MONTROSE, Colo. — Since 2020, America has experienced a world of change. The pandemic became a catalyst for people to change jobs and buying practices, and a desire to reevaluate our impact. If the toilet paper hoarding wasn’t evidence enough, supply chain shortages became a significant concern for the modern American household. Gardening, buying local, and adopting sustainable practices have all been ways Americans have adapted to these new social and economic shifts.
Many were laid off from their in-person jobs and food insecurity caused panic for many people during the lockdown. Large populations of those affected decided to move to smaller suburbs and rural communities, a trend that was on the rise even before the pandemic. The Pew Research Center found that “From March 2020 to March 2021, 5.1 million Americans moved into suburban areas from other types of communities, compared with 5.6 million who did so on average each year from 2016 to 2018.” These transplants were looking for larger backyards, some even buying large acreage, and a simpler life.
Along with the exodus to areas with more space, gardening saw huge growth as a hobby and practice starting in 2020. Studies by the National Gardening Association show that nearly 20 million novices took up the hobby during the pandemic, a majority of those gardeners being millennials and Gen Z, people born after 1980. Most of these young gardeners expressed a need to grow food crops and pantry stables, maintain better mental health practices, and spend more time with family. Research by Scotts Miracle-Gro and Wakefield Research found that “55% of American households in 2020 engaged in gardening activities with almost 70% of them focused on growing or planning to grow edible plants, including vegetables (52%), herbs (33%), and fruits (31%).”
This wave of New Victory Gardens, gardens grown during the food shortages of both world wars, has also led to consumers desiring to make connections with existing local producers.
Farmers’ Markets and CSA programs saw a 35% increase in 2020 and the following years according to Colorado State University’s Food System Department’s research. These consumer studies found that 31% of consumers who started shopping at farmers’ markets during the pandemic had become regular shoppers. One step further than that, many individuals have taken their new hobby farms into production. According to the National Young Farmer Coalition Survey, along with food security, “Young farmers are motivated by environmental conservations, anti-racism, and social justice.”
Motivations like these have inspired other social changes and movements in history as well. The Arts and Crafts Movement emerged in England during the Late Victorian period and was fueled by a reevaluation of social standards that had been pushed to great limits due to the harsh philosophy and labor laws of the Industrial Era. According to the V&A “The Arts and Crafts movement in Britain was born out of an increasing understanding that society needed to adopt a different set of priorities in relation to the manufacture of objects. Its leaders wanted to develop products that not only had more integrity but which were also made in a less dehumanizing way.”
Much like the Arts and Crafts Movement led to a new appreciation for well-made and ethical goods in the late 1800s, food consumers are now looking for ways to buy locally grown, ethically raised food now. We are experiencing a new Agrarian Revolution. The National Young Farmers Coalition has found that over 86% of young farmers identify their practices as regenerative and they can charge more for their products. Consumers are willing to pay for better quality food as well. The movement toward sustainable food and small business farms is a growing trend with surveys showing that 82% of consumers are willing to pay more for goods from small businesses. This means that more and more young people can begin to support themselves as farmers and ranchers in this new market.
Also, Beginning Farmer Rancher Programs, many funded by the USDA directly, like the Cultivating Farmers and Rancher that Thrive Program (CFRT) in Montrose, Colorado is helping beginning farmer ranchers become resilient through marketing and business training, and regenerative farming practices with Holistic Management International.
The CFRT Program also addresses the most significant barrier to entry for beginning farmers and ranchers: land access. According to the National Young Farmers Coalition Survey, finding affordable land is the greatest challenge for young farmers. It becomes an even greater barrier for BIPOC farmers.
2023 is a big year for farmers and ranchers regardless of how long they have been working in agriculture. A new Farm Bill will be drafted and will be instrumental in the future of agriculture. Nearly 40% of farmland is owned by farmers and ranchers at or over the age of 65 according to the USDA. This means that within the next 10 years, the United States could lose that land to development as farmers retire and do not have someone to pass the farm onto. This shift could cause major food insecurity in the US.
The National Young Farmers Coalition has proposed a solution in its One Million Acres Campaign. They are working with a cohort of 100 farmers and ranchers across the nation to speak with their local and national leaders about the importance of equitable land access and its impact on the future. According to the USDA, 132 billion dollars is contributed to the U.S. GDP by farms and accounts for 900 million acres of agricultural land. Since 1982, more than 2000 acres of high-quality agricultural land have been turned into development every day.
90% of all farms within our country are small family-run farms and they account for over 20% of the food we eat every day. Aging farmers and ranchers have very few alternatives other than selling their farms to developers for housing or other structures when they retire. The attitude towards buying locally is changing, however, if we do not protect the agricultural land we have now, we put almost a quarter of American food production at risk. To protect the future of our food system, we must protect and support equitable agricultural land access for the new generation of agrarians.
Cally Hale is a 5th generation farmer from Montrose, CO. She also works as the program manager for a beginning farmer rancher training program with Valley Food Partnership, an agricultural non-profit. Recently, she has served as a land advocate with the National Young Farmers Coalition on their 2023 Farm Bill campaign in Washington, DC.
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–Cally Hale
Western Heritage Farms
