Tucked among rows of prize-winning mushrooms and squash, heirloom chickens, and a milkshake stand, the Pennsylvania Farm Show has in recent years offered a new exhibit: "So you want to be a farmer?"
Across the country, many young people have emphatically answered "no" to that question, instead choosing more lucrative desk jobs that come with vacation time and 401(K) plans. But not in Pennsylvania, where members of a new generation are trading in keyboards for tractors at higher rates than in other states.
Pennsylvania lawmakers have prioritized agriculture, safeguarding more than 600,000 acres of farmland from commercial development since 1988 — more than any other state — and passing a tax credit for beginning farmers. State lawmakers also wrote the nation's first state-level farm bill in 2019, partially modeled on the federal farm bill, with a focus on workforce development, boosting conservation and organic opportunities, and helping family farms plan for generational succession.
It could offer a roadmap for the nation. With millions of acres of American farmland set to change hands in the next 20 years, state legislators and agricultural policymakers are warning of a crisis for domestic food production and fading vibrancy in rural communities. The U.S. has lost over half a million farms since the 1980s and the average age of the American farmer has ticked up to 58. Without reliable domestic food production, they say, America's ability to feed itself and address global food security could be in jeopardy.
Read more at politico.com