Are there Pumpkins?

There isn’t a better time of year to have pumpkin pie then during the holiday season. Although the pumpkins companies are experiencing some stress this year as the their crops are coming in and there is a huge shortage of pumpkins. In an interview with NPR News,  Roz O’Hearn from Libby’s Canned Pumpkin Company  said that there is generally enough pumpkins to give them a “cushion for next year,” but that there isn’t a cushion this year. There should be enough pumpkins to last until Thanksgiving but after that no one knows.(See Article)

No one wants to go this season with out pumpkin pie, so with this shortage of canned pumpkins consumers have to get a little creative! The best way to do that is to make your own. This isn’t hard too do. After scraping the pumpkin clean of the insides cut it in half. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place each half of the pumpkin in the oven and cover with tin foil. Bake for about an hour or until tender. Scrape the pumpkin meat from each side and puree in a blender. (Pumpkin Puree Recipe)The puree can be kept in the freezer and used all year round. Enjoy your pumpkin!  

There's a Market

In early blog posts I talked a little about the need for support of small family farms and the number of individuals going into agriculture careers, particularly those with an agriculture back. Something that has been brought to my attention is the number or individuals entering an agriculture based occupation with little or no agriculture back ground. While the number of farmers has decreased, the number of individuals who are new to agriculture occupations has increased. (start to farm)

These individuals have a drive to succeed and produce quality products for consumers. As a result of this increase of agriculturist there are additional resources for these new farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture provides multiple introductions and educational information for new farmers including the New Farmers Guide and Start to farm financial support.

Now I understand that not everyone wants to be a farmer but there is so much that each person can do to help support agriculture and specifically these new farmers. In an early blog post I discussed the purpose of small family farms and how the producers at these farms bring their products to farmers markets. I am going to put in another plug for these farmer markets. A lot of the farm represented at the farmers markets are owned and operated by first time agriculturalist. So many are just starting out and producing quality products.

There are farmers markets every where. Edible Wasatch and similar websites can direct you to the farmers market nearest to you. Find a market and support a farmer today!

It Runs In the Family

Have you ever taken a drive out through the country side and enjoyed a quiet afternoon away from the city noise? As you drove did you notice the acres of farm land? Have you ever stopped to think about who runs that land? The majority of these small farms are run by families who have passed the lifestyle of farming down from generation to generation. Although, according to The Real Truth Magazine only one-third of these family farms have a successor, someone who will continue the farming tradition. There has been an ever increasing number of large scale farms. As large commercial farming increases, the number of small family farms decrease as generations move farther and farther from agriculture back ground. The need for more land to build houses and provide space for an ever increasing population has been the cause of many of these small family farms selling out.

What is going to help keep these family farms from becoming completely extinct? Many of these family farms provide organic produce that can be found at local farmers markets. While these products may not have as long of a shelf life they provide a healthy alternative that can be frozen, bottled, or canned for later use. During this time of year there are family owned pumpkins patches and produce stands that can be a great family opportunity. (USDA- Small Family Farms)There are so many ways that small family farms can be supported but it needs to start now. 

The Age of the Farmer

As a child, I remember my dad after a long day of work, picking up his guitar almost every night to play a song or two before we would all go to bed. One of the songs he would sing was an old Waylon Jennings song, "Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys, don't let them pick guitars and drive them old trucks, make em be doctors and lawyers and such."  I would laugh at that song and think to myself, why would anyone not want to be a cowboy or a farmer? Isn’t that every kid's dream?

In the last 5 years, research has found the age of the farmer is increasing from 55 to 57, with 30% of farmers over the age of 75. Twenty percent of U.S. farms today are operated by those with 10 years or less of experience.(Young people on Farms)

So what would keep someone from staying on a farm and continuing to work in agriculture?  Jennifer Leavy and Naomi Hossain of the Institute of Development Study found that there are four reasons someone would move away from agriculture:

•      Youth want better education to get better jobs
•  Farming is mentally and physically challenging  
•   They don’t consider it as a future because of the lack of access to inputs and land   
• Changing norms, new opportunities to seek education and employment 

The generation gap between the farmers of yesterday and farmers today continues to grow, where less and less know about farming, leaving the older farmers with no one to take their place. So whether or not you are involved in agriculture consider what you can do to increase agriculture awareness and job opportunities. As the age of the farmer goes up and the world population continues to rise, the need for agriculture based workers needs to be rising with it. Jobs are waiting to be filled.