'If you look at water boards, they are not always the most diverse groups,' Foster West says. At the end of the program, participants often run for a seat on their local water boards, critical because these boards are tasked with developing statewide water plans.

Leadership training is a key part of this work.

They work in the local community to develop a deep understanding of water issues faced by those who live there. In Colorado, the Coalition offers a Young Farmer Water Fellowship where 10 people go through a six-month program. The challenges you face in agriculture out here are really different from those in what we think of as traditional farming areas.' 'We've recently expanded our water training program to address those special issues we have here in the West. They help each other with finding markets and being profitable,' Foster West explains. 'At its most basic, we are bringing groups of young farmers and ranchers together so they can support one another as they start a business.

Water issues are especially key to building a future that will meet the needs of both those producing food and consumers who depend on it. Hers is a region with unique challenges, where knowing how to farm or ranch is equally as important as learning how to advocate for policy. Today, the Coalition has more than 200,000 supporters across the country, with 46 farmer-led chapters in 27 states.Įrin Foster West coordinates the Coalition's western program. They believed young farmers and ranchers needed a coordinated voice in Washington, D.C. The coalition goes back to first-generation farmer Lindsey Lusher Shute, who farms with her husband, Benjamin, in New York's Hudson Valley. Many of them are getting a little help from a group that just hit its 10-year mark, the National Young Farmers Coalition, born in 2010. It does something to a person's DNA.īut what if you are not part of the family of agriculture? What if you don't have those childhood memories or maybe the advantage of land passed down through the generations to give you a start? First-generation farmers are learning how to build their own kind of family. They learned by just growing up on a farm and watching cattle worked or fields planted. Many of today's farm and ranch operators have generations of agrarians behind them. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Joel Reichenberger)Īgriculture is a family. Andy Breiter custom-grazes 78 leased acres, helping to keep capital costs down while he looks for land to invest in and grow an operation.

The golden hoof farm