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Farming 2.0

Young Northwest farmers use sustainable methods and social networks for a new kind of nationwide harvest

by Amber Cortes Dominion Stories

» Download file 'OWR_20101007_Young_Farmers_FINAL.mp3' (5.2MB)

Chandler Briggs of Meadow Island Farm on Vashon Island.  Photo credit: Anya Kamenskaya
Chandler Briggs of Meadow Island Farm on Vashon Island. Photo credit: Anya Kamenskaya

The landscape of farming in this country is changing- the average age of the U.S. farmer is 57, and when these farmers retire, their land will go up for sale. In some cases this land ends up in the hands of developers and presto, new subdivisions grow where crops once flourished. Now a new harvest of young farmers, armed with organic know-how and new media savvy, are getting organized- and getting political. They want to preserve farmland and keep the art of farming alive. And the movement is taking root right here in Washington State, where farmers under 34 years old have increased by 32%. KBCS has this story from Vashon Island.

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