The challenges that we see for young farmers are basically how they can make enough money to make a living from farming--and coming up with a plan that does that--and how to apply what they already know and make it into a successful business. We feel it's essential that young farmers have a business plan that is looked at by an outside third-party person. Very often it's beneficial to get some outside input into your situation and to see what the strengths and weaknesses of your business are.
Another major challenge for many young farmers is family succession into a farm. Many of these farms, as you already know, have been in the family for so many years that they want to keep it in the family. Trying to find a way to bring another income in and bring another family onto the farm to generate enough money for the business is a struggle.
There are some tools that we've highlighted for young farmers. To basically get started they need financial assets in some form, whether it's savings or equity in existing operations. They need some way to start a farm with some cash. Then access to ongoing support groups we also feel is really important. Groups such as Executive Link, where they get outside peer support from other farmers, are very valuable. Being part of young farmer organizations is another valuable asset for many young farmers.