In my own research, hauling buckets of soil samples reminds me that farming should be a young man’s game. But I share Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Group President Kelsey Waters-David’s observation that it’s becoming an old man’s game.
The increasing average age of the Florida farmer presents a challenge that I believe the FFBF-UF/IFAS partnership will address for two reasons. First, because of young farmers like Waters-David. Second, because of Extension agents like Morgan Pinkerton in Seminole County.
Waters-David is that too-rare phenomenon — a new farmer. Yes, she’s sixth generation, but about five years ago she branched off from the family business to form WD Cattle Company with her husband, Tyler (also a YF&R leader). Waters-David left a career at Amazon last year to focus on shipping her own farm products direct to consumers. She has also expanded into pasture-raised chickens and has plans to open a retail store on their farm in Hawthorne.
She didn’t wait to inherit her own farm, and she didn’t wait to lead. While she doesn’t have the solutions yet, she’s thinking about how to help young farmers deal with land and equipment prices, regulation, what she calls the “even-split” that carves up farms among children and heirs, and succession planning.
She has committed herself to YF&R to create a community of young farmers. YF&R provides access to like-minded producers along with resources and pathways to influence change at county, state and national levels.
While we can’t claim Kelsey as an alumna, we are working to attract students to the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences as the pathway to a career in agriculture. Our extensive outreach to high schoolers presents opportunities at CALS and the field of agriculture.
Student admission to UF continues to be highly competitive. CALS champions our rural students who demonstrate their potential through leadership, agricultural experience, and critical thinking, which often come from involvement in 4-H, FFA and similar programs. These students are critical to the future of our Florida workforce, and we continue to advocate for admissions pathways so they can become Gators and benefit from a land-grant education.
A new generation of CALS graduates can be a feeder into YF&R. When she graduated from CALS with her Doctor of Plant Medicine degree six years ago, Morgan Pinkerton found two ways to advance the future of Florida farming. The first was by taking a job as a Seminole County Extension agent.
Second, she joined YF&R. She helped revive the Seminole County chapter with Chair Robert Lommerse. She regularly attended meetings, participated in service activities, and partnered on events to raise agriculture’s profile. Just recently, she had fellow YF&R members at the office for a hands-on beekeeping training. It not only helped build the community of young farmers that Kelsey is working on creating statewide, but it delivered practical instruction. Some attendees told Pinkerton they’re interested in having their own hives.
It’s going to take an all-of-the-above approach to address the age conundrum. That’s yet another reason the UF/IFAS-FFBF partnership is so critical to the future of Florida farming.
By J. Scott Angle
[email protected]
@IFAS_VP
Scott Angle is the University of Florida’s Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and leader of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).
