The average age of the Grayson County farmer is 58 years old according to the latest Agriculture Census of Agriculture. With that information, it is pertinent that the focus of the next generation of farmers be an area of focus for the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension. Thankfully, the growing interest in extension programs through the last 5 years has increased, giving way to developing programs for that group. The Grayson County Agriculture and Natural Resource Agent teamed up with the Grayson County Farm Bureau Young Farmers to provide educational and leadership opportunities for these farmers.

At the beginning of 2022 the agriculture agent sent out a blanket survey to those listed under young/beginning farmers to see what programs they were interested in. Of those that responded, 80% stated that input and land costs are top concerns for them. Twenty percent said inexperience and grant opportunities were top concerns.

From those results, the agriculture agent began planning meetings to invite specialists to come talk with the group. The first program was with UK Ag Economics specialist Jonathan Shepherd, who discussed basic budgeting for high inputs, what to expect for the upcoming growing season. Over 15 young/beginning farmers attended and stayed an extra hour asking questions related to farm management. The second session was a panel discussion with two local Ag lenders, USDA Farm Service Agency, and NRCS. This program allowed for producers to learn about what each entity did as well as ask questions. Over 15 attended this program also. The feedback from each of these programs was positive, and through networking and education, I have had several reach out to utilize the extension office more as a resource.  One of the panelist stated that “this has been one of the best attended and engaging programs I’ve attended!”

The goal for the Agriculture agent is to continue to grow these relationships with this young/beginning farmer group and continue to provide programming to them as needed. The hope is that this group will engage with other farmers in the community to help be a resource and leader for the Cooperative Extension Service.  A follow up survey for fall programming is being conducted.