Why The U.S. Needs A New Generation Of Farmers

America is in the middle of a farming crisis. Only about 6% of current U.S. farmers are under age 35, which means we may not be able to grow enough food to feed the country in the future.

*Correction: Sophie Ackoff is the correct spelling, not Ackhoff.

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Executive Producer: Laura Ling
Producer: Paige Keipper (Hansen), Aneeta Akhurst
Cinematographers: Spencer Snider, Alex Gerhard
Editor: Lee Mould

[videonunta]

The world doesn’t need any more engineers. We didn’t run out of planes and television sets. We ran out of food.

[davidfarmer]

FARMING!!!! the least respected most under paid skilled job in America.

[SV-mcjq]

Interstellar said it before!

Farmers are the key to the future.

[mitchellmaytorena]

Here in Oregon we have a quite a few younger people getting into agriculture, with me being one of them. We are just not your traditional farmers as one would commonly assume. we generally cultivate cannabis here.

[hijack]

Was a engineer..became a farmer... INTERSTELLAR????

[felixgijon]

My family were farmers (father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc.). Problem was too much work for such little pay. Wish I could farm for a living, but it is easier for me to work shorter days for better pay.

[thijsjong]

I forsee a potential landgrab when old farmers quit. I hope it wont be the Chinese or Saudis buying land. Or others hostile takeovers. That would be disastrous. This is a very important strategic resource.

[VarnHomestead]

I would love to become a farmer... Just can't make the leap too much risk for a job leap. My family comes first.

[duanedean]

My parents bought a running farm in '61 for around I think $80, 000. They milked 80 head and farmed 145 acres, 80 tillable. Insane with these prices going on these days. Want to know why there isn't any farmers, there ya go. Nobody wants to go in debt almost a million dollars to be tied to something theyre stuck doing and nothing else.

[metabeard]

Urban farming warehouses are going to fill a lot of our produce needs. They're just starting to take off now.

[someamazingpenguin]

food goes down = farmer salary goes up = people be farmers

[PhilipPetrunak]

I'm surprised she isn't using that engineering degree to automate a lot of those chores. I mean, the feeding could relatively easily be automated.

[ceilconstante]

My Grandfather was a W.Va pork farmer. He worked hard but lived to be 98. I'm living in the burbs but so miss rural life.
If you're a true patriot, the best thing we can do is honor these hard working new farming pioneers and buy locally from them.

[Unrulyixx]

Farming is to much work for most people or so they think I am 18 I grow fruits and vegetables I also have chickens and goats but the difference is in the caribbean we can do all of this in our neighborhood most of the farms are in the middle of nowhere

[JohnSmith-jgqd]

Which states are offering student debt forgiveness for farmers?

[jccarstens]

USA should import the South African farmers, easy integration and skilled workers in farming

[markrwarner]

I read somewhere that out of a total of 6.8 million swedish workers only 0.23 percent ( close to 16 000 ) are full time farmers.

[brookelynn]

I worked at a farm for the Summer and it is THE best job I have ever had.

[The]

my parents worked on others farms....my 1 uncle did it till he died...his sons helped work the land, once they tried to live like the suberbies they went down hill....uncle did not, he was just fine....we assume you need a lot of money to exist in the world...they are the true real off the grid people....water from the wells, food grown on the land, windmills turning water pumps and alternators for electricity....meats from pork, sheep, goats, milk from cows and beef as well....totally off the grid, when needed....greatest generation behind us...maybe she is our next great generation.

[ideatorx]

meanwhile the baby boomers are complaining that were all lazy and spoiled but its so hard to be a millennial that we can't even farm because we have to much debt. This is the height of ridiculousness.