A Growing Trust

Reader Contribution by Brooke Werley
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When I first heard of the project, I misheard Agrarian Trust, instead hearing A Growing Trust. I liked it. In the dreams of many young farmers is a growing sense of renewing a trust in the land that helped build the agricultural beginnings of this country.

Now, we stand on a precipice. U.S. Department of Agriculture studies have shown that the average age of farm operators is rising. The fastest growing group is those 65 or older, and in 2007 the average age was 58. In 1945, the average age was 39.

New movements, spearheaded by organizations like the Greenhorns have encouraged young people to go back to the roots, fruits and leafy green of the American farm. They are an enthusiastic bunch of new agrarianites ready to fill the muddy boots of aging farmers. Yet, these young would-be farmers often find themselves stalled by the lack of another kind of green.

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