--- title: "Groups Encourage Young Adults to Embrace Farming" id: "33161" type: "post" slug: "groups-encourage-young-adults-to-embrace-farming" published_at: "2016-04-29T21:47:12+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:47:22+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/04/29/groups-encourage-young-adults-to-embrace-farming/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/04/29/groups-encourage-young-adults-to-embrace-farming.md" excerpt: "Many young adults have passed up on farming as a way of life, a trend that some farming groups want to reverse. One potential way to attract new generations? Student-loan forgiveness." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Advocacy" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "farmers" - "NextGen" - "student loans" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" taxonomy_persona: - "Early Career" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Groups Encourage Young Adults to Embrace Farming Farming may not seem naturally appealing to young adults. And as the current crop of farmers age out of the industry, that’s quickly becoming a problem. But while the average farm owner is older than 55, industry groups aren’t giving up on attracting the next generation of farmers. Consider the [Young Farmer Network of Southeastern New England (opens in a new tab)](http://www.youngfarmernetwork.org/) . [As Alternet recently reported (opens in a new tab)](http://www.alternet.org/food/young-farmer-network-helps-shift-agricultural-landscape) , the group got its start with a set of get-togethers among farmers in the region, whose work is often isolating. YFN quickly grew into a wide-ranging network that offers educational initiatives and guidance to farmers just starting out. Tess Brown-Lavoie, one of YFN’s organizers, told *Alternet* that the initiative’s success so far has encouraged the group to aim higher. “In New England especially, it makes sense for us to have a regional movement to address issues like policy, resources, our historical context, and race—issues that don’t respect state lines,” she said. Brown-Lavoie sits on the board of the National Young Farmers Coalition, which has an idea for helping draw more young people to the agricultural life. NYFC is pushing for debt forgiveness for student loans, hoping it will help attract young adults back to family farms. [The coalition backed (opens in a new tab)](http://www.youngfarmers.org/young-farmer-success-act-introduced-in-congress/) the Young Farmer Success Act of 2015, which would make farmers eligible for the forgiveness of student loans under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Last year, NYFC teamed with Clif Bar & Company, a manufacturer of organic food and beverages, to draw attention to the farming industry’s age problem and the group’s proposed solution. “We’re calling on Congress to provide the same student loan assistance offered to teachers, doctors, and other public servants,” NYFC Executive Director Lindsey Lusher Shute [said in a news release last year (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151022005032/en/Clif-Bar-Company-National-Young-Farmers-Coalition) . “We are a generation of farmers committed to growing quality food and stewarding our land and resources. This work must be celebrated and supported as a vital service to our nation.” Beyond the halls of Congress, the initiative has found support in states with agricultural interests. New York passed a similar law last year, [according to a Stateline report (opens in a new tab)](http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2016/04/12/to-help-new-farmers-some-states-look-at-forgiving-student-loans) , and Wisconsin is considering passing one of its own. A [2015 survey by NYFC (opens in a new tab)](http://www.youngfarmers.org/reports/FIPSReport.pdf) [PDF] showed that young farmers could use the help. The survey of 700 NYFC members found that the average student loan debt carried by respondents was $35,000. “Fifty-three percent of respondents are currently farming but struggle to make their student loan payments on a farm income. Nearly 30 percent of respondents didn’t pursue farming or are waiting to pursue farming because their student loan payments are more than a farming salary would support,” the report stated. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Advocacy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/advocacy/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#farmers](https://associationsnow.com/tag/farmers/) [#NextGen](https://associationsnow.com/tag/nextgen/) [#student loans](https://associationsnow.com/tag/student-loans/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAllison Isch, PMP Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/allison-isch-pmp-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoASAE’s The ExchangeApril 24, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/24/asaes-the-exchange/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoIntroducing the ASAE Future Leaders Professional Development ScholarshipJune 14, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/06/14/introducing-the-asae-future-leaders-professional-development-scholarship/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F04%2F29%2Fgroups-encourage-young-adults-to-embrace-farming%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !