The average Henry County farmer is 57 years old. The Henry County Young Farmers is a group started by the ANR Agent to target issues specific to farmers under 40 years old. Those issues include access to land, financial management, and farm diversification. An interest survey was conducted at a separate meeting with overwhelming number (greater than 70%) of respondents indicating they wanted a Young Farmers Group in the county. 

This is an ongoing program with the first meeting in March of 2025. The second meeting is planned for July 22, 2025. A board was established to plan future meetings. Fall 2025 there will be monthly meetings focused on financial literacy. 

The first meeting had two goals: get attendees to form relationships and education on resources available to them. A young farmer resource guide was developed and provided by the ANR Agent. Partnerships included NRCS, FSA, and the Henry County Conservation District. All organizations had speakers at the event. The ANR Agent facilitated the meeting and spoke about all Extension and other resources available to young farmers. A live “Menti” poll was conducted by the ANR agent to gauge future topics and enthusiasm for meetings. Results from the poll indicate that the group is interested in financial management courses and high enthusiasm for future meetings. The group voted to meet monthly. 

23 adults and 15 youth were in attendance. Community volunteers (4-H background checked) supervised children in the next room. The childcare allowed several to attend who may not have otherwise. 

The first meeting of the Henry County Young Farmers met both of the initial goals. There were connections made between young farmers that had not previously known each other. The resource booklet was well received, with attendees commenting months later that they had referenced it several times after the meeting. 85% of participants indicated that they wanted to meet immediately again. 96% of participants indicated that they were willing to pay a membership to offset costs of meetings.