In New Food Culture, a Young Generation of Farmers Emerges

For years, Tyler Jones, a livestock farmer here, avoided telling his grandfather how disillusioned he had become with industrial farming.

After all, his grandfather had worked closely with Earl L. Butz, the former federal secretary of agriculture who was known for saying, “Get big or get out.”

But several weeks before his grandfather died, Mr. Jones broached the subject. His grandfather surprised him. “You have to fix what Earl and I messed up,” Mr. Jones said his grandfather told him.

Now, Mr. Jones, 30, and his wife, Alicia, 27, are among an emerging group of people in their 20s and 30s who have chosen farming as a career. Many shun industrial, mechanized farming and list punk rock, Karl Marx and the food journalist Michael Pollan as their influences. The Joneses say they and their peers are succeeding because of Oregon’s farmer-foodie culture, which demands grass-fed and pasture-raised meats.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/us/06farmers.html

stories like this make me a very happy person! Good luck Tyler :)

today for their spring opening. They carry only open pollinated heirloom seeds. This was started by a young man and his wife. He began collecting and selling seeds in high school and has gone on from there. They purchased the Rare Seeds in Petaluma maybe last year and this year the oldest seed company in the US.

But, the place was packed with people getting seeds. It was interesting to see how many people drove a long way just to get their heirloom seeds. I got non gmo corn and sunflowers and amaranth.

I didn't realize how much of the corn was genetically engineered until my GF rubbed my nose in it.

Now, they have loosed gmo alfalfa which will contaminate all the cattle feed. Welcome to the brave new world.

I didn't even know there was a Rural/Farm forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x4510