Farming Forward

How can the next generation be inspired to be problem solvers and innovators in order to impact the global food system? With the large millennial generation it is as important as ever to develop new platforms to spread agricultural awareness and literacy. With the millennial generation being increasingly connected to technology and media platforms, understanding how to create a mainstreamed farming blog will be valuable in reaching the future generation of agriculturalists. This project will develop a proposal for a farming blog platform and review essential elements to include within a blog ranging from an up to date news section of top issues affecting agriculture, agriculture facts, and links to different agriculture movement campaigns. As well as career opportunities and career pathways which can correlate to class courses and career goals within different universities and technical schools. The farming blog platform will also aid in increasing the interest of millenials to seek agriculture as their future professions by showcasing agriculture leaders from around the world in multiple stages of their careers ranging from university work to post graduation work and family farm operations. The overall goal of this farming blog and proposal is to create and showcase the creation of a platform which can highlight the importance of agriculture and the wide array of opportunities available in order to attract the new era of agriculturalists. With farm and ranch families composing just 2% of the U.S population the need for continuous outreach to the general public is at an all time high (AgAmerica, 2017). According to the latest statistics from the Ag Census and shared by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the US has 2.1 million farms worked by 3.2 million farmers. Millennial farmers make up 8% of that total, roughly 257,500 (Ag Lending, 2017). Over 20% of all farmers are beginning farmers with less than 10 years in the farming business. Millennials have a large range of characteristics which can make their farming professions succeed. These characteristics include a growing connection to technology, according to data collected by Digital Marketing Strategies and Insights on CMO.com, millennials own an average of 7.7 internet connected devices and use 3.3 of those daily (AgAmerica, 2017). This can contribute to millennials being proficient with agri-technology, which has shown to have a growing impact on the success of farming. According to the Environmental Defense Fund a new generation of tech-savvy young farmers are reinventing agriculture by increasing efficiency and tackling fertilizer loss, water pollution and climate change through satellite technology( Environmental Defense Fund, 2019). Also, according to data found on the Automatic Data Processing Inc, millennials prefer the opportunity of a flexible work schedule and value experiences over material goods, working from home on a farm is as flexible as it comes and farmers are in agriculture not for the money but for the love of the job (Taylor, 2017). The future of agriculture is dependent on continuous outreach, advanced technological improvements and new generations choosing agriculture as their future professions