."

ABOUT:

An agricultural expert, Jerry Cosgrove works at the New World Foundation as Associate Director of the Local Economies Project. This project enables him to contribute to finding sustainable agricultural solutions in the Hudson Valley region. Jerry Cosgrove is nationally recognized expert on farm estate planning and has dedicated his career to helping the agricultural industry keep up with modern demand while maintaining sustainable and resilient farming operations.

SOURCE Jerry Cosgrove