There is arguably no profession more important that food production, yet a recent survey conducted by Iowa State University Extension reveals that the majority of farmers don’t want children to follow in their footsteps.
According to the Iowa Farm and Life Poll released Dec. 2, a number of roadblocks exist including financial reasons such as initial investment, low profits and high risk.
Nearly 65 percent of poll respondents said a lack of available farmland could keep young people from entering the farming profession.
In addition, 95 percent said a spouse of a beginning farmer would have to work off the farm to make extra money and 92 percent said the farmer also would have to work off-farm to make extra income necessary to maintain a decent standard of living.
A real-time poll being conducted on the KCCI-TV News Channel 8 web site (www.theiowachannel.com ) mirrored the ISU research. By 5 p.m. Dec. 2, 195 of the nearly 300 people responding said they would not encourage their children to farm.
“This poll confirms what many people already knew: that there are some tremendous obstacles keeping farm children from wanting to get involved in full-time farming,” said Aaron Putze, executive director and public relations officer for the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers.
While start-up costs and a lack of available land certainly played a role in the poll’s outcome, Putze said the ever-increasing regulatory environment and activist presence in the state certainly haven’t helped.
“Calling farmers terrorists and child abusers - as some activist groups have done - and defining a factory farmer as anyone who needs a permit to operate doesn’t go far in welcoming the next generation onto the farm,” Putze said.
He added that the CSIF would help change the poll’s numbers by working hand-in-hand with farmers to assist them in understanding regulations covering their occupation.
“This poll underscores the need for the Coalition,” Putze said. “Uncertainty doesn’t foster the kind of long-term commitment farmers need to get started in the profession and to raise livestock for a living. We hope to reduce the uncertainty by being an important source of information for farm families.
“We intend to grow communities one farmer at a time - and help young people become involved in the profession.”